Villains Creep Me Out!!! - Blast from the Past by M.L. Buchman

(First Published in 2020)

UNDERSTANDING THE VILLAIN

What can I say, they totally do! I've never understood the villain. The Hitlers of the world make no sense to me. 

Every writing teacher, and therefore most writers, say that the villain makes perfect sense from the villain's own point of view. No one is inherently evil.

This helps some but, for me, it is also a fallacy. I don't enjoy reading (or watching movies) that have true villains, not even gratuitous ones (especially not?). 

It took me years to write a true villain. I've actually only ever written one. It was for a writing class. The challenge? "Write something you never have before." Until then, I didn't write first person, I also had never written a true villain. So, I wrote one. I wrote him from so close first person that we never once rose far enough out of his head to reach the word "I".

I learned two things from that exercise:

1) the power of deep first person when used in the right places. It was an amazing lesson in character voice.

2) to never, ever, under any circumstances write a true villain again.

He spent a decade trying to get his horror novel. He stills creeps out of his hole on occasion (now almost two decades later) just so that I can shove him back under.

Did I mention that I never understand the villain? That's not quite right. I wish I didn't.

THE NON-VILLAINOUS VILLAIN

Now we're talking. There are many counterpoints to the hero's journey (and, no, I'm no Joseph Campbell, drawing some sharp distinction there, most of my heroes happen to be women). The conflict of circumstances, environment, situations (including war and danger), politics, any number of things. None of these require the villainous villain (VV).

In fact, for this writer/reader, I find much more impact when I discover the non-VV who we only thought was a VV. 

An example: In the reboot: Star Trek Into Darkness, Khan is the great VV...UNTIL we discover that he is doing it all to save his people. In Titanic (the Cameron movie), Cal is only trying to keep what's his. 

I think the real test for me on making a villain credible rather than repulsive is: Could I write the same story from the villain's point of view and make him the hero? Miranda Priestly's story in The Devil Wears Prada would be so easy to write. And not some mere tripe about how tough a woman has to be to survive in a man's world, or not only that, but doing everything it takes to make a difference: even trying to humble all of the wannabes with the trial by fire she runs Andy through--simply the best method of winnowing the chaff to discover the exceptional. And the cost to her personal life that she's willing to make to do that.

If I can do that in my head, then I know I have a credible anti-hero, rather than a merely mad or vile villain.

LOVING THE VILLAIN

That is when I know I've really found something fun, when I'm rooting for the villain. When I want them to win. Not necessarily triumph over the hero, but to win. 

Here are a few of my favorite villains, that I wanted to win:

• John Travolta as Gabriel in Swordfish. (Which he does in the final cut, but I actually prefer one of the alternate endings where he almost does...but not quite.)
• Jason Bourne (who is absolutely a villain, just faced with a worse one). He almost wins, except his past gets every woman he's ever loved disenfranchised then killed.
• the appropriately named Dominika from Red Sparrow (who wins, but sacrifices almost everything she is to do so)
• Leon in The Professional absolutely deserved to win...and in a way he does. He is the hero's sidekick, but he is also a professional assassin for the mafia.
• Who's heart doesn't ache for The Phantom of the Opera, or the unlucky-in-love contestants in Chess?
• George Clooney in Up In the Air is definitely the bad guy...and you want him so much to have a salvation, but it all gets ripped away.

My definition of villain may seem a little odd. Bad deeds that aren't necessarily from being a bad person. Rather one just as thoroughly formed by choices and circumstances as the rest of us.

I actually just wrote my first "insane" villain, perhaps since that long-ago exercise. And yet, unlike that buried character, he is also empathetic and we feel his pain (hopefully). (Shadow Force: Psi #4, coming in September, At the Clearest Sensation.) 

To me, that is the what makes a villain likable, when we find ourselves routing for them.

