Silk Palace by Colin Harvey

Who causes friction in the story?

The plotters and the Royal Family that they’re plotting against – pretty much everyone is rubbing up against one another and getting up each other’s noses!

Do you prefer bad guys or bad gals?

Oh, bad girls every time! Oh, sorry, are we talking about writing here? Being serious, I don’t see any difference between the two. I’ll use bad guys or girls as the occasion arises.

How do you use your bad guys?

Often to provide a mirror to the hero, to highlight a view of him or her that we wouldn’t otherwise get.

Do you enjoy writing the bad guys or do you find it difficult?

I find it quite difficult, but I hope that I’m getting better at it. My first baddie was almost a mustache-twirling villain, but as I’ve gone along I’ve tried more and more to portray them as flawed, or as ordinary people who make bad choices.

Whether you enjoy writing them or hate writing them, we'd like to know why you feel that way?

Because one-dimensional villains are basically Hollywood ; they reduce the challenge to the hero, which reduces the effect of his or her victory. Without sacrifice, the victory is meaningless.

Who is your favorite bad guy in any of your books? Which bad guy and which book are they in?

Arial from The Silk Palace; his only real sin is to be over-ambitious, and to think that he can control an elemental force. But that lack of sin doesn’t mask the terrible consequences of what he does.

Who is your favorite fictional bad guy -- that's not in your books?

Alfred Bester’s Gulliver Foyle, from The Stars My Destination (I grew up knowing it as Tiger! Tiger!) – the ultimate anti-hero.

Please provide your website link.

http://www.geocities.com/colin_harvey/TheSilkPalace.html

What is the link to buy your book?

In the USA ; http://www.amazon.com/Silk-Palace-Colin-Harvey/dp/1934041424/ref=sr_1_1/103-3811783-1271041?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193587154&sr=1-1

In the UK ; http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silk-Palace-Colin-Harvey/dp/1934041424/ref=sr_1_1/203-2993755-7182356?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193586998&sr=8-1

Or electronically: http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/eBook51966.htm?cached

Blog Tours - What Would You Like to Know

I'm doing a tele-seminar next week about blog tours and I would love input from you all.

There are many things to discuss about blog tours and I worked out some initial questions to get people thinking - they are:

Discover Ways to Promote Your Book on a Virtual Blog Tour to Gain Greater Visibility and Sales

• What are the benefits of doing a blog tour?

• Should you promote your book in a blog tour?

• Should fiction and non fiction books be promoted differently in a blog tour?

• Should you organize your own blog tour?

• Why hire a publicist to organize your tour?

• If you hire a publicist, will you still need to work on the tour?

• Can you use a blog tour to promote anything besides books?

• Is there a new option in book blog tours?

But, now I need to create a couple of handouts and I'd love your input. Is there any specific info about blog tours that any of you think would be most helpful? Some folks here have done tours, some have hosted touring authors and I bet some of you have thought about doing a tour. So, since many of the people here are authors, I figured it would be a great place to pose the question. What information would you suggest I offer in handouts? Thank you all for your thoughts. There will be plenty of blog tour info coming very soon .

Nikki Leigh

PS - The answer to the last question is - most definitely. Stay tuned for much more information about that option - SOON. Or, contact me to be added to the mailing list - nikki_leigh22939@yahoo.com with Mailing List in the subject line.

The Last Free Men - by Jack Everett & David Coles

The Last Free Men - by Jack Everett & David Coles

We want to hear about the bad guys, bad gals and villains in your book. Even if you don't have a murderer, thief or other "bad guy" there should be some negative force.

Who causes friction in the story?

Iavolina. She is the wife of the Commandant of Fort Throp, a real fort close to Hadrian's Wall which, almost two thousand years ago separated Scotland from Britain. Iavolina is a spoiled Roman girl who, we can surmise married her ageing husband Septimus as a way to family money. Unfortunately, she had not reckoned with life on Rome's North West frontier; she took lovers and since her latest seemed too good to miss, she left the provincial little marching fort. After causing a great deal of mayhem - all of which furthered the story - she makes a totally undeserved fete.

Do you prefer bad guys or bad gals?

No preference

How do you use your bad guys?

To add conflict to the story, to add another thread, to give an alternative viewpoint.

Do you enjoy writing the bad guys or do you find it difficult?

Yes, we enjoy it.

