Ian Thomas Healy is the creator and publisher of the Just Cause Universe, a shared superhero world that includes 21 books so far with several more in the works, including my two published contributions, Hero Academy and Plague, and a third called Interns, which is slated for a 2021 release.
His latest book is Soldier of Fortune. Set in 1993, it focuses on The Ghost, a 350-year-old man who apparently cannot be killed. He's spent a lifetime doing dirty work for money...but may be having a change of heart.
I thought it would be fun to talk to Ian about his universe, motivations, and inspirations.
Adrienne: Can you describe the JCU for someone who's just hearing about it for the first time?
Ian: The Just Cause Universe is firmly grounded in reality. Although parahuman powers exist, most of them are fairly low in scope—nobody’s going to be reigniting a dead sun or throwing the moon out of its orbit. Along with that reality comes the recognition that parahuman powers are dangerous, and there are consequences to using them. People get hurt. People die. Books set in the JCU focus on stories where powers are more like special effects than the pure focus of the plot. Consequently, many of the books are explorations of other genres, using superheroes as a lens for storytelling. You’ll find both epic and urban fantasy in the JCU, LitRPG, space opera, martial arts epic, murder mystery, thriller, and more.
Adrienne: What made you want to write about superheroes?
Ian: I think I always wanted to write about superheroes since I was five or six. Something about those larger-than-life, colorful characters always appealed to me. I originally thought I might like to be a comic book artist, but the simple fact is I don’t have the talent for it.
Adrienne: How did you come up with Mustang Sally as your protagonist?
Ian: Like many of my characters, Mustang Sally began life as a character from an RPG. Funny side note here: when I first created her, she was an NPC to fill out the team. Instead, I played Juice and Doublecharge in games.
Adrienne: That's funny, because the main characters in my JCU short story "The Deepest Part of Shadow" were originally RPG characters. Did you know from the beginning that you'd write so much about Sally?
Ian: My intent when I started the JCU was to have Mustang Sally and the people surrounding her be the primary focus, with other characters remaining on the periphery. I didn’t realize that I would branch out so much, but over time when one writes stories about the same character, that character must eventually grow and change. Sally’s had the luxury of getting to retire alive instead of dying with her boots on, as have so many of her friends and family over the years. Now she’s the character on the periphery, giving advice and support to a new generation of heroes.
Adrienne: The Just Cause books are decidedly diverse and inclusive. Why is it important to you to have a diverse cast of characters?
Ian: The world is a diverse place, and it’s important for people who pick up my books to have someone in them with whom they can identify. The JCU is for everybody, not just cishet white males. I love to explore current, hot-button events in my books, which has gotten me Ryaned more than once. To be Ryanedis to be called out by a fan for making a book too political/too sexual/too profane. In other words, it means a cishet white male is butthurt about something he feels is inappropriate for the genre. For me, it’s a badge of honor!
Adrienne: Why did you decide to open up your world to other authors?
Ian: It’s a big world and there are a lot of stories to tell. I can’t tell them all. I originally wanted to write for the Star Wars Expanded Universe, which is a big shared-universe sandbox that has world-building architecture in place. I’ve created that same structure in the JCU and giving other authors the opportunity to participate in it means I’ve managed to create something larger than just myself. That’s a really neat feeling.
Adrienne: Why should an author want to come play in your sandbox?
Ian: Well, I like to think I’m pretty easy to work with. I pay advances and pay royalties on time, which is tremendously important to me. I don’t ever want to be that publisher who gets called out for not paying authors. Also, I tend to give authors a lot of leeway to tell their own stories and to create their own mythology within the universe. Sometimes their ideas help seed stories of my own in the same way my ideas have seeded some of theirs, which is a fantastic way to build. Also, the JCU is just a fun place to write.
Adrienne: Who are your favorite authors or comics creators?
I have a long list of folks, but I’ll highlight a few in particular. As a young reader, I was particularly taken with Judy Blume books. Looking back, that may have contributed to my interest in exploring the complexities of female main characters. In my teens, my favorite author was unquestionably Alan Dean Foster—and I would be remiss if I didn’t call out Disney for their current failure to pay him royalties. His writing voice was so much fun to read that it certainly helped to inform my own voice later. In comics, I still feel the Denny O’Neill/Denys Cowan The Question series was my all-time favorite book. My own martial arts extravaganza The Lion and the Five Deadly Serpents is my love letter to that book. For current authors and comic writers, Gail Simone and Becky Chambers come to mind easily as terrific writers. I also want to recognize Greg Berlanti for bringing my beloved DC Universe to the small screen inArrow and the shows that came after.
You can peruse Ian's lengthy catalog at localheropress.com and follow him on Facebook and Instagram. Paperback, ebook, and audiobooks versions of JCU novels and short story compendiums are available from all major online booksellers.
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