Something New: Creating Geniuses

One goal of the Mount Sterling is to explore how gifted children (and adults) truly operate and integrate into everyday life.  Usually, characters in literature and movies who are depicted as genius or gifted are depicted as pretty arrogant, unpleasant; the kind of person you like because of what they've done rather than who they are.  Think Katniss Everdeen, Tony Stark, even the brooding Bruce Wayne.  They're depicted as something sort of dark and untouchable. 

And I wanted a romance with everyday geniuses because it is something I have never read.  Obviously, folks with higher IQs can and do lead normal lives; they're not always battling armies or overturning governments.  A high IQ can even be accompanied by learning disabilities.  And geniuses are as prone to stupid mistakes as everyone else!  This is something I wanted to display in the series.

Joanna: she's a linguistics master and knows more languages than she can count on her fingers.  But she's terrible at making good decisions, following her gut instinct, and is below-par with mathematics.

Walter: he's a musical prodigy and has good discernment, but is subpar in most other categories, especially physical feats. 

Alison: she is ahead in her classes but struggles to learn everything because she tends to get distracted very, very easily. 

Of course, the rest of the cast involves "normal" individuals, which adds the dilemma that many gifted or genius-level individuals face with social circles and others not understanding how they operate, even parents becoming frustrated with them.

And in book #1, Joanna and Walter find themselves in several dilemmas that they will work their way out of in the next installment of the series.  Typical issues that accompany a new couple, along with the aforementioned problems.  A central issue also surrounds the issue of being "born old," or simply being much more mature than peers of the same age.  While their peers are still trudging through college, Joanna and Walter are graduated, marrying and pursuing careers  that may or may not work out.  They might even become foster parents, if I say so myself. 

And while they might not be saving the world, they'll be helping their little slice of Kentucky in one of the best ways possible.