Whether you enjoy writing them or hate writing them, we'd like to know why you feel that way?

Creating an evil character or even a merely bad individual is a challenge because the narrative still has to be enjoyable as well as gripping the reader and making her want to continue When it comes out right, the effort is really worthwhile.

Who is your favorite bad guy in any of your books? Which bad guy and which book are they in?

Our favourite bad guy is called Calupsis; he is the leader of what is left of King Arthur's Knights after chivalry has been entirely forgotten. He is pretty horrible. Calupsis appears in the young adult's fantasy novel Merlin's Kin, available as an eBook from Mobipocket.com. (A few paperbacks are still available … email us from our websites.)

Who is your favorite fictional bad guy -- that's not in your books?

Undoubtedly this is the anti-hero Cugel in Jack Vance's “Dying Earth” fantasy books: “the Eyes of the Overworld” and “Cugel's Saga”.

Is there anything else about your bad guys that we need to know? Feel free to share

As good guys are not wholly good, so bad guys are never all bad. However, it's difficult to find anything of a redeeming nature in either of our books that we mention above; both are made bad by their own self-serving nature. It's worth noting that only some of our bad guys end up with their just deserts.

Please provide your website link.

http://www.davidBColes.co.uk
http://www.JackLEverett.me.uk

What is the link to buy your book?

http://www.virtualtales.com/StoryProducts~tn~Last+Free+Men.html

Thank you for telling us about your bad guys. We love to meet the "evil ones".

On Borrowed Wings

Who causes friction in the story? In ‘On Borrowed Wings’ there are two protagonists who particularly cause trouble for the others. Merchant and head of the household Gardar and his thrall Thyri, are both interested in power, control and getting their own way. Leif, heir to the household becomes an additional problem as the book develops because of his predatory sexual tendencies and lack of care for others.

Do you prefer bad guys or bad gals? I don’t think gender matters at all where villains are concerned. What seems more important to me is that they should have convincing motives for their actions, rather than just being evil, two dimensional plot devices.

How do you use your bad guys? The bad guys create challenges for the more sympathetic characters. Their plots, machinations, betrayals, underhandedness, unfairness and cruelty force the other characters to act. Without at least a few trouble-makers in the mix, there wouldn’t be much of a story.

Do you enjoy writing the bad guys or do you find it difficult? I really enjoy writing them – giving vent to the darker aspects of my imagination and trying to make the characters convincing, and perhaps even likeable at times.

Whether you enjoy writing them or hate writing them, we'd like to know why you feel that way? I love all my characters, even the horrible ones. Trying to get into the head of someone who behaves in despicable ways is always interesting, and I enjoy the challenge of trying to make them believable. I think most people consider themselves to be in the right, and most have a rational for what they do, an excuse or a justification, so I’m always looking for those to explore.

Who is your favourite bad guy in any of your books? Which bad guy and which book are they in? Gardar remains my favourite. He’s a singularly selfish and egotistical person, capable of making people fall in love with him even while he’s doing dreadful things to them. He’s violent, cruel and manipulative. He’s also very clever indeed, which makes him quite an adversary for the hero and heroine. Even though he’s quite a nasty piece of work, he isn’t inhuman, and has his own tragedies that make it difficult to entirely hate him.

Who is your favourite fictional bad guy -- that's not in your books? I remain very fond of Severus Snape from the Harry Potter books (although his status as a bad guy is complicated.) ‘Rebecca’ from Du Maurier’s book is an awesome villainess.

Is there anything else about your bad guys that we need to know? Feel free to share. Although Gardar comes from quiet a violent culture (based loosely on the Vikings) it’s also an honourable one. What makes him especially unpleasant is his lack of honour – that he would cut down an unarmed man, bring dishonour to members of his family, use his power for sexual coercion and so forth. He has a lot of unpleasant secrets which emerge during the story.

Please provide your website link. http://www.bryncolvin.mysitre.orange.co.uk

Partially Human by Dwayne Anderson

Who causes friction is the story?
While many characters do give Joshua a hard time, none trouble him so much more than Veranda Oltzon, a woman who is so prejudiced against people who are different, she kills them.

Do you prefer bad guys or bad gals?
I really don’t have any preference.

How do you use your bad guys?
They go against everything the hero stands for and they represent what the book condemns. For example, “Partially Human” is a story about accepting yourself and others for who they are and not rejecting them for being different, Veranda Oltzon represents human ignorance and prejudice at its worst.

Do you enjoy writing the bad guys or do you find it difficult?
It’s hard to say. It all depends on how much of their character development you’ve got.

Whether you enjoy writing them or hate writing them, we'd like to know why you feel that way?
Most villains, you grow to hate so much, you just can’t wait for the final confrontation for him or her to get just desserts. Other villains you come to take a liking to and feel sorry for them when they take their last breath. Veranda was a woman disillusioned by rejection as a child which ultimately affected her in a way that was so negative, she was beyond salvation, and ultimately got what she deserved in the end, so you both hate her, yet in the end, you feel sorry for her because of her negative experiences, yet she was unable to “let it go”.

Who is your favorite bad guy in any of your books? Which bad guy and which book are they in?
This is only my third book so far and I haven’t created that many villains to choose from. So far, I have no favorite, but perhaps later.

Fraterfamilias by Peter Ferrer

We want to hear about the bad guys, bad gals and villains in your book. Even if you don't have a murderer, thief or other "bad guy" there should be some negative force.

Who causes friction is the story?
The most dangerous character in the story is a Homicide cop named Charlie Rains. He's in a bad place in life, which makes him vulnerable to manipulation by someone very, very scary who wants him to gather information about one of the book's main protagonists, Alan Kedward. But Charlie also finds himself sympathizing with Alan. It puts him in a tug of loyalties between his blackmailer and Alan that endangers everyone.

Do you prefer bad guys or bad gals?
Bad gals, definitely. I want to read about tough gals who are willing to do bad things to get what they want, just like men. Do the bad things outright rather than manipulate men into doing them or dither over whether or not to do something bad that needs to be done.

How do you use your bad guys?
I have never believed in "villains", per se. In real life, everyone is the hero of their own story and the villain of their story is whoever tries to stop them from doing or getting what they want in life. Alan Kedward, for example, is trying to cover up for his brother, Paul Farrell, who murdered four people in Paris. So, depending on whether the POV belongs to Alan or the investigators pursuing his brother, he's either a good guy or a bad guy. Sure, he's in a lot of the book and a lot of the book is from his point of view. But that was true of the villains of Eye of the Needle and Day of the Jackal, too.

Do you enjoy writing the bad guys or do you find it difficult?
No, it's a fun challenge. You just keep in mind that no matter how scuzzy this person is, that person is the hero of his or her own story. It's the effect of his or her actions on others in the story that determines whether or not he or she is a villain. You should never write a character with whom you can't sympathize. It backfires and makes the reader dislike you for betting on the character. There's nothing more annoying than an insufferable protagonist.
And anyway, most of my protagonists are pretty bad, depending on how you look at them.

Whether you enjoy writing them or hate writing them, we'd like to know why you feel that way?
I think that people who are backed into a corner don't act "nice", and that a lot of times, people can do horrible things to others under the cover of being nice and polite. I find that the underdogs who have to do "bad" things to survive are far more fascinating than clean-cut heroes who don't have to question the rigid moral codes by which they judge themselves and everyone around them.

Who is your favorite bad guy in any of your books?
I'd have to say Charlie Rains. He's wonderfully conflicted. He's only a bad guy in this story. Doesn't mean he'll stay a bad guy. He's no Renfield in Dracula. The guy isn't weak, just in a bad place. He's capable of redemption.

Which bad guy and which book are they in?
Fraterfamilias.

Who is your favorite fictional bad guy -- that's not in your books?
Brian de Bois-Guilbert in Ivanhoe and Lucifer in Paradise Lost. Weren't they gloriously bad?

Is there anything else about your bad guys that we need to know? Feel free to share.
Keep an eye on them. They don't always stay bad. The good guys don't always stay good, either. It keeps things interesting.

Please provide your website link.
http://www.geocities.com/rpcv.geo/other.html

What is the link to buy your book?
http://www.virtualtales.com/StoryProducts~tn~Fraterfamilias.html

Thank you for telling us about your bad guys. We love to meet the "evil ones".
You're welcome!

Judi Moreo and Kim Baccelia - Virtual Tour Stops

Promotional Interview with Judi Moreo

This is the first author promotional interview that I've posted on my Self Promotion blog on the Inspired Author site. This is the first interview in a series that I'm doing with Kathleen Gage. She is posting some on her blog and I'll be posting all of the interviews on my site. To read about Judi Moreo's promotion - visit

http://inspiredauthor.com/v3/promotional-interview-judi-moreo-0

~ and ~

Kim Baccellia - Young Adult Author - Earrings of Ixtumea

Join Nikki Leigh and Muze as they interview young adult author Kim Baccelia about her book - Earrings of Ixtumea. This is the opening question of the interview - Nikki & Muze – I was reading the synopsis for your book and was intrigued by the inner struggle that your character faces. It’s also interesting that she is confronted by the same cultural problems in the fantasy world. Can you give us some information about how you came up with this idea and what sort of problems she deals with in the story?

Kim –As a bilingual teacher in the later ‘80’s and early ‘90’s, I saw a lot with my second language students. I taught in a LA county school district, close to East LA. I also was researching my own family history at this time. I was bothered how each year my students would draw themselves blond, blue-eyed, and fair skinned.

Click here to learn more about Kim and Earrings of
Iztumeahttp://muzesmusings.blogspot.com/

Nikki Leigh – Fiction Author – www.nikkileigh.com
Book Promo 101 – www.nikkileigh.com/book_promo_101.htm
“Coastal Suspense with a Touch of Romance”

Round Table Magician by Ann Tracy Marr

Who causes friction in Round Table Magician?

Someone stole Mr. Jackson's papers. Whoa - lets change that to someone stole military papers from Mr. Jackson's library. Confidential, secret military plans. It is a case of espionage, pure and simple, but Lady Martha doesn't know that. Round Table Magician Lord Brinston has all the background facts, but being a typical male, he doesn't share the facts. No wonder the poor man tears his hair out, trying to keep Martha from looking for the spy.

The baddie?

You have to read Round Table Magician. Help Martha pick the spy out of a cast of suspects. Try to deduce the motive for the theft. Then you can cheer Brinston on as he catches the villain.

Do you prefer bad guys or bad gals?

Both are interesting. What I enjoy revealing is villainy done in the name of a good cause.

How do you use your bad guys?

My villains haven't done murder, though they may come close. They just decide they want something and do what they can to grab it. Nothing wrong with having goals -- except they go about it the wrong way -- and they go too far.

Do you enjoy writing the bad guys or do you find it difficult?

Villains are easy. They are people just like you and me, but with something twisted inside them. Where they should step back -- where anyone else would realize they were going too far -- the villains have blinders on. Like an elephant stampeding the circus to snuffle the peanuts scattered by a silly kid in the parking lot.

Whether you enjoy writing them or hate writing them, we'd like to know why you feel that way.

Not being a huge fan of the mystery genre or monsters, I don't go all out and create a mystery, complete with clues, red herrings, and detectives or a horror novel with psychos running rampant. What I love is creating a character with a quirk that makes life difficult for everyone else.

Who is your favorite bad guy in any of your books? Which bad guy and which book are they in?

Mothers can't favor one child over another. Besides, I only have two books and two baddies so far.

Round Table Magician and the thief is available on http://www.amazon.com/ as a trade paperback. Check out www.freewebs.com/marr794 to see what's up.

Scion of the Dark Moon by Kingsley Montgomery

We want to hear about the bad guys, bad gals and villains in your book. Even if you don't have a murderer, thief or other "bad guy" there should be some negative force.

Who causes friction is the story?

A goblin skin-shaper named Urchul is the primary antagonist in Scion of the Dark Moon, though there are many others, ranging from scheming politicians to demons of the void. Goblins in the world of Terralis are a race of powerful beings that pose a constant threat to the other major race – humans. Goblin society is built around necromancy and demons, who they worship as gods.

Do you prefer bad guys or bad gals? Both have their place.

How do you use your bad guys?

The ‘bad guys’ in Scion of the Dark Moon work at opposing purposes from the protagonists, who are predominantly human. Though many of the antagonists are clearly ‘evil’ people (and creatures), some are not so clearly defined.

Do you enjoy writing the bad guys or do you find it difficult?

I find it easier to write about the bad guys. Bad guys are typically more dynamic, and definitely have fewer limitations. It’s a good reason to make ‘good guys’ somewhat ‘bad’!

Whether you enjoy writing them or hate writing them, we'd like to know why you feel that way?