USA Today and Amazon #1 Bestseller M. L. "Matt" Buchman has 60+ contemporary and military romance novels, and action-adventure thrillers. Also 100 short stories and lotsa audiobooks. Booklist says: 3x “Top 10 Romance of the Year” and among “The 20 Best Romantic Suspense Novels: Modern Masterpieces.” NPR and B&N say: “Best 5 Romance of the Year.” PW declares: “Tom Clancy fans open to a strong female lead will clamor for more.” A project manager with a geophysics degree, he’s designed and built houses, flown and jumped out of planes, solo-sailed a 50’ sailboat, and bicycled solo around the world…and he quilts. More at: www.mlbuchman.com.

Things That Go Bump in the Night ... by Delsora Lowe

October is known for many things. Beautiful falling leaves, at least in my neck of the woods. Cooling temps that are now considered bearable in comparison to hotter and hotter summers. Homecoming and fall sports like football and soccer and field hockey…at least before Covid put a kibosh on so many things like gathering for sports events. And, of course, Halloween, where things go bump in the dark. As a grandmother of three grandsons who still get into Halloween, it will be sad that Halloween may be another victim of the need to social distance.

But I digress. The topic for this month is about the scariest scene I’ve ever written. As you may have read on my other posts, I am not a romance thriller writer, but I have been known to add a villain here or there—one that gets in trouble with the law and does bad things. But normally, my villains are not scary, just troubled.

When I first started writing, I did write two books that had very bad villains. One had a contingent of “bad guys” who were watering down cancer drugs to make a profit. They caused an accident which killed the heroine’s husband because he was on to them, and injured the heroine who now lives with a life-long limp and the heartache of losing her husband and unborn child in that accident. The resolution comes when the heroine must save her friend and herself from these very evil guys, as they run through darkening woods and hiding under bushes. I hadn’t reread that scene in years. Now it doesn’t seem quite as scary as it did when I wrote it, 😊 but I did leave a lot of bodies behind.

The other book I wrote with a scary scene or two was about a stalker during an ice storm in the woods of northern Maine. He uses the heroine’s young son as bait, and she and the hermit hero, who gives her respite from the storm, have to rescue her son on lake ice. I asked a member of the MaineRW to help me make sure the rescue was true to life. She lives in that part of Maine and lives the outdoor wilderness life. So, she gave me tons of pointers. I haven’t reread that story ending, but I do remember holding my breath while I wrote the scene.

Both those books are tucked away “under my bed.” They did get a few bites from publishers, then the dreaded rejections. Now my books are almost always pure romance, but I do tend to throw in a hint of mystery or suspense. To scrub my brain of killers and stalkers, I’ll end with a few fun stories about Halloweens of the past.

( 1) When I worked at LL Bean, behind the cash register in the retail store, most employees dressed up for Halloween. I’ve never been very inventive about costuming, so I decided I would wear my Christmas hair band with reindeer antlers. I made a poster that I anchored with a ribbon around my neck and it hung down in front of me, explaining my costume. I drew a head of a reindeer with a big red nose (Rudolph) and then drew a red circle around the reindeer head with a red line across Rudolph (the international NO sign). I ended up being assigned to the Hunting and Fishing department that day, so when hunters came up to make hunting related purchasers and wanted to know why I was wearing my outfit, I explained it was a DO NOT KILL RUDOLPH costume. I thought my amateur drawing was cute, funny, and ironic, especially working in an iconic hunting and fishing store. They were not amused.

(2) When my kids were young, I came up with the brilliant idea of making candy bar costumes. I painted card board boxes like candy wrappers, cut a round hole in the bottom of each box for their heads and holes on the sides of each box for their arms, I figured the top opening of the box would be where their legs would stick out. What I didn’t anticipate was that those little legs (I think my kids were around 2 and 4) couldn’t get up the steps to knock on people’s door, because the boxes didn’t bend. I failed to cut slits up the sides of the boxes. So, we had to lift each child encased in their box up the two or three steps at each house. Watching them waddle around in those boxes was hysterical. But they loved their costumes. To end, I wish for everyone a safe, non-scary, and uneventful October. Unless, of course, the eventful includes love, laughter, and loads of fun. Below is my new cover for my first, fall-themed book.

