Heather’s Bookshelf: Author Interview with Archer Thorn

Book Title:  Worst Hero Ever

Released:  04/05/25

Genre:  Adult Comedy SciFi- Superhero

Interview by Heather L. Barksdale

What inspired you to write “Worst Hero Ever”?

Thorn: I’ve been a geek for books and comics since I learned to read. I remember as a kid, talking about all sorts of obscure comic lore with my family and watching their eyes slowly glaze over lol. But I found it all fascinating and so much fun. Fast forward to grown-up times, and I’d become a traditionally published author (under a different name, my secret identity). While there are things I’ll always love about the trad pub world, one thing no one loves is that it’s SLOW. So, in between publishing those books, I had tons of time to think of other ideas I’d like to pursue. I’d always loved the idea of doing something with heroes and super powers, but I hadn’t found that unifying idea that felt like me. Also, publishing those kinds of novels traditionally is very difficult. So my boyhood dream remained just that, a dream. 

Until a few different ideas collided to become something I couldn’t stop thinking about. I’d always loved writing the mouthy side character type, and wondered if I could pull off a story where that character, who’s traditionally on the sidelines in a supporting role, was  the main character. I’d already had the idea (for a  different story that got folded into the Black Cape Saga) of a bar with an arena where superpowered people battled in a controlled environment. I’m a sucker for a good mystery, so once I decided Jim didn’t want to be a hero, I had to give him a reason to reluctantly get back in the game, and that was the seed of Summer Riven. Then I needed a world for this to exist in, and creating the world of the Black Cape Saga was a total blast. Not only did I get to make heroes and villains and the place they live, but I got to create a unifying origin story for their powers, and it’s one of my favorite things I’ve ever gotten to build. I wanted to establish a cool setting that I could expand as the series progresses.  

As all this was happening, I realized that indie publishing had reached the point where I thought I could do it on my own and do it right. There are huge groups of readers largely unserved by big publishing houses. If I did this on my own, I also wouldn’t have to wait on someone else’s publishing schedule, and I wouldn’t have to wrestle with editors about what to cut. I could implement my favorite rule of all time – “if it’s fun or makes me laugh, it stays in.”

How did you come up with the names of your main characters? 

Thorn:  For Jim, I wanted to play with the old trope of comic book names using alliteration (Clark Kent, Wally West, etc.), but instead using assonance with the vowel sounds, which is how I ended up with Jim Riven. The word riven means split or torn apart, and I felt that very much describes Jim as the story opens. For his sister Summer, I wanted a name that evokes something a child really looks forward to and loves, and I landed on summer break between school years. As for their hero names, that whole process is quite messy (the fun kind of messy) and relies on a lot of just thinking randomly about stuff, leveraging a lifetime of comic book knowledge, being a lifelong word nerd who loves naming things, and then searching to make sure names aren’t taken already. 

Is there anything that you want readers to know about you, your writing process or your book?

Thorn: I’m in this for the long haul. I love this world and these characters, and I have big plans to build them into something epic and fun. There are characters you haven’t met yet that I’m excited to introduce you to, and more settings that I think you’ll enjoy. Also, just in case you don’t see this page at the back of the books, you can get a free short story set in the Black Cape Universe by going to ArcherThorn.com. I’m just spinning up my newsletter (the website also gives you the sign-up link), which I’ll use to give sneak peaks and updates for what’s coming up. Newsletter subscribers will be the first to hear what’s coming next. 

If “Worst Hero Ever” were adapted into a movie, who would you like to see cast to play your lead characters?

Thorn: I cast basically every character that has a major speaking role. Buckle up!

Jim Riven – James Roday Rodriguez

Summer Riven – Summer Glau (coincidence for both Riven kids to share actor/cast names lol)

Eli / Custodian – Jeffery Wright

Kelvin / Delete – Nelson Franklin

Natalie / Marble – Ellen Wong

Zoe Blake / Moxie – Joey King

Skypuncher – Anson Mount

Millennia – Maggie Q

Geometron – Sarah Shahi

Road Rash – Beth Riesgraf

Clarion – Will Arnett

Red Plasma – Kumail Nanjiani

When you encounter writer’s block, what do you do to break yourself out of it?

Thorn: While there are exceptions (especially when life stuff is happening), I believe  most times when a writer encounters a block, it’s really just fear. It’s easy to fear that what we’re writing won’t be good enough. So we start second-guessing ourselves, and that doubt builds until it feels like a wall we can’t

get past. But action cures anxiety. If you’re afraid or have doubts, start writing anyway and eventually you’ll leave the fear behind. If nothing’s flowing but you don’t think it’s a fear block, get up and take a short walk, or listen to something funny, or watch/listen to something that inspires you and makes you feel something. I also learned about myself during COVID (when I couldn’t do this) that new experiences fill my creative tank, so I try to regularly feed my mind new and interesting things. 

Are there any tips that you would like to share with other aspiring authors?

Thorn: I tell my writing classes to “embrace your weird.” Whatever makes you different as a creative person, go toward that. Don’t try to write something for everyone. Write it for you and people like you, and go at that as hard as you can. Specificity is one of the things that makes a book special and unique and memorable. But, however weird your work gets, never neglect mastering the fundamentals of telling a good story with compelling characters. Also, read outside your favorite genres. I have many author friends who write books I wouldn’t naturally pick to read, but I do because I want to support them, and that’s resulted in finding and learning creative lessons from some amazing books that I would not otherwise have encountered. 

What is your favorite book, genre, and/or author?

Thorn: My all-time favorite novel is The Count of Monte Cristo. Second favorite is The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway. From there, other favorites in no particular order (ranking somewhere in my top 50) are The Night Circus, Lord of the Rings, Pride and Prejudice, the Mistborn trilogy, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and classic Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie mysteries. In comics, a few of my favorites are I Kill Giants, Planet Hulk, Identity Crisis, Superman For All Seasons, Watchmen, the Grant Morrison run of Justice League, Batman: The Long Halloween, and the Ed Brubaker run of Captain America. As you can tell, it’s basically impossible to pick one favorite genre and one favorite author lol. I like a lot of different things, and I feel they all come out in a different ways in what I write.

What are you working on next?

Thorn: I’ll have news very soon on when the sequel Worst Team-Up Ever is coming. Spoiler: it’s this fall! I’ll have a solid date in the near future. I’m also outlining book three, which I can reveal here is tentatively titled Amateur Villainy. Meanwhile, I’m chipping away at the stories for the next several books, as well as the overall arc for the series itself. Get ready to have a ton of fun!

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