Ready for a superhero adventure? In today's interview, Diane Billas returns to the blog to talk all about her second novel, Superficial, sharing why pansexual and demisexual representation is so important to her, how her Comic-Con experience inspired the story, and what readers can expect in this exciting new action/adventure.
Thank you for joining us! Could you introduce yourself to our newer readers?
Thanks so much for having me! I’m Diane Billas, a pansexual/demisexual author living in the Philadelphia area. I primarily focus on writing queer young adult stories in various genres.
Congratulations on releasing your second book! Tell us about Superficial and what inspired you to write it.
Thank you! I’m super excited about this story. Superficial is a superhero/adventure book—I say it’s Marvel meets National Treasure. Both Lea Anderson and Jake Johnson would rather be any place else but WizCon, the biggest superhero fan convention of the year. While Lea is dreading being the third wheel to her BFF/ex and her other friend, Jake is tired of yet another appearance as the famous superhero, The Amazing Boy. When a convention-wide power failure unexpectedly throws Lea and Jake together, they must team up to try and figure out why all of the occupants of the convention have disappeared without a trace, including Lea’s friends. Things get even stranger when Philadelphia’s iconic treasures go missing one by one at the hands of a pirate determined to become the most powerful villain in the world. Lea, Jake, and a few new friends they meet along the way must defeat the sinister One-Eyed Barnacle to save the city of Philadelphia and the world.
In 2021 I was participating in a Twitter pitch party with my first book, a YA sapphic romance called Does Love Always Win?, and noticed a lot of stories being pitched were set around an event, like a reality show competition, and that got me thinking about what event I would like to base a story around. Then I remembered how much fun I had at a Comic-Con convention. So I came up with the idea of writing a book set at a Comic-Con-like convention, but one where there is some madness that ensues and an actor at the convention is actually a superhero in real life.
What drew you to the urban setting in particular?
I actually live in the Philadelphia area and attended a Comic-Con convention here. I had such a great time, that I had the idea of basing a book on the event in the same city. I also love the city of Philadelphia, and thought it would be fun to highlight some of my favorite locations. Places that make an appearance include a medical marvel museum called the Mütter Museum, Eastern State Penitentiary (a prison that housed Al Capone), The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Independence Hall, and many more cool sites.
We’d love to know why YA is your genre of choice! What do you love most about writing for a younger audience?
I first started off writing adult fiction, but as I was querying my now shelved book, I was reading a ton of YA books, and it got me thinking, what if I tried my hand at writing my own YA book? I personally love reading YA because I never read them in high school, so I think I am making up for lost time. When I was growing up, I couldn’t see myself on the page of any of the books I read; now there are so many great YA books with diverse characters that I can’t help but want to read them.
I always say that I write the books I wished I could have read in high school, which means I write books with queer characters. I feel like if I had more queer books available to me growing up, I might have understood myself a little bit more and not felt so alone. I hope my books help others feel seen.
I feel like when writing for YA audiences, anything is possible. The characters have so much to learn and to experience. It’s also fun to relive the high school experience. I didn’t have a great high school experience, so now I feel like I can have different outcomes through my characters.
Can you tell us a little more about your characters? Which, if any, did you identify with most and why?
One of my main characters, Lea, only came to the Comic-Con convention (named WizCon) because her girlfriend Jess at the time convinced her to attend. Then, when the convention rolled around, Jess was no longer her girlfriend, but dating Lea’s other best friend, who conveniently traveled to the convention with them. Lea feels like the dreaded third wheel and goes off to get some time by herself. Little does she know, she is walking into quite the adventure with fan-favorite actor Jake Johnson.
Lea is from a tiny town in Ohio, and she isn’t used to seeing any famous person, ever, so when she first meets Jake, she’s star struck, and also a bit stunned because she discovers that he isn’t just playing The Amazing Boy on the screen, but a superhero in real life. As she gets to know him, she finds out he’s more like her than meets the eye—also trying to figure out his place in this crazy world.
I identify with Lea the most because she’s always authentically herself throughout the story. She’s also pansexual and demisexual, just like me. She had her heart broken by her ex-girlfriend and has trouble trusting anyone. It doesn’t help that everything she’s ever known has been shaken by the knowledge that superheroes actually exist. She’s a super kind person and always willing to help anyone out. She also just wears whatever she wants and that totally was me in high school. I didn’t wear the “it” clothes, I just wore whatever I got on sale at the DEB shop.
And which character do you hope your readers will connect with the most?
Honestly I hope they connect a little bit with both Lea and Jake. Even though Jake is a superhero, I tried to make him also relatable. Instead of saving the world, he’d really like a night off so he can just chill in his PJs and put together a LEGO. His powers also don’t work all of the time so he isn’t as confident in his abilities as it might seem on the movie screen.