Bad guys are fun to write because they have fewer acceptable limits – they typically do what they want, when they want, and they are more often unpredictable. These features lead to more possibilities for interesting writing. I feel less constraint when writing about the bad guys. In fantasy, this is particularly true because you can create all manner of diabolical plot lines for your antagonists, whereas your protagonists usually have to walk the ‘straight and narrow’.

Who is your favorite bad guy in any of your books? Which bad guy and which book are they in?

My favorite bad guy is Urchul in Scion of the Dark Moon. He’s a goblin skin-shaper, an assassin who can take the appearance of those he kills by magically adhering their skin to his own. Though he would be considered repulsive and decidedly ‘evil’ to most of us, he was bred to do what he does, and feels he is serving his race in a justifiable way. His single-minded adherence to duty is actually a very respectable trait.

Who is your favorite fictional bad guy -- that's not in your books?

One of my favorite fictional bad guys is the robot Erasmus in Brian Herbert’s Dune prequels (The Butlerian Jihad, The Machine Crusade, and The Battle of Corrin). Erasmus is a sentient robot and one of the rulers of the Synchronized Empire that has enslaved most of humanity. Ironically, he is constantly torturing people in his eternal quest to ‘understand’ humans and be more like them. Ironically again, he ends up adopting a human ‘son’ who he grows to love, in his own way, which is his undoing in the end. This dichotomy, and the author’s brilliant portrayal, make Erasmus one of the best bad guys I’ve read in a long time.

Is there anything else about your bad guys that we need to know? Feel free to share.

The bad guys in Scion of the Dark Moon take many forms. The human bad guys are often nobles grabbing for power, backstabbing, and intriguing their way to the top. Then there are the goblins, a race inimical to mankind that have been manipulating human affairs as they seek to dominate Terralis as they once did, before the ascendance of Man. They are schemers as well as necromancers and demonologists, both of which are central to their religion and culture.

Please provide your website link.

Books by Kingsley Montgomery can be found at http://www.kvmbooks.com/.

What is the link to buy your book?

Scion of the Dark Moon can be purchased from my Web site at http://www.kvmbooks.com/, via Amazon.

Kingsley Montgomery
Fantasy or sci-fi reader? Visit my author site at http://www.kvmbooks.com/

Kelly Heckart - Of Water and Dragons

We want to hear about the bad guys, bad gals and villains in your book. Even if you don't have a murderer, thief or other "bad guy" there should be some negative force.Who causes friction is the story?

There is more than one negative force in Of Water and Dragons. The Roman legions play a roll as a negative force trying to bend the Celts to their will, but one character, a female warrior named Rhonwyn, causes friction in the story, but she isn't an evil person. She acts on love and ends up causing trouble for herself and everyone else.

Do you prefer bad guys or bad gals?

I like both bad boys and bad gals. It depends on the plot of the story. How do you use your bad guys? So far, the bad boys or girls I have written are not totally evil. Something usually happens to change their thinking or they have a redeeming quality about them.

Do you enjoy writing the bad guys or do you find it difficult?

I enjoy writing troubled characters. I think that makes them more real because we all struggle with our inner demons.

Whether you enjoy writing them or hate writing them, we'd like to know why you feel that way?

I think everyone has a dark side and only some decide to act on it at some point in their life. I find it interesting as to what exactly causes that breaking point within a person. As a writer, it is also fun to get inside a villain's head and get to act out my dark side that way.

Who is your favorite bad guy in any of your books? Which bad guy and which book are they in?

I think I would have to say Morgaine from White Rose of Avalon, which is going to be released November 16, 2007. She isn't an evil being, but in her desperation to save Avalon, she nearly destroys everyone she cares about. Because of that, some people might view her as evil.

Who is your favorite fictional bad guy -- that's not in your books?

I am going with a t.v. character because he really defined a redemptive bad boy in my eyes. Spike, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, once a totally evil vampire without a conscience, goes through a change and gives own life to save Sunnydale in the last episode. The drastic change he went through was believable.

Thank you for telling us about your bad guys. We love to meet the "evil ones".

Kelley Heckart

Author of Of Water and Dragons,

"an appealing amalgam of magic, erotica, military history, and romance that will leave readers breathless in its wake." Ellen Tanner Marsh, NYT best-selling author
http://http://www.kelleyheckart.com/

The Daemonhold Curse

We want to hear about the bad guys, bad gals and villains in your book. Even if you don't have a murderer, thief or other "bad guy" there should be some negative force. The book is The Daemonhold Curse from Epress-Online… (www.epress-online.com)

Who causes friction is the story?
Abstinence Daemon, half brother of the heroine Fidelity, is the source of considerable friction: he doesn’t believe in the curse that threatens her nor does he have any confidence in Erique Shoutte, who she has asked to help her.

