I’d like to welcome Aderonke Moyinlorun here today to talk about villains–and her latest book, When Love Hurts!
Why do I like the Villain?
As a writer, I find that villains/antagonists are not easy to write. It’s like leaving a part of myself and becoming someone else. Of course, that is what a writer does when he writes every character, but writing a villain is even more challenging.
Let me explain. Bad guys think bad things and do evil things because it’s in their nature. But in most cases, those bad things are not in the writer’s nature. Creating that kind of character requires the writer to shut down his beliefs and be blind to what is right and wrong.
But as a reader, I find that villains are actually likeable. Over time, I’ve found myself falling in love with villains and actually wanting the bad guy to win. A good example is Walter White in Breaking Bad.
A good villain is a villain that you can understand. A villain that does not do bad things just because he loves to do bad things. They have real, understandable motives for what they do. It doesn’t mean the reader/writer necessarily agrees with the bad things they do, but it does means the character is human, and his anger and cruelty can easily be understood.
We know that, in reality, no one is entirely evil. People do bad things, and then, at other times they do good things. So, as you write your book, try to create a character readers can sympathize with.
Thanks, Aderonke! Excellent advice…which of course reminds me of one of my favorite villains, and my favorite villian quote:
Author bio:
Aderonke is a self-published author who founded Adom Publishers at the age of 22. She has appeared on several bestseller lists, including Amazon Kindle.
Much of her works revolves around ordinary women who face seemingly insuperable challenges, but find their heart’s desire through unflinching determination. Compassionate and lively, and with future projects in the making, Aderonke is a woman with vision as she continues to blaze trails and inspire others around her.
She presently tours the country speaking about how to follow your dreams starting from a young age as well as encouraging other aspiring writers. A graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, she is presently studying for a second degree at Indiana State University. She lives in Indianapolis, Indiana and working on her next novel, That Night (When Love Hurts, #3).
Author Links:
http://www.amazon.com/Aderonke-Moyinlorun/e/B004VLKSYM/
https://www.facebook.com/AderonkeMoyinlorun
https://twitter.com/IAmAderonke
Title: When Love Hurts
Author: Aderonke Moyinlorun
Release Date: September 28, 2013
Genre: Romance suspense
Blurb:
Tamara Price’s world is about to tumble down around her and the one responsible for it is none other than Raymond Brock, her ex-boyfriend. She hasn’t seen him in one year after he ran off to Paris and married her best friend.
Tamara is smart, intelligent, single and a divorce attorney. When Raymond asks her to be his divorce attorney, they rediscover a passion that never died and the lies that kept them apart. Only one problem exists- Tamara is better at fixing broken marriages than she is at dissolving them. Can Raymond and Tamara find a way to overcome the obstacle of his wife- short of murder, that is?
Excerpt:
Chapter 1
Tamara Price didn’t want to get up from bed. As usual, she hadn’t slept well. Actually, she hadn’t been sleeping well for months now. She could cover up the dark circles beneath her eyes with makeup and hide the weight loss by purchasing smaller-sized clothes, but nothing could be done to offer her sanctuary from the forlorn feeling of being alone, a feeling she had known ever since Raymond Brock walked out of her life without any explanation or goodbye. And even though she had tried everything to avoid being alone, she still felt alone whenever she lay on this damn bed. She had worked hard, twenty-four hours a day seven days a week, until her colleagues forced her into taking this stupid vacation. She didn’t want this vacation, but her colleagues refused to listen. Perhaps, they could tell she was miserable.
Her bedside phone rang, disrupting her thoughts. Rolling onto her back, she stretched a hand to pick up the phone. “Yes this is Ms. Tamara Price…No, I’m on vacation until next week…I understand. Tell Drake to go ahead and handle the case. I’m certain he’ll handle it well…Thank you…That’s fine…Bye for now.”
She dropped the phone, seriously contemplating pulling the covers over her head and staying that way for the next three days. She’d done it before. That fateful morning when she woke up to the harsh reality of the other side of love. She had woken up from a peaceful sleep, on a Saturday morning, to a beautiful dawn. After breakfast, she’d sat down to watch TV when she heard the shocking news. She could still remember every word: Raymond Brock, host of the syndicated talk show, Hello America, is officially off the market after marrying Dahlia Taylor in a small wedding in Paris. For three days, she had stayed in bed without talking to anyone. Each day, the pain in her heart deepened.
Swallowing, she fought tears that seemed to come so easily every time she thought of Raymond. And even though it had been a year since the incident, it still hurt as if it was yesterday. Pain knotted Tamara’s heart. She drew up her knees as if that would make the pain go away. She had managed to lock up the pain all this while, and was still capable of keeping it locked, she told herself.
Almost when she finally decided to pull the covers over her head and stay in bed, she heard her door opened. Startled, she rose and sat up to see who it was.
“Drake, you scared me!” she screeched.
“Oh sorry,” Drake said, his voice not quite apologetic.
“You do not enter my bedroom! I thought it was someone else!”
He laughed, walking over to sit beside her on the bed. “You live in a gated, security-conscious neighborhood, and you’re scared of an intruder?”
She scoffed and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Risks of the job, I guess.”
“Well yeah, risks of being the best divorce attorney in town! And with your track record of ‘fixing’ people’s marriages, the only thing they’ll ever be tempted to break into your house for would be to surprise you with a fruit basket and a bouquet of flowers. Unless, of course, your client is a mafia boss, then you’re looking at a horse’s head!”
“Okay, smartass! Why’re you here? You could have called.”
Drake grabbed her arm and pulled her out of bed. “I know you’re going to sleep away your three-day break. So I got you something to do instead.” He pushed her toward the bathroom. “Go get ready. Our last client, Tiffany and John, are renewing their vows today. You’re going to be there.”
She struggled. “Drake, you know I don’t like to attend such events.”
“Too late. I told them you’ll be there.” He pushed her into the bathroom and shut the door.
Tamara and Drake became very close back in high school, and then in college at University of Maryland in Baltimore. They went to law school together. After graduation, Tamara had decided to start her law firm, and Drake offered to join her. They had been together since then and been through a lot together. Drake was about six-four, two hundred pounds, with caramel skin. He was good looking and was good with women too.
“Alright, Tamara,” Drake said, raising his voice enough for her to hear him. “I’ve got to rush back to work. See you later.”
“Hey, who was that lady who called my home phone from the office? She said something about a client,” Tamara said, raising her voice, too.
“That must be Sherry. She’s an intern.”
“Are you kidding me? You hired a female intern?”
“Yeah. What’s the prob?”
“You can’t screw a colleague or a client. You know that, right?”
“I’m not planning to have sex with her. And FYI, Tamara, I don’t have sex with every woman I set my eyes on.”
“All those girls you screwed in college? I’ll say yes, you sleep with every woman you set your eyes on.”
He laughed. “I haven’t slept with you yet.”
“I’m your boss, Drake!”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Shut up, Drake,” she yelled. “And get out of my room.”
“Yes, boss.” He bowed sarcastically and exited her room.
Buy link: