Rose Mckesson is a phenomenal writer and friend that I have had the pleasure to know for over 18 years. She is a huge fan of swirling and her own mixed race heritage was the inspiration for her superhero Vela Kurv. She recently sat down with me to share more about this phenomenal Shero!

 So tell us about Vela Kurv.
Vela Kurv is a bi-racial, female line of superheroes born under the combustion of the star Vela. The story is a Legacy series of books, Vela Kurv Legacy Series Parts I & II: The Scintillate Seed to Vela Kurv and The Wiles of Vela Kurv. Both promote a bi-racial cast of characters and a bi-racial superhero (half African American and half White American) that is also a strong female protagonist, such a super hero that will appeal to the likes of audiences that have enjoyed Marvel Superheroes, Star Trek, Twilight, the Harry Potter series, Star Wars, and Laura Croft. The work explores two strong themes, betrayal and death. Initially designed to market to a market between ages 18 – 25, the age bracket has dropped to age 14, with high school freshman leading the target range. The created work cuts with that unusual double-edged sword that appeals to high school students yet also has enough emotional redeeming value to appeal to their parents.

  What inspired you to make her a swirl-girl? (Bi-racial)
I guess you could say, she represents my alter ego. Being someone of a mixed race heritage, I created a superhero with a similar background. It happened to coincide with the election of our new president and I believe his slogan to win the race was appropriate to a change in tide, a change to come: The “time for change has come,” borrowing a phrase from our country’s new mixed race President, Barrack H. Obama; the tide of change is here, an appointed time, and an aligned time that has been identified by the change in political climate. As our country now embraces a multiracial President, so is the hero of the Vela Kurv Legacy Series also multiracial. The legacy books embrace both diversified and multiracial characters. Per the US Census, as diversity bleeds into every market segment in the country, so must it bleed into various forms of media including film and books. Being of mixed race I have created a character, Vela Kurv, to promote a bi-racial (half African American and half White American) super hero that is also a strong female protagonist. The content of the character has everything to do with the strength of who she is. What makes her strong and unique is her multi-ethnicity, it represents that a mixed blood union creates something wonderful. A superhero to redeem mankind.

 Does Vela have a love interest? Does she swirl? (date inter-racially)
Vela does have a love interest in parts I and II. She does date inter-racially in both books. The first book is more about the beginning of the legacy of women and two is the full introduction of the Vela Kurv superhero. But you’ll have to read the books to find out about her love interests specifically. :-)!

 What are your plans for Vela Kurv? (Motion picture? comics?)
Presently Vela Kurv has two books: Vela Kurv Legacy Series Parts I and II. I do have plans for part III, a graphic novel and a major motion picture.

 On a personal note, I heard swirling runs in your family?

Both of my parents came from biracial grandparents. My father is French, Cherokee Indian, Scottish and African and my mother was (she’s deceased) Cherokee Indian, Scottish and African.

 What are your feelings about swirling?
I think everyone should be able to date, love and marry whomever they are attracted to. We’re all human beings with our own emotions and unique interests and backgrounds and therefore are attractions should not be defined by any type of restriction.

 If the readers want to purchase your book, where can they buy it?

By all means, here’s the link to my books in paperback on Amazon (ebooks also available on Amazon):
Part I: click here.

Part II: click here.

Barnes & Noble for Hardback Links (& ebooks): here.

Or Smashwords for ebook download (cheapest): here.

What do you want your readers to take away from your book?

My Vela Kurv story is a seductive, science fiction tale of the struggle for the survival of the planet Earth. As a secret agent,Vela Kurv, the girl becomes a woman. She investigates how to fight against invading aliens. Vela Kurv, being a superhero, woman of color is about having representation in this space of literature. Diversity exists everywhere and especially in science fiction. Nichelle Nichols (played Uhura) in the original Star Trek series, spoke of how she decided not to leave the show in the midst of the civil rights struggle 1960s after Dr. Martin Luther King explained that Star Trek was the only show on television he would allow his children to watch, because Uhuru represented an officer of equal rank aboard a diversified cast of qualified crewmen. Diversity must be embraced as we embark upon a future of a diversified population. Women of color deserve to be appreciated for what they contribute to a new world of diversity. Vela Kurv embodies this. Her journey is all about learning to understand and appreciate her differences in a science fiction world and how she becomes the hero she’s meant to be.