The Very Fine Art of Villains with Guest Blogger: Kerri Williams

Win a copy of Heart for Justice & more 

with author Kerri Williams 

today at the Book Boost!

Villains?

Cold-hearted or misunderstood?

You love to hate them, right. That’s what a good villain is.

I’m often asked about the villains in my books and believe it or not I find the best Villains are not just the ones you don’t expect, but the ones you love to hate! And women villains are the best of all because let’s face it; we can be fair dinkum bitches and hold a grudge better than any man.

A good Villain has to be realistic, has to have motive and stay true. They can be anything from fathers, mothers, priests, serial killers, revenge motivated characters and even an illness; whatever it is, they needs to stay true and they need to grow in that role, for better or for worse.

I like to feel their justification through their characters. One of my Villains and I wont say who because I hate spoilers, but they grew up in a family of hate and crime so it was no wonder they came out the same and yet you still don’t feel sorry for them. You just understand them, which is half your battle right there.

It can even be someone who feels like they haven’t had a choice in the matter and lost their way, like vigilantes (okay, so those I feel sorry for), but you get my drift.

As for an illness, that’s a whole other story because the only motive an illness has is to bring you down and no amount of begging, digging or anything other than treatment can save you. This is a major game changer as villains go because your heroes are helpless to help, but the idea is still the same, they need to fight together and hope to come through at the end. Highly emotional journey, this one. I’m in the midst of writing one of these.

I had cancer as a teenager right in the midst of high school, boyfriend and family dramas, so I thought it was time to write what I know. Never Goodbye will be out in the middle of this year.

Back to it? Writing a nice person, someone who you fall in love with is easy and easier still (for me at least) is the villain because they are so driven which propels every other character in your book along.

I mean the hero and heroine could live happily ever after making love every damn day if it weren’t for a villain who is set out to either kill them or break them up. This leaves the main characters no choice but to get the asses out of bed, get dressed and fight for what they believe in and want.

Yep, to sum it up, a good villain is just as important as your main characters as long as you get it right.

For a taste of villains try my new series The Moore Justice Trilogy, #1 Hunger For Justice, #2 Heart For Justice, #3 Blood For Justice (#3 out 26 Jan 2013).

A Note from the Book Boost:  What a great post!  Thanks for breaking down your artistic talent for creating a great villain.  Best of luck on the upcoming release.

Blurb from Hunger for Justice:


Have you ever felt a hunger so intense it blinds you from everything else in your life?

For Claire Moore, her hunger for justice is her coping mechanism, her reason for getting out of bed each morning, struggling to face her day to day life alone after her father and brother were violently taken from her.

Other nineteen-year-olds are at parties and studying at University, living the fun naïve life of a teenager, but in the world of Claire, there was nothing left for her other than the desperate hunger for justice.

Unfortunately it’s this hunger that’s driven everyone who cares for her away, unable to watch her place herself in danger any longer and that includes her teenage love, Talon Baker.

But true love never really dies and after stumbling upon information to the identity of their murderers, together Talon and Claire are hunted until they can figure out the clues her father left for them.

Through her hunger for justice, Claire grows by relinquishing control of her fight and allowing others to love her, even though the fear of losing them is too excruciating bear.


Excerpt:

She sat in her chair glaring him down, not hiding her disrespect for a man who was used to getting it.

“You’re right, it is enough. So how about you do your job so I can go.”

He strode the small distance of the life-stained linoleum floor to take the seat Damien had abandoned across from her. “And where would that be exactly?”

“Sea World. I love the seals,” she said grinning and clapping like an excited child high on red cordial. She saw the muscle in his jaw clench and felt a self-centred triumph in it.

“You are nineteen years old now. Does everything have to be a joke to you, Claire?”

“You’re a joke to me. This place?” she said waving around, “?is a joke.”

“What do you think your father would say if he were here to hear you say such things about the place he respected and cherished with his life, huh? What do you think Penny, your mother would say if she saw you throwing your life away?”

“If my father were here this place wouldn’t have become the joke it has and he may have respected this place and what it stood for, but he cherished Jimmy, Me and Talon. That’s the difference between him and you and no amount of rigid rules or denial will help you become even a fragment of the man and officer he was. As for mum, don’t even go there. She’s been at peace for over half my life don’t you think you could leave her out of this.”

“Denial,” he boomed. “Talk about denial. All of you Moore’s believed in that rogue out there, but you don’t know what he or his family are capable of. Your whole family were delusional. I tried to warn your father against forming a bond with him, but he didn’t listen. I said he would cause nothing but problems, but he still didn’t listen.” He pushed against the table and his chair fell to the floor with a loud echoing bang.

Suddenly, Claire wished she had pressed for Talon to be present, she wished she knew what Frank was talking about and for God’s sake, she wished he would stop yelling because her head couldn’t cope with much more. Claire was rubbing her temples unconscientiously when Frank stopped his pacing and ranting and sat back down with a loud sigh.

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