JEZEBEL:
Heya, Avid Fans! Welcome back to Cat and Muse, the only Internet talk-radio show (worth mentioning) that’s run by and is about fictional characters! I’m your host, the former demon Jezebel, coming at you live from the sordid depths of Jackie Kessler’s website. With me today, as always, is the producer of Cat and Muse — forced to speak in cliches and pop-culture references, the lamentable, lovable Muse of Tragedy…Melpomene!

[APPLAUSE]

Hi, Mel!

MELPOMENE:
YO.

JEZEBEL:
Our next guest on Cat and Muse is someone I’ve been wanting to talk to for a long, long time. She and I aren’t sisters — we come from completely different canons, for one thing; for another, she’s totally prissy — but we do share a Dear Creator. And that makes us family. Of course, considering who my father is, I’m betting that beneath her cool exterior, she’s got serious issues. [GRINS] Ah, family.

“Not since Good Omens by Gaiman and Pratchett has a co-authored novel come across as seamless as Black and White does,” says Preternatural Reviews. “Jet and Iridium’s multifaceted relationship will appeal to all who have come to want more from their superheroes than good vs. evil and mindless battles,” declares Publishers Weekly. And from The Book Smugglers: “What could one possibly add to the superheroes’ lore that hasn’t already been done in comics?…Could Black and White offer something fresh to the genre? In one word: yes.”

Avid Fans, boys and girls, superhero fans of all ages…give a standing ovation to one of the two stars of the first book in The Icarus Project…BLACK AND WHITE by Jackie Kessler and Caitlin Kittredge…Jet!

[APPLAUSE]

Heya, Jet!

JET:
Hello, citizen.

JEZ:
I have to say, it’s so weird having you here. Sort of like looking at my evil twin sister. Except I already have one.

JET:
Yes, I’ve heard a lot about you, as well. [SLIDES BACK IN HER SEAT] That’s an…interesting frock you’re wearing.

JEZ:
What, this old thing? [GRINS] Thanks. I’ve got a shift at Spice after this, so I thought I should dress for work ahead of time. You’re not allergic to latex, are you?

JET:
No.

JEZ:
Besides, my costume has nothing on yours! Loving the curve-hugging black leather! Those goggles are delish! And that cape? To die for.

JET:
Er. Thanks. It’s not leather, really. This is a custom-designed skinsuit, with a Kevlar weave, made for protection and flexibility. The optiframes shield my eyes and allow me to see in the dark.

JEZ:
And the cape?

JET:
[SMILES] I just like it.

MEL:
DRESSED TO KILL.

JET:
What? No, of course not! I would never kill anyone. I’m a hero, not some rabid with no sense of ethics or decency. I –

JEZ:
Relax, sweetie. Mel was just clicheing you on your outfit.

JET:
[SMILES THINLY] Ah. Thank you, citizen.

JEZ:
Okay then, since you’re so uptight, let’s get the hard part out of the way. [GLANCES AT NOTES] So in BLACK AND WHITE, you and your former best friend, Iridium, are now on opposite sides of the law. You’re the do-gooder, obviously. So she’s, what, the evil genius?

JET:
Sadly, yes. It’s a shame. She would have been a terrific hero.

JEZ:
When did you two part ways?

JET:
Fifth year at the Academy.

JEZ:
[ARCHES BROW] Academy?

JET:
Its the Corp-sponsored school where all extrahumans–those of us who have superpowers–go to be trained on how to be a hero. Everything from battle strategy to advanced street fighting to power control to branding. We learn it all.

JEZ:
Sounds phenomenally boring.

JET:
It’s required learning. Enjoyment doesn’t come into play.

JEZ:
Yeah, whatever. [SCANS NOTES] So BLACK AND WHITE has a lot happening in it. Death. Doom. Destruction. Betrayal. Misunderstanding. A big bad evil looking to do big bad things. [GRINS] All that great stuff. What’s the worst thing that happens to you?

JET:
When–in my past, or now? The novel covers both my time at the Academy and me now, as the Hero of New Chicago.

MEL:
CAN’T WE HAVE BOTH?

JEZ:
Ooh. Nice Trading Places quote, Mel!

JET:
Actually…the answer is one and the same. Losing Iri as a friend hurt me more than anything. When you’re a hero, loss is part of your daily life. You lose other soldiers. [SOFTLY] You lose loves. It happens when you put your life on the line again and again. You know you’re going to lose people, even the ones you love, to the fight. But your friends, the ones who know you better than anyone? Those should be with you, always. They shouldn’t turn their back on everything you believe in. [PAUSES] I keep hoping that one day, Iri will return to Corp and the Squadron, and be the hero I know she can be.

JEZ:
Think it’s likely?

JET:
[SMILES] I’m a romance reader. I always hope for happy endings.

JEZ:
Heh. Sweet. So what’s the best thing that happens to you in the book?

JET:
Sam.

JEZ:
[GRINS] Ooh. Details!

JET:
Samson is my first true love. We were at the Academy together.

JEZ:
And??? Come on, details!

JET:
It is not your concern.

JEZ:
Sweetie, when it comes to love and lust, it’s always my concern.

JET:
This interview is over.

