By C.A. Szarek (Guest Blogger)
Villains are tough.
They’re people. People are flawed.
Even the hero and heroine of any given story isn’t perfect. (I find
I don’t like a story when they are anyway.)
So, back to the bad guy.
He/she has an important role to the
story, especially in romantic suspense. The villain has to be real,
but he or she can’t be SO awful that the reader skips sections of
the book to get back to the love story.
They have a necessary place, and their
place needs to be well articulated. The author has to explain what
the villain wants, why, and how they’re going to get it. (Or how
they think they’ll succeed. Hopefully our hero has something
to say about that).
No one is 100% evil, so sometimes a
villain has a redeemable quality or two. Or at least something the
reader can relate to. They have to be interesting in some light.
Quirky maybe. Or heck, even funny.
Something that keeps the reader going
until we get back to “the good stuff” in a story.
Not to slight the villains (they tend
to get testy about that). Sometimes “the good stuff” very much
involves our love-to-hate person in the book—action, danger, heck,
maybe even a little sex. (Or a lot of sex?)
They have to be multifaceted enough to
make the reader want to turn that page. After all, that’s the goal,
right?
The villains I love most to read about
ride that line between good and bad—right and wrong.
They make choices that make me cringe,
but they have to feel (and have it be credible) that they’re
making the decision(s) for a good reason.
We love to hate a good villain—or
even better, have a hard time hating them, when we feel like we
should.
It’s even better when they’re hot,
too. Just a personal choice. It complicates the feelings for them,
because pretty things shouldn’t be bad, right? *snicker*
FOR MY GIVEAWAY!
So what’s your favorite
quality in a villain? What’s a peeve about a villain?
Two winners will be selected from all
the commenters, and I will give away an ebook of The Tartan MP3
Player to each!
I’m excited to see what makes a good
villain to you guys!
The Tartan MP3 Player by C.A. Szarek
Blurb
Book One in the time travel, fantasy
romance series, Highland Secrets!
She never believed in magic…
Claire McGowan, Scotophile and
historical romance novel addict, finally saves up enough for her
dream vacation to Scotland.
She never imagines she’ll get sucked
back to the seventeenth century while running on the beach—that’s
what she gets for exercising when she should be relaxing.
He knows with a harsh certainty
magic exists...
The Fae have taken his brother—Laird
of his clan. Duncan MacLeod finds a bonnie naked and confused lass.
He’s convinced Claire arrived in 1672 through the Faery Stones—a
magical portal he’s been scouring the lands for over the past six
months.
At last, he has someone who’s been
through the Faery Stones and can help him find them—and get his
brother back.
Duncan promises to help Claire get
home, even though his desire to have her wars with his vow.
Torn between familiarity of the present
and what she wants in the past, can Claire help Duncan find his
brother and get back to the future? Will she even want to?
Excerpt:
“Who goes there?” A deep, accented
voice made her jump.
Her MP3 player crashed to the sand, the
wires from her headphones ripping over her shoulders as they flew
away from her body, but she didn’t go after the devices.
Claire’s heart kicked into overdrive,
and she shot her arm across her naked breasts. Plastered her palm
over her bare sex.
“Okay, don’t like this dream
anymore.” Her voice jumped up an octave.
Why can’t I wake up?
Maybe a touch of fright would make her
wake the hell up.
“Ummm….hello?” Claire ventured
even though her pulse pounded in her temples. She didn’t see the
voice’s owner, but she was stuck now.
Not like I can run and hide.
She wasn’t fond of a stranger seeing
her nude, even if gym time had given her a rockin’ body.
Claire smirked. Her sister would’ve
declared her egotistical right then and there.
Three figures came into view, standing
atop a grassy overhang and staring down at her. Two men and a boy.
“Lass?” One asked.
Lass?
Okay, no more Scottish Highlander
romance novels before bed for you, Claire McGowan. But at least
she’d placed the accent.
All three were dressed in period
clothing. Like—seventeen hundreds or something. The tallest one had
a tartan kilt on.
