Titan 3 Cover (Sketch)

Here is the initial sketch for the cover of Titan 3: Shadow Games by Jena Stillwell!

Titan Finale Planning

I do have a complete end vision for the Titan series. I know exactly how the saga of Michael Novak will end and most of the bumps in life he will experience until the time comes that he is no longer Titan. I have also thought of a secession plan for Titan to have after Michael. One of the intriguing aspects of superhero comics, at least today, is that so many of have been around for so many decades yet the characters have not aged in that time even a little. Okay, Spider-Man aged a little but not a whole lot. I plan to have Titan not only move through adolescence but into adulthood as well. Readers will be the as Michael grows and learns and matures. What I envision however is a full passing of the torch at the end. It has already been established that Michael is far from the first Titan and why should he be the last. The whole series could start over but with an entirely new main character. Michael could even be involved but let it go in totally new directions from the saga of Michael. Or, at least, suggest that would be the way it should all go. We'll see in the end, but I can't see what I have planned changing by much and what I see for Titan from there.

The Titanmobile

One superhero stereotype that I have yet to figure out how to work into Titan is the vehicle. I would love to have something like the Batmobile or the fantasticar for Titan to use even if only for a brief time in one of the books. I'm not quite sure what type of vehicle he would have  but I think he should try out something at least briefly. I've always loved these vehicles from the ones I already mentioned to the Shellraiser to Ecto1 they have always been fun. I will definitely be trying to fit something into the series somewhere.

Titan 5: Trinity of Evil Preview

Titan 5: Trinity of Evil will feature a cadre of previous Titan villains ganging up on Titan together. It will be more a nefarious three than a sinister six however. I don't want to name them all at this time but I will say that this will be the first full  appearance of the criminal kingpin since the origin story 'The Midnight Hour'. This story will also feature the unmasking of Mr. Midnight as well as the whole Mr. Midnight backstory. The mystery to Titan's nemesis will only grow over the next couple of books and peak with his unmasking, and I do think people will be pleasantly surprised. This book poses some serious problems and challenges for our titular hero, and by the end, it will take everything Titan has in him to stop the trinity of evil! 

Titan 4 Preview

The fourth book in the Titan series will be titled Titan 4: Reign of Diablo. This one will more or less bet he Titan equivalent to the comic book crossover event. The fiery demon Diablo, who does have a past history with previous Titans, will enter or our times and threaten to destroy Delta City and then Titan. Diablo blames a previous Titan for his millennium long captivity. What Diablo wants is first revenge and then world domination. Many characters from the first three books as well as some new characters will have to unite to defeat this powerful foe. Titan will be forever changed after this battle as will much of Delta City. So much more to come on this fourth volume so stay tuned. This book marks the middle point of the series and so I definitely want it to leave its mark. We move in a slightly different direction after the this and into book 5.

Titan 3 Progress

I am now up to chapter 4 with Titan 3: Shadow Games. I have found the writing process with this third volume much slower in the early stages, but as time rolls on I am becoming much more comfortable with it. This latest chapter has the first real meeting of Titan and Chief Ross. The two do meet in Titan , but it is under quite a lot of duress and neither really get to speak to each other. The third book will mark the first real meeting and conversation the two have. It will be a real cornerstone of the series like when Batman first meets Commissioner Gordon. I haev tried to show the mixed fweeling Ross has about Titan in the frist two volumes and now we will really see whta that has meant for him.

Titan 3 Spoiler

*Spoiler Alert*
Titan 3: Shadow Games will mark some of the more darker territory that the series will cover. In it someone close to Michael will turn to some bad things and will be put very much in danger. In the book someone close to him working for the Mr. Midnight criminal network will drift a little too far into a life of crime and pay a very dear price for it. They won't die, but they do get hurt and will not be the same nor will many relationships. Titan will be unable to prevent this from happening just as Michael will be unable to talk this person out of doing these things. This is a series for younger readers. I know that for some they may find the suggested violence too much (we don't actually see what happens only find out after words.) but I think we have to give kids credit for being much smarter than we think they are. What I want to do with several points of the series is demonstrate that people have choices. Good and bad is a choice. I also want to show that for every bad decision that people make there is often very serious consequences. This even that happens (I won't say to who but readers will probably be able to narrow it down to a few people and it won't be the first choice you would think either.) will mark Michael and all the people in his life in deep profound ways. It almost marks a true turning point in growing up for Michael who is now about sixteen. I want to challenge kids into thinking about right and wrong and consequence and loyalty and friendship and many other important foundational aspect of life that many adults take for granted when kids are just putting it all together. Kids a re far smarter than many adults want to give them credit for and if I can have kids talking about some important aspects of even darker sides of real life like crime and bad deeds then I think that is very good.

