HERO

Jim Miles originally thought of the concept of a superhero "book comic" after seeing the Spider-Man movie in 2002. However, it took over eight years before Jim found the hook to make the idea work—the right kind of superpower. He didn’t want to end up copying other popular hero characters, so he moved on to other writing projects. In 2011, the breakthrough came when he realized that he could focus on the source of his character’s powers, the “logic” behind them. That’s when the story of Colton Silver was born.

 

Jim never read comic books growing up, but he found himself thoroughly enjoying many of the comic book movies that hit theaters starting in the 2000s, like Spider-Man and The Avengers, plus the television series Smallville. As he waited to create the right kind of superhero powers, Jim learned from other comic book stories that he wanted Hero to have the fun and suspense of the genre but also wanted to avoid the cartoon-like qualities found in many comic book stories. Most comic book characters were created for kids, and he wanted his story to appeal to middle school readers.

 

Jim found inspiration in a less likely source as well—the Old Testament. Several years prior to writing Hero, he read through the history books of the Old Testament in chronological order, from “Jonah” to “Malachi” to get a better understanding of the historical events they detail. While reading, Jim saw the reoccurring theme of God’s compassion toward those who were poor and destitute, and how much God despised it when people took advantage of others. He wanted Colton’s story to echo this theme.

 

Jim hopes Hero will be the first in a series of Colton Silver novels, provided there is a big enough audience for the first one. If people like Hero, he has some other exciting plans up his sleeves.

 

Not surprisingly, Jim loves writing. He can also often be found spending time with his nieces and nephew whenever he can. He enjoys getting together with friends to play board games and Euro games, going to musicals, and watching old Disney movies. He also loves to read. When he isn’t reading classic literature, Jim might be found reading about Broadway musicals, classic Disney movies, and the Disney Animation Studios. He has a particular passion for hand-drawn Disney animation.

 

Jim has gone to school a lot in his life. He is a graduate of Armstrong High School and double-majored in English Education and Bible at the University of Northwestern-St. Paul. Most recently, he earned an M.B.A. from Augsburg College, which he hopes to put to use in becoming a producer.

 

Jim lives in Los Angeles with his sweet little cat, Maggie.