The man who’d spoken was older,
wearing a thick grey beard he was currently scratching, as if he was
trying to figure her out.
Well, duh. Naked girl on the beach
at the ass crack of dawn should do it every time.
The boy looked about ten. He scrambled
down the incline, stopping about three feet from her and staring.
Wide blue eyes. Dark, messy hair that needed a good cut.
Claire backed up, squeezing her eyes
shut. “Seriously, wake up.” Though she should pat herself
on the back for the vivid imagination—if she didn’t have to cover
her tender parts—she would’ve so been on that.
This place looked and felt real.
“Are ye Fae?” The kid’s brogue
was thick, but his voice was high, making him sound younger than
she’d guessed.
“Wh-what?” Claire asked, taking
another step back.
“Angus, hush.” The last man
admonished. His voice was familiar; he’d been the one who’d
called out first.
He jumped down to the beach with little
effort.
Claire almost forgot to cover herself
as she gazed up at him.
Had to be about six-five or six-six.
Definitely had a foot on her, for sure.
Blue eyes, like the kid. Long black
hair that flowed in the wind. He was wearing a kilt, and had the same
tartan pattern strewn across his body, shoulder to waist and held
down with a belt, but no shirt beneath. A huge, defined pec peeked
out and her stomach fluttered.
Good job, Claire. At least you
dreamt up someone yummy.
The model on the cover of the book
she’d been reading before bed had nothing on this guy.
“Lass? Are ye all right?” His voice
was concerned, as was his expression. He spoke gently.
“M-m-m-me?”
Way to go on the stutter,
Clair-bear. Her sister’s nickname popped into her head with
ease. It should’ve grounded her, but she still didn’t wake up.
“She talks funny, uncle!”
How can he tell?
She’d said two words, literally.
“Where am I?” Claire whispered. The
sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach made her shift on her feet.
“Isle of Skye.” The boy jumped up
and down. “We were supposed to go fishing. But I found ye,
instead.”
“Hush, Angus MacLeod,” the man
said, but there was amusement in his tone. However, he didn’t take
his eyes off Claire.
A tremor slid down her spine when his
gaze travelled her frame.
Still. Naked.
She wanted to sink into the sand, her
earlier confidence about her body gone. Claire shivered, her teeth
chattered.
“Jesu, lass. Yer freezin’.” The
huge man unbelted the plaid from his waist and whipped it off his
torso. It was a separate piece from his kilt, and now he stood before
her bare chested. His accent was as thick as the boy’s, but she
could make his words out clearer.
Sexy as hell.
“Yeah, kinda naked over here.” A
nervous titter fell from her lips and made Claire wince.
“Is she Fae, uncle?” Angus asked.
“Ye’ve been spending too much time
with my father. Da, stop clouding the lad’s head with faery tales,”
the man called.
The old guy on the hill chuckled. “Och,
then ye shouldna leave the lad with me when you go off.”
“Like I have a choice.”
Buylinks for The Tartan MP3 Player:
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/411992
Barnes and Nobel: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-tartan-mp3-player-ca-szarek/1118893645?ean=9781941151044
Author Bio
Multigenre, award winning and
bestselling author, C.A. is originally from Ohio, but got to Texas as
soon as she could. She is married and has a bachelor's degree in
Criminal Justice.
She works with kids when she’s not writing.
She works with kids when she’s not writing.
She’s always wanted to be a writer and is overjoyed to share her stories with the world.
Where to find C.A.:
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/caszarek
Website:
www.caszarek.com
Twitter: @caszarek
2 comments:
Hmmm, fav quality in a villain... for me, the ones that keep you guessing... the whys, the whos, etc. Not being straight forward. A peeve of mine... when there is no depth to the Villain's character/ personality. I want to see the twists and turns in his/her mind.
I like the villains that you love to hate. Thanks for the giveaway.
Post a Comment
Let me know your thoughts! (And if you're having trouble commenting, try enabling third-party cookies in your browser...)