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/