AMAZON
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Legacy-Parkers-Point-Serenity-Starlight-ebook/dp/B0743NVCC6/
Books2Read
books2read.com/u/b6rQzx

AMAZON
https://www.amazon.com/Love-Left-Behind-Hartford-Estate-ebook/dp/B08L5N5DS9/
Books2Read
books2read.com/u/mglVqK%20

~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet romances and contemporary westerns from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine. Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine.
Lowe's new novella, The Love Left Behind, released on October 17, 2020.

Social Media Links:

Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Author FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/delsoraloweauthor
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe

ClipArt:

Halloween Candy: https://www.netclipart.com/isee/wmbJb_funny-clip-art-pictures-clip-art-halloween-candy/
Rudolph: https://creazilla.com/nodes/31732-rudolph-the-reindeer-in-a-santa-hat-clipart
Evil Mad Scientist: https://www.kissclipart.com/madness-clipart-clip-art-crazy-clip-art-6fkchm/
Frozen Pond: https://www.clipartkey.com/downpng/iTRooim_transparent-frozen-pond-clipart/

Villain Archetypes by Sarah Raplee

Those of you who know me well, know as a reader, I have one important rule. Don’t annoy me. Annoyance will pull me out of your story in a nanosecond. One of the things that annoy me is villains who have no real motivation.

Being “evil” or “insane” is not motivation. Even serial killers have reasons for what they do, as the television series, Criminal Minds, demonstrates.

Mental illness creates a vulnerable population of potential victims for villains. The ‘crazed killer’ stereotype is not in line with crime statistics. Please don’t add to this false narrative that creates fear and prejudice against a group that includes one in five Americans.

In order to be relatable and believable, a villainous character must be as well developed as a heroic character. Anything less is lazy writing.

There’s an old saying, not sure who first came up with it, feel free to tell me in the comments: The villain is the hero of his own story. If you can’t imagine writing the story from your villain’s point-of-view,” to paraphrase Thriller Author Matt Buchman, “start over.”

One of my favorite resources for developing villains is Tami Cowden’s book, Fallen Heroes: Sixteen Master Villain Archetypes. These archetypes give you a place to start. Blending two of them in your character is challenging but awesome when done well.

Another method I like to use is to give the hero and the villain the same major character trait (such as arrogance/cockiness; control freak; charm; not a team player) but show how the hero’s character arc leads to change/transformation, while the villain’s does not. In other words: the hero has an epiphany/learns his or her lesson, but the villain does not—at least not in time to save himself/herself.

If none of this makes much sense to you, I recommend you read the craft book, Goal, Motivation and Conflict by Debra Dixon. This classic reference will help you with character development and plotting.

What is your favorite resource for developing characters?

Happy Writing! ~ Sarah

The Heroes I Learn to Love ....... Delsora Lowe

Since I am not one who likes to read suspense, not because they are not compelling stories, but because they scare me 😊, I prefer to stick to the type of heroes that might seem like villains to begin with. ***

 Having said that, for some reason a villain always manages to sneak into my stories. But they never get too much billing in the story. They are usually there to move the love plot along, not to have their own plot thread.

The villainous-type heroes I love to hate are the ones who swagger, and insist on being king of the castle, ruling their own domain and thinking they know best. But underneath they are marshmallows when they finally meet The One they are meant to be with. The little hints along the way, while they are being overly obnoxious, are things like loving their mom, or they will stop at nothing to help the women in their lives (even when being a bit overbearing about it), or showing kindness to animals and other people who need a helping hand.
Don’t get me wrong, no matter how much they swagger and protect, in the end we find out they do it out of love. Winning over this type of hero takes a heroine who is also king of her domain. She doesn’t like to be protected, until she does find the right man to do that. But, and this is a big BUT, she has to have equal billing in the protection game. And that hero has to love her enough to trust that she will protect him.

As you can imagine, it takes a lot to get these two together as they each vie for power in their own worlds.

Those are the compelling stories that make me go back to authors over and over. The stories where there is no way the heroine would ever choose a man like him. And vice versa.

Some of my go-to authors who have heroines who fight tooth and nail, while falling head-over-heels in love with alpha-males are Melody Grace, Nancy Herkness, Donna Alward, RaeAnne Thayne, Jill Shalvis, and Maisy Yates. And…I could go on and on.

Now if this blog was about different types of character, I would have numerous other lists of favorite authors. A good handful of those are ones who write the terrible villains that I can only read during daylight 😊. Others write sweet, inspirational, historical, romantic comedy, paranormal, and women’s fiction. But each of those genres have different types of heroes.

I’d like to think the heroines in my The Cowboys of Mineral Springs series are the kind who put up with these annoying protectors, but in the end get equal time in the protection business. The third book that I am currently editing and hope to have out in early 2021 is entitled Rescuing the Sheriff. You got it! The heroine does a bit of rescuing of her own, but I won’t tell you how, or I give away the plot.

What’s your favorite kind of villain? Or hero?

*** Disclaimer – even though I say I don’t read romantic suspense, I do. I have many author friends who write that genre, so I want to support them. I buy their books and I read them during daylight. Sometimes it takes me months, since I stop every time I get to something scary. 😊 I used to read a lot of romantic suspense, but I think I’ve steered away from that genre in recent years, because of the way the world is today, I need to escape into the strictly happily-ever-after.

Amazon (also available in print)
 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PZD3FNC/Books2Readbooks2read.com/u/b6xzr6

~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet romances and contemporary westerns from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.
Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine.

Social Media Links:
Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Author FaceBook page: fb.me/delsoraloweauthor
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe

ClipArt and Photos:
https://www.pinclipart.com/pindetail/TxxhJT_hero-s-and-villains-one-stop-heros-heroes/ and https://www.pinclipart.com/maxpin/TxxhJT/ 
https://favpng.com/ - SuperMan and SuperWoman https://images.app.goo.gl/zDXWq1cuBaRAKsko7

Writing my Favorite Villian...

Hey Hey everyone! Let me just say while I realllllyyyy tried this month's post is going to have no doughnuts or pictures of Lake Michigan. 

I know .... right! But as much as I tried to find a way to include doughnuts... It just wasn't there. 

As most of you know I write steamy romance suspense so basically every book I write has a villain in it. But they are your basic serial killer with my little spin (like in my upcoming release the killer tats doughnuts across his victim's bellies and in A Mermaid's Wish the serial killer is Neptune's nephew). 

A Mermaid's Wish

My favorite villain I wrote ... I loved writing her...a lot! Is Ovezara. She is my fantasy series under my pen name Tasarla Romaney. This was a fun series to write not just because of Ovezara but it has e magic, adventure, fantasy creatures, and things that live no where else than in my mind.

So without any more delay let me introduce you to Ovezara. 

The glass orb sailed through the air and smashed against the stone wall. 

"He's alive and at the hag's door," Ovezara screamed. The mud men sank back as she stalked around the chamber.

"Mistress, he is far from winning." A zombie whose name she couldn't recall leaned against a fireplace mantle. The sorceress growled and raised her hand to smite the thing.

"Really, Ovezara. If you try to destroy my favorite minion, it will take centuries to train a replacement. Your replacement." Trelek stepped into the room. The keeper's gaze was hard.

The bricks above the zombie's head crumbled. Ovezara wasn't sure what upset her more, Crenshaw or the truth in the keeper's statement. The look in the warlock's eyes would have crippled her with fear a few years ago, but today her stomach merely roiled as she prepared herself for the pain. "I've questioned your usefulness often in these past weeks. Maybe I was wrong, and you weren't ready."

