So by way of an introduction, I am Andrew Kirschner. I am the creator of Ms. Infinity, the superhero who stars in the eponymously titled novel. You can get the Kindle version here:

http://www.amazon.com/Ms-Infinity-And...

And the Nook version here:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ms-in...

Ms. Infinity is Earth's greatest hero. She comes from a far away world, and possesses many superhuman powers. She goes on many thrilling adventures where she protects her city and even the Earth itself. Yet behind the hero is a young woman named Bonnie Boring. She lives in Woodside, Queens with her mother, and works the customer service desk in a big box store with her best friend. For all of her superhuman qualities, she is still a person with needs, desires, and flaws like the rest of us.

Sometimes it seems to me that the few female superheroes seem a little too "precious" in their portrayal. It's by no means always true, but often superheroines seem to carry the weight of a feminine ideal that isn't so far removed from that attributed to more traditional female characters. The "good" women of the superhero world are often portrayed as naive, guileless, and generally just too "good" to be real. Alternately we also have the "bad girl" fantasy, characters who are predictably aggressive.

For Bonnie, I felt it was important that you sense her blood pumping. Of course as the hero, she's a wonderful person with a good heart and genuinely noble motives. However she isn't particularly naive for someone her age. She has seen many things in her life, and her experiences help to lend her wisdom. She also has human flaws--even mundane flaws. She's a slob. She has a short temper. She interrupts people. She's rude to her mother. These are things that make her real, and more accessible.

Bonnie's relationships also break the traditional modes. Her romance with Hal Holstein challenges the expectations of gender roles across the board, from power structure down to division of labor. There is love, conflict, anxiety, and surprise. I daresay that this relationship is also quite romantic. Meanwhile, Bonnie's friendship with Lisa Lin explores the consequences of a superhero trying to carry on normal friendships while keeping a dual identity. There are strains in their friendship. They struggle to be "equal" even in the face of some cruel realities. However if anything Lisa is a step ahead of Bonnie rather than the other way around.

Finally there is Bonnie relationship with her mother, Betty Boring. Aliens they may be, but in their mother-daughter relationship they are unmistakably human. They argue. Bonnie gives her mother attitude. Betty struggles to control her daughter. Yet behind it all is a deep and abiding love and respect that underpins the entire story. Betty Boring's loving example is the heart of Ms. Infinity and her work as Earth's Greatest Hero.

And what is Ms. Infinity about? Above all she represents empowerment. In her own life, she escaped a cruel world where she was persecuted for her own abilities. Now safe and free on Earth, she vows to remember to the power and importance of the people around her. Her superheroic feats only go so far unless she also helps others to see the heroes they have within. As she herself says in her tag line: "Never forget the power you have inside you!"