Meet a new character. Captain Starlight. Housewife and part-time Superhero.

My new fictional character started with a prompt.

On Medium, I write for a publication called Lodestar Gazette.

Lodestar Gazette – Medium

Your one-stop shop for cracking tales and top-notch writers. Whether you’re a budding wordsmith with a story up your sleeve or a poet with a knack for rhyme, we’re all ears. Newbies or seasoned pros, we welcome you all. Let’s make some literary magic together!

Way back in February this year, they published this prompt picture, inviting short fiction including the word STARLIGHT somewhere in the body text.

Image from Lodestar Gazette, Starlight Prompts 3

Based on the picture, I had this crazy idea. It featured a 1960’s housewife in America who, beyond her seemingly mundane life, was a secret superhero. To shoehorn her story into the prompt, I called her Captain Starlight, although her real name was Winona.

And so it all began.

Like every superhero, she needed a backstory. How about a mentor like Mother Thibideaux? She was an old Cajun woman, living in the swamps of Louisiana, a lady feared for her magical powers. Nearing the end of her long life, she passed her abilities on to the young Winona, making her promise to use them for good.

All Winona had to do was learn to use what she had been given. Once she had done that, she could start to make a difference.

I’ve written a few Captain Starlight stories for Lodestar Gazette. And I have ideas for a lot more. There is just so much scope, from her early years in Louisiana to her married life in the big City, she can have adventures and keep her secret safe while fighting crime and saving those in peril.

The stories I’ve written so far aren’t in any sort of chronological order but I reckon that I could quite easily turn them into a collection, adding bits to pull them all together.

Here’s a short sample from a new story I’m working on,

Winona looked at the clock on the wall. Jervis would be home soon. What a time for her to learn that people’s lives were in danger.

The thing was, a call for help was something that she couldn’t ignore. That would be a betrayal of everything she had promised Mother Thibideaux.

She ran to her basement and quickly donned her sky-blue costume. There were lives to save. Jervis would just have to wait for his dinner.

Once dressed, she stood at the open window, the one facing away from the street.

Fly, she thought.

Gracefully, her blonde hair flowing, Captain Starlight rose into the air.

I have to admit that I’ve used AI to get some concept images of Winona and the Captain to illustrate the stories. In my defence, suitable images of female 1960s superheroes are thin on the ground and I’m a broke writer who can’t afford to commission loads of pictures, yet.

Here are some of my images of the Captain at different stages of her life.

You can read all the Captain Starlight stories (so far) on Medium by clicking this link, keep checking back as more are being added.

List: Captain Starlight | Curated by Richard Dee | Medium

4 stories · Housewife, superhero.

I’d love to get your comments, please leave them below. While you’re here, why not take a look around? There are some freebies and lots more content, about me, my writing and everything else that I do. You can join my newsletter for a free novella and more news by clicking this link.