King of Bad by Kai Strand

Today I have Kai Strand talking about her new book King of Bad and her favorite scenes. Take it away, Kai!

Jeff Mean would rather set fires than follow rules or observe curfew. He wears his bad boy image like a favorite old hoodie; that is until he learns he has superpowers and is recruited by Super Villain Academy – where you learn to be good at being bad. In a school where one kid can evaporate all the water from your body and the girl you hang around with can perform psychic sex in your head, bad takes on a whole new meaning. Jeff wonders if he’s bad enough for SVA.

He may never find out. Classmates vilify him when he develops good manners. Then he’s kidnapped by those closest to him and left to wonder who is good and who is bad. His rescue is the climactic episode that balances good and evil in the super world. The catalyst – the girl he’s crushing on. A girlfriend and balancing the Supers is good, right? Or is it…bad?

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You know the science room scene? Where Edward and Bella meet and Edward is all stand-offish because Bella’s blood smells so good, but Bella doesn’t know it and thinks he’s just being a jerk? Yeah, I love that scene.

No matter how many books are in a series there is always only one scene where the main character meets their love interest (unless the m.c. gets around, of course – but that’s a different kind of story). Often that initial discovery scene becomes one of my favorites. In my new novel, King of Bad, the first time Jeff sees Oceanus, he’s so overcome by what he is learning, she doesn’t make any sort of impression. The second time he sees her she douses him with water and cops an attitude. So in this case it is crush at second sight.

By the way, “S.V.” stands for super villain.

(excerpt from King of Bad)

“Source, who is she?”

Source followed Jeff’s line of vision. “Oh, that’s Oceanus. Don’t even think it, kid. She’s already found a match.”

“What do you mean?”

“See the guy next to her?”

“The skinny red head?” Jeff hoped.

“No, the other one.”

“Oh, the Adonis?” Jeff’s heart fell. He’d no hope to thwart the god-like S.V. seated next to Oceanus.

“Not far off. People call him Set. The God of chaos, storm, wind. He’s a great guy.” Sarcasm wrapped around Source’s words. “Descended from a long line of S.V.’s Known he’s an S.V. his whole life so came to the school ready to rule from what I hear. Real nasty character, even for an S.V. You don’t want to piss him off.”

“Oh, I won’t piss him off. I don’t go looking for trouble.” Jeff considered his life before the academy and realized that looking for trouble was the only thing he used to do. He amended his statement, saying, “Much.”

What type of scene tends to be your favorite in a book?