Do you prefer bad guys or bad gals?
I prefer heroes, absolutely; though having played almost nothing but bad guys in films for thirty years, I came to realize that villains never think they are villains

How do you use your bad guys?
To counterpoint the heroes. After all, the hero must have a strong villain to overcome or his journey means little

Do you enjoy writing the bad guys or do you find it difficult?
I find it hard as they are people I would not want to spend time with in real life, and you have to spend a lot of time in their heads.

Whether you enjoy writing them or hate writing them, we'd like to know why you feel that way?
It’s the same reason I don’t like a lot of popular culture—why would you spend so much time with people you have no admiration for—unless you are sick. You should not be so interested in people like Hannibal Lecter, with the exception of how to exterminate or avoid him…

Who is your favorite bad guy in any of your books? Which bad guy and which book are they in?
I would have to say the White Tiger- the villain, in a very arch way, of my 1930’s series The Adventures of the Granite Man (from virtualtales.com). He is of the Fu Manchu School of yellow menace, though hopefully not so stereotyped or racist….
The White Tiger, attired in silk robes, would have dwarfed even the huge Hindu standing. He had dead white skin and a baldhead that seemed out of proportion to his body. The left side of his body was horribly scarred by some disaster in his turbulent past, and the scarring had been horribly accentuated by primitive tattooing that had organized the scar tissue into the semblance of a tiger’s black stripes. His right eye was a cold black diamond fixed in a mask of skin folds, seeming to defy racial type. His left eye had been replaced by a carved jade and crystal cat’s eye. And his mouth: it seemed to hold endless perfect teeth that were somehow ghastly and inhuman in their perfection. The White Tiger displayed them frequently when he tightened the sallow skin of his face into a rictus smile that threatened to rip his visage asunder. It was at those times that The White Tiger’s look reminded Papal of a grinning skull.
It was not the physical appearance of the White Tiger that filled Papal with fear, however. It was the fact that The White Tiger was the supreme head of the Triad, the criminal underworld of Hong Kong and the hundreds of thousands of expatriate Chinese throughout the world. As such he held the absolute power of life and death over a fifth of humanity.

Who is your favorite fictional bad guy -- that's not in your books?
Frankenstein’s Monster.. He was so misunderstood in the book, and tried so hard to do the right thing, yet was thwarted at every turn…

Thank you for telling us about your bad guys. We love to meet the "evil ones".

The Coming Evil, Book One: The Strange Man by Greg Mitchell

The Coming Evil
Book One: The Strange Man
by Greg Mitchell

Who causes friction in the story? A demon known only as “The Strange Man”.

Do you prefer bad guys or bad gals?

Bad gals. Don’t ask me why, but I think they’re more interesting. Maybe that’s just me being a chauvinist, or whatever, but when I see a girl-gone-bad, I wonder about the wounded little girl inside and how I might help her. Awww…

How do you use your bad guys?

As they say, your hero is only as good as your villain. In the case of The Coming Evil, the villain is sort of a blessing in disguise. Those who should be heroes have, basically, fallen asleep on the job. And it’s only when they’re faced with the Strange Man that they realize that. I don’t really see bad guys as opposition but as an awakening. We don’t know what we’re made of until we’re tried and tested.

Do you enjoy writing the bad guys or do you find it difficult?

I really like writing the Strange Man because he’s just so nasty. He’s really that dark side of me—if I had no compassion, no mercy, no love, no Christ—I think I would be a lot like the Strange Man. He’s much more a mystery in this first book, but as the series progresses, we’ll learn more about what makes him tick. I’m looking forward to that. I think his reasoning might surprise you.

Whether you enjoy writing them or hate writing them, we'd like to know why you feel that way.

Again, he’s the dark side of me. He’s my fears, my insecurities, even my anger. So writing him—and more importantly writing about those who overcome him—is a way for me to battle my own demons. It’s really cathartic.

Who is your favorite bad guy in any of your books? Which bad guy and which book are they in?