She walked over to the window. The cool spring breeze carried the scent of death. Below her were the feeding pits. She chose to ignore his comment. "It's not just that he lived to reach the oracle but that he has been joined by the others."

"They will not succeed in getting the Scepter of Hope. Your beasts grow stronger, and more are freed every night. The barrier separating the worlds is weakening. Soon everyone from the Baicikla Sea to the Dovazitic Mountains will fear you. No one will challenge your rule." The keeper moved to stand beside her, the hint of brimstone accompanying him.

Ovezara looked at Trelek. The keeper had been her only companion for what seemed like centuries, but in actuality was sixteen years. His black hair stood in spikey clumps as it had the first day, she'd met him. If it hadn't been for his guidance, her power would have never developed past that of a healer. Solid black eyes bore into her. At one time, they would have seen into her spirit and fear would have danced across her stomach. Today, she smiled. "That has been your promise. One I have waited patiently for."

If you'd like to read more of Ovezara, the series is The Night of The Gryphon and the first book is The Hollow King (the second is The Warrior Queen and the 3rd will be out in August is The Prince of Light)

Blurb

Thought by most to be a simple child's chant… A king of no kingdom Who walks among the living yet is void of all but breathe He will be known as the Hollow King and will yield the Spector. The Warrior Queen with compassion will fuel the Hope The one who walks on two legs but has the soul of an animal will guide the Spector’s magic. Together they will use the Spector of Hope to rid the land of evil. Until creatures most thought to be make-believe start to hunt at night… Freed by Ovezara, a sorceress of what seems to be unlimited power. Queen Taraly dying father's command is to visit Grandmother June and learn what must be done to stop them. King Crenshaw has lost his kingdom to the Ovezara and vows to have revenge. Sancha returns from a hunting trip to find his father's body torn to shreds by an evil so dark people refuse to acknowledge it. The three unite to find the fabled Spector of Hope. As their quest starts to unfold, they realize that the line between good and evil is often blurred. What they believed to good is twisted. Can they locate the Spector of Hope in time to restore good and save all from the evil Ovezara unleashes?

 If Ovezara is someone you'd like to read more about here's the buy link...

The Hollow King

The Warrior Queen

Thanks for stopping by and have a great month!

Why Good Girls Like Bad Boys

By Marcia King-Gamble

www.Lovemarcia.com

Call me risk averse, but I’ve never been a fan of bad boys. Yet there are women who love them. And books about bad boys sell. Must be that “I’m going to fix him thing.” To me, that’s way too much work. Come to me fully formed. I’m not looking for a project or to remake anyone. I’m looking for a man.

When I see muscles and an open shirt with ample chest hair peeking through, and too-tight jeans, I run for the hills. I’m not into trouble. But put that kind of guy on a book cover, and watch those books fly off the shelves. Sales are guaranteed to soar.

A cowboy in a ten-gallon hat seated on a stallion gets readers’ attention.  The construction guy in a hard hat is a definite seller Have him lose his shirt and women will buy.

But readers also tend to go for kind. He might look like a bad boy, but he better be a reformed one. Readers might go for the outer trappings of a hunky guy, but they also go for integrity and heroic qualities. That’s why in romance novels the male love interest is called a hero.

Which brings me to my new release, a novella,, titled By Heart. https://amzn.to/3fi4Gg3. You may remember, By Design, released a couple of years back with co-author Sandra Kitt. This time, it’s Cyndy Lawsen’s story. Cyndy was Elle Stanford’s co-worker and friend. They were associates at H.E Caldwell’s in the gift department ETC.

Cyndy’s life undergoes a change when sculptor, Jacques Moreau demands to see the newly promoted manager. But Jacques is no villain, although initially he comes across as such. The villain in this case, is Tanisha Shaw, the manager of the neighboring department, Between the Sheets. Tanisha is after Cyndy’s commissions and the hero’s heart. She will do almost anything to discredit Cyndy and move in on Jacques.

As you can see, villains come in different shapes and forms and aren’t necessarily men.

