Many people write fan fiction and have a lot of fun with it.  I did a bit of it when I was a kid– even writing my own Tarzan novel, but I much prefer creating my own worlds.  So, when I decided that I wanted to make my own books in the vein of Tom Swift Jr., I knew that I wouldn’t simply write Tom Swift Jr. books (although it’s been done– sometimes really well), but I would create my own world and characters inspired by the stories I loved as a kid.

I decided immediately that my main character would be a girl, but that she, like Tom, would be the scion of a long line of wealthy inventive geniuses.  Unlike the Tom Swift, who had 33 adventures and never aged a day, I would have my characters move through time, growing older.  For that reason, Astrid started at age 14, in her first year of high school.

Astrid’s dad would be a famous inventor in his own right, and would work on a vast industrial campus, like Tom; but unlike Tom (who lived in the 50s and where women never seemed to do much), Astrid’s mom would be a successful businesswoman.