Well, the Strange Man is the only bad guy in the books…so far. I’ve got other favorites that appear later on in the trilogy, but to tell you would spoil it. So, I’ll just say the Strange Man for now. Who is your favorite fictional bad guy -- that's not in your books? I know I should pick some famous character from literature—like Moriarty or something—but I’m going to have to say Freddy Krueger. That guy terrified me as a kid (still does, come to think of it) because he was just so happy about being evil. He got such a thrill out of seeing others suffer and, to me, there’s nothing scarier than that. It’s not the cold, methodic, sophisticated mastermind. It’s the deranged lunatic that gets a giggle from visiting terror on others. Frightening.

The Coming Evil, Book One: The Strange Man
"Evil comes for us all...and for some of us, it's already here."
http://www.thecomingevil.com/
http://www.thecomingevil.blogspot.com/

The Villian from XIII by Keith Gaston

Who causes friction is the story?

Jason Peters

Do you prefer bad guys or bad gals?

I don’t have a preference both make great villains.

How do you use your bad guys?

Jason is tormented and going through a transformation. He promised to give up something very important to him and it is changing him physically and spiritually to hold on to it.

Do you enjoy writing the bad guys or do you find it difficult?

The bad guys are the best part of a thriller. I would find it difficult not to write a good bad guy.

Whether you enjoy writing them or hate writing them, we'd like to know why you feel that way?

A villain drives the story forward and gives the hero his or her motivation to go on despite the odds they must face.

Who is your favorite bad guy in any of your books? Which bad guy and which book are they in?

This one is tough to answer, I have about three villains I could place here but I will stick with the one who’s the most evil of all.

Beelzebub (Beelzy) Abaddon from XIII. I like him because of his quirkiness; he walks around in his office in his bare feet, smoke Cuban cigars, always finds a way to manipulate people in his soft spoken way and oh yes, he’s the devil.

Who is your favorite fictional bad guy -- that's not in your books?

Professor Moriaty from Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series. I’m also partial to the Master, from Doctor Who.

Keith (D. K. Gaston)
www.dkgaston.com
www.myspace.com/dkgaston

Meet the Villian from Tempted by Rita Thedford

We want to hear about the bad guys, bad gals and villains in your book. Even if you don't have a murderer, thief or other "bad guy" there should be some negative force.

Who causes friction is the story?

Despite the sparks that fly between my hero and heroine, it is a strong cast of several villains who provide negative impact in Tempted, my regency set historical romance. Both protagonists have vile enemies who unite in a single effort to bring ruin to the two lovers, Elizabeth and Christian. Edward Huntley, Lord Stanhope, is the man who murdered his wife, Elizabeth’s sister. Christian has an enemy in the form of his cousin, Park Mansfield, who will inherit a vast title should Christian fail to marry by midnight of his 35th birthday. Park teams up with Beatrice Fitzgerald, who hates Christian because she sees him as a threat to her son. She also would like to “hook up” with Park after he inherits a fortune. Greedy wench!

Do you prefer bad guys or bad gals?

Personally, I prefer “bad gals” because they are so unexpected. Women are seen throughout history as lovers, nurturers, and caregivers so it is vastly unexpected and surprising to read about these wicked women. They are villains who constantly stun the reader with their reliance on cunning and manipulation as opposed to physical strength. This makes them unforgettable.

How do you use your bad guys?

In Tempted, my “bad guys” continually throw up barriers between my hero and heroine. Edward Huntley, is pro-active in his plot for revenge as he sends out henchmen to kill Elizabeth but he’s a pitiful guy. He never succeeds and he’s stupid. On the other hand, Park is very smart and cunning. He hides behind the façade of being slightly stupid. He’s also outrageously handsome. His lover, and the queen witch of this piece, is Beatrice. She is cunning, calculating, and utterly horrific as she weaves intricate plots and plans to destroy the lovers. Both Park and Beatrice are three dimensional characters. Mid way through Tempted, however, the villains manage to bring the lovers together despite every attempt at the opposite.

Do you enjoy writing the bad guys or do you find it difficult?

No. I loooove crafting bad guys…the smarter, more cunning, the better. As someone who tends to bottle up anger, for me, it is a great (and safe) release (grinning). Once I begin to vent through my villain, everything is just organic.

Whether you enjoy writing them or hate writing them, we'd like to know why you feel that way?