Here is an excerpt from By Heart.

   “He’s not going to buy squat from you. Bet you I could get him over to Between the Sheets and spending some bucks.” “Tanisha said, pushing Cindy aside and setting off to stalk Cyndy’s potential buyer. Cyndy wasn’t about to let that happen. She cut Tanisha off mid- path.

    “You have customers waiting. I can handle this.” Cyndy turned to the customer in the expensive – looking camel coat.  Peter helping another woman, smothered a grin and went back to showing his customer an intricate cuckoo clock.  “May I help you?”

   The man set down the handmade quilt he’d been fingering. and raised his head. Their eyes connected, and Cyndy’s heart rate went up a beat. “Jacques what are you doing here?”  

   I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop by to see you.”               

   Cyndy’s tongue felt as if it was tied in a double loop. She pulled herself together in time to say. “Did your package arrive on time?”     

   “It did, Cheri. I can’t thank you enough. We are still on for tonight, oui?”

   “We are.”  

   Conscious of Tanisha gawking. Cyndy linked an arm through Jacques and, led him to the side. “Pay no attention to that woman. She sees only dollar signs. Her goal is to get you over to Between the Sheets and spending money.”

   Jacques flashed his whites, his eyebrows jiggling.  “Between the sheets. Now that’s an idea.”

 Coming soon is a collaboration with 13 other authors with individual short stories. We hope that you will join us at Last Chance Beach. There, sand, blue skies and romance are definitely on. Who won't like a second chance at love? You can pe-order  here https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08CV3GN3R/

In my story, One Last Shot, the villain appears to be a former celebrity photographer, who needs just one good shot to get back into the business. As luck would have it, he’s renting a house right next door to a sitcom star hiding out from a major scandal. All these stories are a definite beach reads and should help lighten an unforgettable summer.  So take the ferry  to Last Chance Beach, grab a beach chair, and get comfortable. Here, villains turn into love interests and hearts aren’t broken.

Do you have  a villain you love to hate?  Then why not enter the Florida Romance Writers Golden Palm Contest?  You still have time.

For more information please check out. www.Frwriters.org.

Marcia King-Gamble is a National Bestselling author of over 45 books and novellas. She originally hails from a sunny Caribbean island where the sky and ocean are the same mesmerizing shade of blue. This travel industry executive and current world traveler has spent most of life in the United States. A National Bestselling author, Marcia claims exercise, traveling to exotic locales, and caring for her animal family, keep her sane.

Find Marcia King-Gamble Online

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The Villain I Love to Hate by Lynn Lovegreen

I don’t read a lot of books with stereotypical villains who laugh demonically and have evil plans to take over the world. But I know one villain I love to hate: Lady Catherine de Bourgh in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. 

Like many villains, Lady Catherine sees herself as the heroine of her story. She does what she thinks is right, for herself and her family. But her arrogance and prejudice make her a great opponent for our real heroine, Elizabeth Bennet. Lady Catherine has arranged for her daughter to marry Mr. Darcy. She also finds Elizabeth’s family too far below Mr. Darcy’s status and Elizabeth herself to be too outspoken. That sets up a great conflict.

Lady Catherine and Elizabeth are both strong, intelligent, women. Part of the fun of reading this novel is watching them trade verbal barbs. Here’s an example:

Lady Catherine comes to Elizabeth’s home to dissuade her from marrying Mr. Darcy. At one point she says, “…I have not been used to submit to any person’s whims. I have not been in the habit of brooking disappointment.”

Elizabeth replies, “That will make your ladyship’s situation more pitiable; but it will have no effect on me.” 

In the end, Lady Catherine’s efforts backfire. Not only does Elizabeth refuse Lady Catherine's demand to promise not to say yes to Mr. Darcy, but Lady Catherine's telling him about it makes his resolve stronger. He says to Elizabeth, “Lady Catherine’s unjustifiable endeavours to separate us, were the means of removing all my doubts.” True love prevails—yay!!!

