Titan's Nemesis...defeated but far from gone

Mr. Midnight is defeated in the end if 'The Midnight Hour', but he is far from gone. He is not seen in 'City Under Siege' but his presence is clearly felt and will be increasingly so until he makes his next full appearance which will not be until book 6, 'The Trinity of Evil'. At that point we will learn much more about this criminal master mind. The final entry of the Mr. Midnight trilogy will be book 10 'Midnight's Dawn'.

1st Press Release

The following is a press release I am posting today:

A NEW HERO EXPLODES INTO A CLASSIC GENRE!

Every generation has its form if fictional heroes. In author Hugh Beckstead's debut all ages novel, Titan: The Midnight Hour, a new superhero. Titan, bursts from the pages of the confines of his fictional home of Delta City to become the new hero for the 21st century.

For teenager Michael Novak life seemed complicated enough balancing, school, a girlfriend, a part time job, and avoiding torment at the hands of his bully of an older brother. That all changes when Michael discovers a magical ring that is able to transform him into the superhero Titan. Guided by an ancient spirit guide, Azure, Titan must save face action, danger, and villainy the likes of which he could never have imagined as he fights to save his home of Delta City form the clutches of mysterious criminal kingpin Mr. Midnight.

Titan: The Midnight Hour is now available as an e-book and in paperback from Amazon.com.

Sibling Rivalry

I am currently in the middle of writing a key scene in Titan 2:City Under Siege involving Michael and his older brother Vince. In the The Midnight Hour all we really saw was the bad side of Vince as he tormented Michael. this time we will go much deeper into Vince's character. The scene I am writing now is a big fight involving Michael, Vince, and Grandpa Dale. the true meaning of the fight which Michael walks into the middle of is unknown to Michael, but it will involve Michael's parents. The result of this scene however is that it forces Michael to take a deeper look at his brother. What he finds there may be shocking to anyone let alone Michael.

Titan Universe Guide

While writing the second Titan volume, City Under Siege, I started to realise just how populated Delta City and the Titan universe had become. I actually had to take the time to make a chart broken down into categories such as: Villains, Friends, family, School (which we will see plenty of in vol. 2), and neighbourhood. I have put in so many characters in an attempt to add depth to Michael/Titan's world that they are getting hard to keep track of. Some are no more than window dressing, getting only a brief passing in the story. Others have medium to major parts. Some start with minor roles but will graduate to bigger parts later on (one of the benefits of planning the whole series out before I start). No matter what their role, each character is important and it is very important I keep them straight. mare only meant to be mentioned briefly, but I can always use later to flesh out and add to some other story   the future. I want Delta City to feel real and have a good deal of depth and texture to it.

Titam 2 Villain

The main villain for Titan 2: City Under Siege is Dr. Melodian. He represents the mad scientist of Titan's rogues gallery. he is a gifted inventor and scientist and can create virtually anything he desires. he was born with no legs and since he could not join the other children at play he focused all of his energy to his inventions. his goal even at a young age was to use his inventions to better the world. before long when he had had finished school he found himself working for the military. He had no idea however that many of his inventions were being manipulated and altered and used to harm others. When Melodian found out he confronted his superiors saying he did not invent things with the purpose of harming others. He was suddenly relieved of his duties. He found it impossible to get other work for reasons unknown. Then he vanished.

When Titan meets him he is a man very disturbed from how the world has treated him. He wants revenge and satisfaction. His main weapon is his pod. it is a small contraption that looks like a flying saucer. It hovers and is armed with numerous gadgets and weaponry. It is Dr. Melodian gets around. he has also hired a few others to aid him. he has armed and equipped them with various other invention they are to use against the people of Delta City.

Dr. Melodian does not appear until later in the book, but he is a villain that is sure to leave his mark once he enters the Titan universe.

Delta City

The fictional Delta City where Titan lives is meant to be an integral part of the story line of Titan and essentially another character in the mix. In book 2, City Under Siege, I am trying to build upon that further. I want to further explore of Michael's neighbourhood. I want to to paint a vivid picture of the city's layout and what makes it tick.  I want to have the reader transported to all the Burroughs and suburbs of the city, but ultimate;y feel like they come from Michael's East end neighbourhood.

Titan 2 Preview

Titan : City Under Siege will definitely be bigger in scope and much more rounded than the last Titan book. Michael and Carly will be going through some hard times as a couple and I am even unsure whether they will still be together by the end of the book. With Vick, Chief Ross, and mayor Winfield I will also be exploring the whole vigilante hero angle from the outside and examining it. We will also finally get to see Michael and the whole gang in high school. And that's not even counting in all the villains that will be making an appearance as well as an extreme military presence.