For a writer, especially one who is a NICE person, it’s very challenging. Crafting a terrifically wicked “bad guy” just makes the story much more interesting. Besides, sometimes it’s FUN to be BAD.

Who is your favorite bad guy in any of your books? Which bad guy and which book are they in?

I have to say that Beatrice Fitzgerald from Tempted is the worst of the lot and she was deliciously wicked. Bea was beautiful, cunning, and murderous.

Who is your favorite fictional bad guy -- that's not in your books?

Oh, that’s easy. Nurse Ratchett from Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is my all time favorite “bad guy” or should I say, “bad girl”. Thank you for telling us about your bad guys. We love to meet the "evil ones".

Tempted- a sizzling romance set in regency England

available now at http://www.wingsepress.com/ Golden Wings Award Winner

Paperback ISBN 978-1-59705-911-0
e-book ISBA 978-1-59705-098-9

Elena Dorothy Bowman Talks About Bad Guys

Who causes friction in the story?

One of the main characters in my novel, Time-Rift is a High Priestess. Since she was promised to the High Priest at birth, she means to have him. However, when an earthquake causes Trisha to enter their world beneath the Pacific Ocean, it is to the delight of the High Priest who finally feels there is hope for him, and to the dismay of the High Priestess who is determined to destroy her competition.

Do you prefer bad guys or bad gals?

They both have their place in a story to not only add friction and conflict but to make the story more interesting. I can't really say I prefer one over the other, but will admit any bad characters may cause the reader to really push the the good guy to win out./How do you use your bad guys.

In my books, the function of the bad guys is to make it more difficult for the hero and heroine to survive the obstacles they place in the way of the good guys and the point is to get the reader to cheer for the good and to the total destruction of the bad.

Whether you enjoy writing them or hate writing them, we'd like to know why you feel that way?

Sometimes I surprise myself when I get started on a bad character. It is fascinating how the character just seems to write its own story and sooner or later its own epitaph. I was surprised how the High Priestess in Time Rift just seemed take over and write her own part of the story. I just felt as if I was a bystander doing her bidding.

Who is your favorite bad guy in your books? Which bad guy and which book are they in?

Actually there are two. One, the caretaker Henderson, in the Sarah's Landing's Series. He appears in the first two books, Contact and The Telepaths of Theon. And of course, there is Myaculi, the High Priestess in Time-Rift.

Who is your favorite fictional bad guy- that's not in your books?

I would have to say at this point in time it is Mrs. Stevens in Nikki Leigh's book, Stormy View. The nicest thing I can say about her is that she is a first class witch...you could, if you've a mind, chance the first letter from a 'w' to a 'b'. ;)

Thank you for telling us about your bad guys. We love to meet the "evil ones".

Elena Dorothy Bowman
Journey to the Rim of Space and Beyond
http://elenadb.home.comcast.net
http://www.myspace.com/elenabowmanauthor
http://elenabowman-scifimysteryromanceauthor.blogspot.com/
e-mail: elenadb@comcast.net

PS - I have to say that I'm very pleased to hear my Mrs. Stevens made such an impression. She is wicked and will do ANYTHING to get what she wants. She is the villian in Stormy View, but I pulled that book from the publisher and it will be re-released later this year and the title will be Stormy Shores. I look forward to sharing Mrs. Stevens with more readers in the future. If you think your mother in law is bad - wait until you meet Kennalyn's mother in law :) (Nikki Leigh)

HOW TO SUBMIT

We want to hear about the bad guys, bad gals and villains in your book. Even if you don't have a murderer, thief or other "bad guy" there should be some negative force.

Who causes friction is the story?

Do you prefer bad guys or bad gals?

How do you use your bad guys?

Do you enjoy writing the bad guys or do you find it difficult?

Whether you enjoy writing them or hate writing them, we'd like to know why you feel that way?

Who is your favorite bad guy in any of your books? Which bad guy and which book are they in?

Who is your favorite fictional bad guy -- that's not in your books?

Is there anything else about your bad guys that we need to know? Feel free to share.

Please provide your website link.

What is the link to buy your book?

Thank you for telling us about your bad guys. We love to meet the "evil ones".

Feel free to email your answers to nikki_leigh22939@yahoo.com and I'll add your information. They will be posted, but not all at once. That will give everyone an opportunity to get plenty of exposure.

Nikki Leigh
http://www.nikkileigh.com/