My favorite movie portrayal of Lady Catherine de Bourgh is by Dame Judi Dench in the 2005 version (with Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfayden). Which movie version of Pride and Prejudice do you like best?

Lynn Lovegreen has lived in Alaska for over fifty years. After twenty years in the classroom, she retired to make more time for writing. She enjoys her friends and family, reading, and volunteering at her local library. Her young adult historical fiction is set in Alaska, a great place for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com. You can also find her on Facebook and Instagram.

Villains & Enemies; Seen & Unseen

The essence of a successful suspense story is a great villain. Intelligent and charismatic, plus enough of a sociopath to engage in single-minded pursuit of his or her goal no matter what. In a really good story, the villain is on the page, hiding in plain sight, and yet invisible to both the reader and the protagonist. The villain should also be a chameleon, changing its MO periodically to challenge even the most persistant protagonist.

A great villain leaves the poor protagonist stumbling in their wake. In fact, sometimes litterally stumbling over the ever-growing pile of dead bodies. Nothing can be done to identify the villain, much less bring him/her/it under control.

The folks manning the 2020 writer's room deserve a major award for their creation. In Covid-19, they crafted the perfect villain archetype. The only thing missing from the list of villain characteristics is intelligence. The virus has no brain, but that doesn't really matter. It knows how to get the job done. As for charisma - well, who will ever forget that circular shape with the cones sticking out all over the surface? Ever. 

No one ever said the villain of a story had to be a human being? Certainly not the English teachers who forced us to read The Old Man And The Sea. The first single-celled organism turned villain I remember came in The Andromeda Strain. I found Andromeda more terrifying than Hannibal Lector could ever hope to be, worse than Dracula or even Godzilla. Maybe because even then, the idea of a microorganism capable of killing every human being didn't seem impossible. Plus, the idea of a team of doctors and scientists saving the world felt cool to the young scientist in me. Plus, the villain pretty much killed everyone.

That was Andromeda's fatal flaw. It's kill rate was too close to 100%. Death was nearly instantaneous, too. It wiped out an entire town withing minutes, leaving only two survivors, an elderly man and a crying baby. Those deaths were enough to make the super-competant US government quarantine the entire area and send in a crack team of scientists. Characters treated a possible pandemic with the respect it deserved. Don't laugh.

The 2020 writers have crafted a superior virus villain. Covid plays with it's victims. Some die within days, others weeks or even months. Some survive with long-term illnesses. Covid doesn't care. It has one goal, to make more little Covids.  Writers interested in making a sociopath for a villain would do well to use this virus as a template. It doesn't hate humanity, it simply doesn't care. And it perfectly exploits humans who don't care either.

Covid is a pure predator. Like lions or wolves or sharks, predators begin by seeking out the weakest members of a group, the easy kills. JAWS, a true story of suspense, began with a shark pursuing a swimmer. As graceful as she appeared to othe human beings, to the charks eye she appeared to be a fish in distress. Covid is more dedicated to it's single task than the shark from Jaws. Truely hateable and yet unforgettable.

Like other predators, once the low hanging fruit is consumed, Covid graduates to stronger, more resistant prey. It's not a coincidence that the 2020 writers introduced a mutation into Covid to make it more infectuous. with the vulnerable, eldery and those with preexisting conditions either already infected or isolating themselves, the new and improved virus now infects the young and healthy who once thumbed their noses at the danger it present. It also goes after children, showing new symptoms that made our protagonists, the dedicated hospital staff, fear they had something new on their hands at first. In Jaws, the shark eventually tackles on an entire boat. We still have to wait and see what the writers have up their sleeves for Covid to do next.