Before you read Titan 2: City Under Siege Check Here!

With Titan 2: City Under Siege now out I thought it may be a good idea to put the first book Titan, The Midnight Hour Kindle Edition on special promo through Amazon.com. It will be available through Saturday from Amazon.

Titan Toys

I just received first wave of Invincible min-mates recently. I think mini-mates are some of the best toy marketing ideas in ages. They just represent all of the fun of toys you remember from your youth. I have always fantasised about product and toy lines for Titan. I always thought toys like mini-mate style figures would be cool tat came with little blocks of Delta City. Kind of like the old Micro Machines used to where you got a car and a city clock that could connect to other blocks to make one bug world. If I could have little case that folded out into parts of Delta City and each came with 1-2 Titan figures that would be awesome...at least in my opinion.

Right now I really do want to try and get posters, stickers, T-shirts, bookmarks, and whatever else I can in the near future. Toys...well, hopefully that comes to be one day too.

Planning to Write a Series

When I was first developing the Titan series I spent a great deal of time simply fleshing out all the books and the characters within. Personally, I see no other way to plan out something like this that is going to be a series of books. Even though things throughout each book has changed somewhat the core stories and characters remain. This way I find I don't write myself into a corner and a can gradually building toward bigger arcs that are farther along in the series.

Take Titan's arch nemesis, Mr. Midnight, for example. He was the villain in the first book. 'The Midnight Hour', and is mentioned several times in the second, 'City Under Siege, and will play main villain at least two more times throughout the series. He is a character full of mystery and intrigue and I know all about him. Now, I can write ahead knowing how it all unfolds for him and who he really is. That is my ultimate wish is to have some clues out about certain places the series will go and also use some foreshadowing to hint at others that couldn't possibly be known at the time, but if you go back and re-read it you'll see it there. I am noticing plenty of that paying off now as I delve much deeper into the Titanverse with my first draft of book three.

Sibling Rivalry

I have been told by many people that one of their favourite aspects of both books is the sibling rivalry between Michael and Vince. Their relationship takes many new turns in book 2. The tension continues to grow between the brothers even as the health of Grandpa Dale hangs in the balance. We do also get to see a very different and vulnerable side to Vince as well. The book starts with Michael and Vince's relationship in one area and then ends with the door wide open to another dynamic altogether. Suffice to say that readers will have plenty of Vince and sibling rivalry in Titan 2: City Under Siege

Titan 3 Chapter List

Here is the initial chapter list for Titan 3: Shadow Games:

Chapter 1: The Ice Queen
Chapter 2: Breakout
Chapter 3: Jealous Guy
Chpater 4: Aliance
Chapter 5: Giving Chase
Chapter 6: Mezmarrozo
Chapter 7: Shockwave
Chapter 8: Team Up pt. 1
Chapter 9: T.R.I.
Chapter 10: Separation
Chapter 11: Shadow Games
Chapter 12: Team Up pt. 2
Chapter 13: Dave
Chapter 14: The Road Ahead

Still a long road ahead however and plenty could change!

Titan 2 Marketing and Promotion

The main question I have had to answer since I started publishing Titan independently was "How do you independently market books to kids?" This was my main obstacle with the first Titan book. I have learned a good deal but still feel there is a good deal more to learn on this subject. Beyond book signings and public libraries I plan to try and get to as many schools as possible and also to as many craft fairs and farmers markets as I can.


I went to one schools with Titan: The Midnight Hour and it was an amazing experience! I was able to get the book into a few other schools, but I think that this will be the key to expanding my target audience moving forward. I think the way to expand this is not school by school but to contact the school boards themselves to hit as many at one time as I can. If all works out going to the schools and doing presentations is key.


Does anyone else know how to market to younger audiences?