Author Interview Questions – Cameron R. Hudson
About the Book:
1. Hero: A Villain’s Origin is a YA/NA dystopian superhero story. Can you tell us a bit more
about Casimir and the world he lives in?

Casimir is just like any of us growing up. Except he has superpowers and lives with the Exiled.
In the Preter-Human world people are born with one of eight powers: Flight, Speed, Strength,
Precognition, Teleportation, Pyrokinesis, Telekinesis, and Telepathy. After the Preter President
was assassinated, the government Exiled the most dangerous ones (Pyrokinesis, Telekinesis,
and Telepathy) to the west coast of America. Casimir is born with the Exiled because his father
is one of these ”dangerous” Preters. All of that aside, Casimir just wants to be a Hero, he is
turning 18 with high hopes for his place in the world and the chance to set this Exile right.

2. Casimir is born with all eight Preter powers—the rarest gift. What inspired you to create
a character with such immense power, and how do you balance that with his internal
struggles?

I love Superman. A lot of people assume it’s because he is so powerful, but I love him because
of his character, that boy scout energy forced to handle this otherworldly power. With Casimir he
does not have a “boy scout” personality, (more joke cracking like Spiderman or Blue Beetle), but
he faces a similar struggle. Casimir is raised by his ruthless father, someone who has seen the
cruelties of the world first hand, being the first generation of this Exile. This has caused Eric,
Casimir’s Father, to train Casimir from birth to be ready to fight in his war with the government.
But like I said, Casimir just wants to be a Hero and hold back his power like he sees comic book
characters do, while his father teaches him that this world has no room for heroes and kindness.
That is Casimir’s biggest struggle, Restraint vs Power. On top of him growing up, coming of age
and learning how the world truly is.
So I guess Superman inspired him, but imagine Superman, raised by Omni-man.

3. The book explores the fine line between heroism and villainy. What drew you to this
theme, and what do you hope readers take away from Casimir’s journey?

Morally gray characters have always interested me the most. Superheroes especially, having to
make decisions that can affect hundreds of lives. I set out to break the stigma behind a strict
good vs evil, hero or villain. In this world no one is all good and no one is all evil. That being

said, the theme kind of fell on the story while writing it. Mirroring a little of “with great power
comes great responsibility” but turning that around to ask if you have all of this world changing
power is it your responsibility to use it fully?
I hope after reading, readers think about the power they have in their everyday lives to affect
change. That’s what these superhero stories are always about, using your individual strengths
to overcome obstacles. I also mirror some themes of oppression and feeling beneath others, so
I hope they stop and think about how they treat people and how unheard groups can be
supported.

4. There’s a romance element hinted at in the synopsis. How does Casimir’s relationship
with the girl he meets influence his perspective on the war and his powers?

When we grow up, we meet people that challenge our world view. When we also find that
person attractive that can really shift the way we see everything. I play with that idea by making
the love interest actually come from the opposing side of this Preter war. This makes Casimir
question how many sides there really are, who is good and who is evil. Zara makes him see the
hope in the world he always thought was there. Giving him a reason to fight to be a hero and
bring everyone together like he thinks he is meant to do. This going against what his father
teaches him.
5. Your story touches on government programs and hidden truths. Without giving spoilers,
can you share a bit about the type of moral or ethical dilemmas Casimir faces?

Casimir faces what happens in his world when Preters are oppressed and even tested on.
Forcing him to face whether being as ruthless as the world justifies the goal of being a hero. The
enemies he faces believe what they are doing is right, even the girl he meets believes the
government isn’t all bad and that some Preters live in peace. At the same time his father tells
him over and over again that he must stop holding back or he will get people hurt, that the whole
world is out to get Preters. Casimir tries to align these government groups with good or evil but
like we all know, the world isn’t so simple.

Writing & Inspiration:

6. What inspired you to write in the YA/NA dystopian superhero genre?
I’ve always loved new adult stories where the main character has to face external challenges
while also growing up and becoming an adult. Being a young adult myself I resonate with that,
and even as a teenager reading stories like Percy Jackson, Maze Runner, and I Am Number

Four, they have always stuck with me. I wanted to write a story that might do the same for teens
and new adults navigating the “real world.” I started writing this when I was 18, dealing with a
changing world and navigating my own parents' ideals for my life, I infused this story with an
even more overbearing parent and gave them all powers on top of that to deal with. Imagine
having a father with Telekinesis!

7. Casimir is trained from childhood to lead a rebellion. Did you draw inspiration from any other
books, movies, or real-life stories when crafting his backstory?
In real life, I trained in mixed martial arts (Kajukenbo) since the age of 8. So I drew from that and
my own father training with me, but added an element of a dystopian world with superpowers. I
love comic books and stories that deal with superpowered people being oppressed and fighting
back like x-men or even some storylines of meta humans in DC comics. These always stuck
with me, being mixed myself, African American and Italian, that longing to belong in a group of
people resonated. I wanted to create something in that realm of superpowered people having to
deal with real world issues on top of superpowers.