You had us at LEGO!
What initially drew you to superheroes? Are there any tropes you love to find in other superhero stories that make an appearance here?
I’m a huge Marvel fan. I’m the type of person that will go out and see the latest Marvel movie as soon as it comes out so writing a superhero story was always in the cards for me. I love a good race against time and mystery, so naturally then that trope shows up in this book. I’m also a fan of National Treasure, so I’d say Superficial has aspects to that too, but Philly-style. And like any good superhero story, there are a couple of twists near the end you won’t see coming…
Speaking of superheroes, it’s no secret that we love a few Marvel and DC characters so we have to ask: do you have a favourite superhero outside of your own?
Oh that’s such a great question. The whole Thor/Loki storyline is by far my favorite. I’ve always been a fan of Norse mythology, so it’s only natural that I gravitate towards those stories. And Loki is such a good morally gray character and in the comics he’s bi+!
If you were at a fan convention like your characters, what would your fandom be and where would we find you?
Well, I actually was at a similar convention and that particular event really focused on the Avengers. Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, among others, were all there, so I could be found at all the Marvel panels, especially the Thor/Loki one.
In your last article, you write about coming out as pansexual — and it’s the perfect time to talk about it again, since it’s almost Pansexual Pride Day, and the MC of Superficial is pan and demi! Why is it important to you to write stories with this representation?
It’s important to have this representation so people of all ages can see themselves in the books they are reading. I wanted Superficial to just have queer characters that already know they are queer, unlike in my first story, which was a sapphic awakening book. The main plot of Superficial is to save the city of Philadelphia, and there just so happens to have a queer cast of characters (there is also non-binary and lesbian rep). I think it’s important for all kinds of queer stories to exist, so we can have characters that we can relate to in all types of situations.
Is there any representation that you’d like to see or write more of in the future?
Obviously I’d love to see more pan and demi rep, because I know a lot of people still don’t know about either of those representations. It would be great for it to show up more not only in books but in TV/movies, to help educate people that these identities exist. I’d also love to see more trans and non-binary rep.
There’s a huge contrast between your debut YA romcom vs. this action-packed story! What made you want to switch things up after your first novel, and have you learned anything new this time around?
I never seem to write in one genre, which makes sense because I read all types of books. I’m mainly a pantser so when I get an idea, I just go with it! I do have to say though, Superficial was the hardest book I’ve written so far. Action scenes are way more complicated to write than I expected! One tip that I received when I was doing research on writing action scenes is to use your setting to your advantage, and you’ll see my take on that during the final battle in LOVE Park.
We’d love a hint about any of your current projects! Anything that might surprise your readers?
I have a few things in the works and both projects will certainly surprise my readers. I recently just finished writing an adult sci-fi sapphic short story that I’m submitting to an anthology. This was completely out of my wheelhouse because I’ve never written anything sci-fi, ever, nor do I read sci-fi books. It also has spice, something I don’t usually write. I’m also in the editing phase of a YA sapphic murder mystery set in an indie bookstore during Halloween. It’s the first murder mystery I’ve ever written (are you seeing a theme?) and I’m having so much fun with this story. I can’t wait to see what happens with it. After that, who knows what kind of story I’ll write next…
We are seated!
Our podcast focuses on media we’re currently loving. Are there any books, shows, movies, or games you’re enjoying at the moment? Any recommendations for our audience? Bonus points if it includes sapphics!
I’m always reading some kind of queer/sapphic book. I recently loved a YA horror/fantasy called Hall of Shadows by Mariah Stillbrook. It’s focused on a 15-year-old that finds a cursed deck of oracle cards and has to go through 13 dimensions of shadow work in order to leave the Hall of Shadows, and there is a sapphic storyline! That just came out in November. I also recently read an ARC of Tarnished by Erica Eberhart, an adult high fantasy sapphic book, and loved it. It’s the first book in a trilogy and it comes out in January!
About the Author
Diane Billas is the author of the YA sapphic contemporary romance novel DOES LOVE ALWAYS WIN?, featured in Parents Magazine, and the YA superhero novel SUPERFICIAL, both with Creative James Media. Her sapphic short story, THE PROM DO-OVER will be featured in the PROM PERFECT anthology, out spring 2025 with Wild Ink Publishing.
Diane Billas lives in Philadelphia with her husband and son. When she’s not writing she can be found reading multiple books at once, performing the French horn and piano, or dreaming of the next country she’s going to visit. Diane can be found at dianebillas.com, on TikTok, Bluesky, and Facebook @dianebillas, and on Instagram/Threads @dianebillaswrites.
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