And we have to deal with a subplot. In the real world, Covid is being assisted by human henchmen who prefer to believe it's no big deal. That's where a villain's ability to keep itself invisible comes in handy. People can argue about the strength of an invisible enemy. Some can claim its unimportant, and even if it exists at all. This not only allows the villain to claim new victims, but interferes with the protagonists attempts to track it down. In Die For Me, Author Karen Rose crafts a covid-like villain who is right there on page one, offering his victim water for his dry throat, so the poor man would be able to scream really loud when the torture began.  The villain can hardly believe he never realized the evil in this ordinary man. Halfway into the book, readers realize this villain is all over the pages, and neither we not the protagonists recognize him as a danger even as the body count rises. He's clever and accomplished enough that even his victims lend him grudged respect before they die.

The real problem with a villain built on the Covid-19 archetype is figuring out how anyone possessing less than super powers can defeat them.

Oh dear, I hope the 2020 writers' have that part figured out. We don't need a Neverending Story this year.

Do you believe in evil?

Hi, I’m Judith Ashley, author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, soul nourishing romantic women’s fiction that honors pagan spiritual practices. My stories show you what life could be like if you had a place like The Circle where you are unconditionally accepted, supported and loved. And where, with this support, you do overcome obstacles and find your happily-ever-after.

The Blog Queens work out the topics and themes for the next year several months in advance thus they (we) may pick a topic/theme that is a bit more challenging to write about in the moment.

July’s theme “The villain you love to hate” is appropriate if one wants to write about fictional characters however, as I write this post (06/25/2020) hate-filled emotions, hate-filled language and hateful actions abound. And from my perspective, and I do see villains, hating them does not serve me, their victims or society at large.

While there is a belief that people are born evil, in my 50+ years of working in the social services and educational fields, that has not been my experience.

My experience is that when we are fearful of losing physical life, status in the hierarchy of our family, community, employment, control of our situation or others (this is a partial list), we have a choice to make. We can hang on to the fear and use it to justify our actions or we can stop, assess what’s really going on in terms of our fear and look for a solution that benefits us all.

I’ve no statistics to back up this next statement – only personal and professional experiences.

All anger is fear-based and it comes from something we want to gain or retain that is at risk.

Take a moment and the next time you feel frustrated, upset, irritated or even angry or in a rage, STOP. What is it you fear? It could be you are being physically threatened. It also could be that your view of yourself and even your place in the world is being threatened.

Do you know why your ancestors immigrate to North America? My maternal ancestors came on the second boat from England. They sought religious freedom. By DNA I’ve more non-England ancestry so my ancestors most likely invaded England in 1066. I’ve also some Irish as a great grandmother emigrated from Ireland in the late 1800’s. I thought I was mainly Danish on my paternal side of the family. But my DNA said “No, you are mainly Swedish!” Looks like 500 or so years ago there was a major influx of Swedes into Denmark.

It is difficult to develop wise-compassion if you don’t know the whole story. Every real life villain I’ve known or read about had choices to make. Their choices were rooted in I’m More Important/What I want is More  Important Than You. And I must dehumanize/demonize you in order to get or keep what I want and deserve to have.

Since early times, before Judao/Christian/Muslim religions, collaboration, the good of the whole, was how we human beings worked together and how we worked with the environment in which we lived. Of course our survival depended on us using our talents, skills and community to best advantage.

What changed?

Weaponry that had been used to kill the meat for the next meal was turned against other humans. Life was no longer revered as it was in the olden times. Collaboration was turned to joining forces to better defeat another group. The concept of creating a community structure that benefited everyone was lost.

If you are interested in being in more control of your life, I encourage you to take a look at my book Staying Sane in a Crazy World or check out the Glasser Institute for Choice Theory (GIFCT) website for resources.

It will take some effort on your part including being honest with yourself (not always easy), but you can be in control of your life, your feelings and find a hate-free (which means fear-free) path for yourself.

You can find all of my books at your favorite e-book vendor. Be sure to ask your local library if you’d prefer to read my books through that resource.

Learn more about Judith's The Sacred Women’s Circle series at JudithAshleyRomance.com

Follow Judith on Twitter: JudithAshley19

Check out Judith’s Windtree Press author page.

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© 2020 Judith Ashley