8. Do you have a favorite scene or moment in the book that you loved writing? Why
does it stand out to you?
Besides the revelation and plot twist at the end, I really enjoyed writing a simple scene between
Casimir and his friend Chris talking about their dreams. It’s a quieter moment towards the
beginning of the story but it shows their views on life and the excitement we all have growing up
with big dreams. It stands out because many scenes changed throughout edits of this book but
the main idea of the interaction hasn’t changed, it shows where these characters start, which is
very different from how they finish the story.

Characters & Worldbuilding:

9. The Exiled are central to Casimir’s journey. Can you tell us more about them and the
role they play in the story?
The Exiled are the three groups of Preters deemed too dangerous by the government.
Telepaths, Telekinetics, and Pyrokinetics. Casimir is growing up with the Telekinetics group at
what they call “Sanctuary”. This group is led by his father, Eric, who is stern and un-reachable
emotionally. Since Casimir grows up with them and his father, it paints his world view with that.
That the Government is evil and hunting them down. Until he travels outside of his Sanctuary to
another group of Exiled, and he starts to learn about the layers of the world and that there may
not be one clear path to being a hero.

10. How do you approach worldbuilding in a dystopian setting while keeping the story
focused on character development and plot?
I started small, taking inspiration from other dystopian stories like hunger games or maze
runner. Starting with just Casimir and his group of Exiled while slowly mentioning the outside
world through natural exchanges. The same way we might talk about news that is happening
across the globe or country. My first draft I had a prologue that explained the assassination of
the president leading to the Exile. I ended up cutting it and slowly sprinkling that information
throughout which gives a better world building feeling. Me as the author might know all of the
history and all of what’s happening across the world but the main character doesn’t. All that
means is that I can throw obstacles in the main character's way that is based on bigger things
happening in the world.

11. If you could cast your characters in a movie adaptation, who would you choose for
Casimir and the other key players?
I’m actually an actor myself, my wife included. Those are who I based the main character and
love interest on.
So I would cast myself and my wife as Casimir and Zara.
Cameron Reuben Hudson as Casimir
Monique Nicole Gibbons as Zara
Gaten Matarazzo as Casimir’s friend Chris (Telekinetic)
Zendaya as Veronica (Pyrokinetic)
Idris Elba as Casimir’s father, Eric (Telekinetic)
For the antagonists I would cast:
Willem Dafoe as Doctor Edward Red (Telepath)
Pedro Pascal as Ricardo (Telekinetic)

Author Life & Projects:

12. You’re starting your own publishing company, Hudson Media Collective. What
inspired you to launch this, and what excites you most about supporting other indie
authors?

The Inspiration behind HMC came from a mixture of acting and writing. After diving into acting
with my first role in the short film Reacher, I learned that today you don’t have to wait for an
opportunity to come along, you can make them yourself. Same goes with writing. Hudson Media
Collective merges both Film Production and Book Publishing into one creator first studio. I’m
most excited about the publishing side, using my book as the proof of concept for what my
publishing company can do. I want to give authors the opportunity to keep all of the benefits of
self publishing, (keeping your intellectual property, higher royalties, more creative control, etc.)
while simultaneously providing a traditional polish providing distribution and services with
freelancers like cover designers and editors. One day the Hudson Media Collective will have its
own distribution, designers and editors to work exclusively with our authors, and being that we
produce films as well, we will give authors those once in a lifetime chances to have their life’s
work adapted into film and television.
This is just the beginning of Hudson Media Collective.

13. How has self-publishing influenced your writing process or your approach to
storytelling?
Self publishing has really shown me that I am in control of it all. With most traditional publishing
houses they might take a draft and re-work it and send it back to you with some major changes
to your story. I had to do all of that myself, luckily my wife was willing to read and help along in
the process. Some of her favorite novels are the Hunger Games series and she compared my
work to that expertise, pushing me to have that same level of storytelling. Self publishing is
really all about being self-aware of your story and its flaws. Also hiring great editors to hold you
accountable.

14. Do you have any upcoming projects or reveals—like the cover reveal you
mentioned—that you can share with readers?
My upcoming projects are still in early development, on the film side I will be filming a short
written by me entitled “The Interrogation” soon!
A reveal for the series would be letting everyone know that the Preter Human Chronicles are not
your typical book series. Each book will be a “standalone” novel, following different characters
and storylines all within the same shared world.
An exclusive scoop for the MAsh: an event that happens at the end of Hero: A Villain’s Origin
affects the larger world in a power changing way, the next book will deal with some of the
consequences of this, while following new characters in new settings like the East coast of
America with the not-Exiled Preter-Humans.
Think the Marvel cinematic universe, but with all new heroes, powers, and stakes.

Fun & Quickfire:

15. If Casimir had a theme song, what would it be?
Crown - by Stormzy

16. Coffee, tea, or something stronger while writing?
Cold Brew, Black. Maybe with some shots of espresso in it. Chai if I’m feeling fancy.

17. Night owl or early bird when it comes to writing sessions?
Definitely a night owl. I’ve stayed up til 6 or 7 in the morning from writing all night.

18. Favorite superhero (or villain) outside of your book?
Besides Superman... My favorite villain would have to be a toss up between Hades from
Hercules, Loki, or reverse flash. That’s a match up I’d pay to see.

19. One word to describe your writing style or your protagonist?
Impulsive - for both