JEZ:
Whoa! Sit down, sit down. Okay, I won’t ask you any burning questions about Sam. [SMILES SLYLY] Any other men we should know about?

JET:
Well. Um. There’s Bruce. My Runner — a personal assistant, if you will.

JEZ:
And does he assist you, say, with full-body massages?

JET:
[BLUSHES HUGELY]

JEZ:
Hah! So who’s on top? You or Bruce?

JET:
[FLUSTERED] I don’t see how that’s any of your business…

JEZ:
Or maybe there are other preferred positions?

JET:
[MUTTERS] Ops, if you hear me, I am going to hurt you for setting up this interview.

OPS:
Get the stick out of your ass and try to have a good time, Jetster. Lighten up.

JET:
I’ll hurt you a lot. In many creative ways.

JEZ:
Okay, okay. I’ll dial it down a notch. What’s your romantic fantasy?

JET:
Well. Um. It’s not glamorous or anything. But it would be nice to just take off the costume and be just Joan Greene, and be with someone who loves me for who I am, not for what I do.

JEZ:
Aw. I think someone needs a hug.

JET:
Touch me, and I’ll break your arm.

JEZ:
Heh. Alrighty then. I’m pretty sure I already know the answer to this one. What’s better: sex or chocolate?

JET:
Chocolate, of course. I’m only allowed to have that once a month. Sex I can have any time I’m off duty.

JEZ:
Unholy Hell…limiting your chocolate? That’s just [BLEEP].

JET:
Corp-mandated food programs. They have our health in their best interest.

JEZ:
Uh…right. So, in BLACK AND WHITE, were there any times…huh. Hang on a second. BLACK AND WHITE is written by Jackie Kessler and Caitlin Kittredge, right?

JET:
Right.

JEZ:
So who wrote about you?

JET:
Well, Jackie wrote the chapters that are in my point of view. But I appear in many of Caitlin’s chapters. I suppose Jackie has creative control when it comes to me, just like Caitlin does of Iridium.

JEZ:
Ah. So were there any points in BLACK AND WHITE when you were like, Jackie, sweetie, what the Hell are you making me do? Or were you and your Dear Creator in sync the whole time?

JET:
I’m a good Squadron soldier. I have a job to do, and I do it to the best of my ability. I never question my duty. And duty comes first. Always.

JEZ:
So…you wouldn’t change anything that happens to you in BLACK AND WHITE?

JET:
Light, of course I would! Iri and I would still be best friends. Things would have been different for me and Sam. My father wouldn’t have been insane. My mother would still be alive. And I’d have a power that didn’t threaten to engulf me, body and soul. [PAUSES] Not that I’m complaining. I don’t complain.

JEZ:
Of course not. [SLIDES OVER A BOX OF CHOCOLATE] Here. On the house.

JET:
Thanks.

JEZ:
If you could make Jackie do anything, what would it be?

JET:
She’d be exercising every day, twice a day. And she’d follow a sensible eating plan. Having two full-time jobs is no excuse for physical laziness.

JEZ:
Heh. See, you’re much nicer than I am. I’d make her deal with all the [BLEEP] that I have to go through, see how she handles it.

JET:
Why would I wish that upon her? She doesn’t have any powers. She’d probably get killed if she had to fight rabids and criminals.

JEZ:
Your point?

JET:
My. You are quite the former demon, aren’t you?

JEZ:
Hey, it’s in my nature. If you could change anything in the real world, what would it be?

JET:
There would be no crime or lawlessness.

JEZ:
[PERKS UP] So you’re saying you’d do away with free will?

JET:
What? No, of course not.

JEZ:
But if you take away a person’s choice on whether or not to commit an act of evil, you’re taking away their free will.

JET:
[SPLUTTERS] I am doing no such thing. Stop twisting around my words.

JEZ:
[SMILES] Sounds like I already know what your evil power would be…

JET:
Now listen…

JEZ:
Ahem. If BLACK AND WHITE went the way of Hollywood, who would play you? What about Iri?

JET:
What, those old 2-D flatties? If you’re going to pick such an old technology, I suppose it would have to be someone from the past. For me, Hayden Panettiere or perhaps Christina Ricci, but blonde. For Iridium? Mary Louise Parker. But taller. And more athletic. And with the classic Snow White coloring. And, obviously, evil.

JEZ:
Heh. Obviously. So seriously now. If you were evil, what would you do with your shadow powers?

JET:
Many people think my powers already are evil. And after the way they warped my father, I think they may be right. [SMILES] If I ever go crazy, I’ll be sure to look you up and give you an answer.

JEZ:
How…charming.

Boys and girls, give another huge round of applause to one of the two stars of Jackie Kessler and Caitlin Kittredge’s BLACK AND WHITE…Jet!

[APPLAUSE]

[No, this isn’t Jet. But it is her Dear Creator, with newly highlighted hair — Jackie Kessler!]

You can buy BLACK AND WHITE at Barnes and Noble, Borders, Flights of Fantasy, Mysterious Galaxy and other independent booksellers, Chapters, Amazon, and other fine bookstores near you.

That’s it for this episode of Cat and Muse! Stay tuned for our next interview, which will be with Iridium! Until then, remember: love your inner demon. And, um, do-gooder. Bye!