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Please welcome the author of PEOPLE OF THE SWORD, Neil O'Donnell.
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Creating a Believable Antagonist for a Novel
The villain of any story is as critical as the hero is. Consequently, creating a well developed and believable antagonist is essential for crafting a tale worth reading. How does a writer succeed in accomplishing this?
1) Devote time to develop the villain. A writer will find it difficult to generate a convincing antagonist if she or he spends little time crafting the villain. The antagonist needs to be as three-dimensional as the hero or readers will lose interest quickly, which requires a writer to spend an equal amount of time constructing the antagonist's motivations, history, strengths and frailties.
2) Establish clear motivations for the antagonist. People, generally, don't just wake up and say "hey, I'm gonna be bad today." Villains in books don't either. Writers need to provide readers with an understanding of what motivates the antagonist to commit "evil" acts. Is the antagonist acting out of a need for revenge, or is the antagonist suffering from a mental disorder? Readers want to understand why villains do what they do. Give your readers that.
3) Expand upon the relationships between the antagonist and her or his underling. One characteristic I find amongst my favorite novels is that the authors revealed in detail the intricacies of the antagonist's relationships with underlings. Does the villain find his or her underlings to be a source of frustration or stability? Does the villain trust every detail of his or her ruthless plan with a henchman or is the underling to become a casualty in the end along with the hero? In answering these questions, the writer may very well hook an entire legion of readers.
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Check out Neil's blog here.
PEOPLE OF THE SWORD blurb:
PEOPLE OF THE SWORD combines myth, history, and conquest with music, sorcery and a touch of romance to impart the struggles of two vastly different cultures suddenly dependent on one another for survival. Confronted by a common enemy, the wizard Crarnock, the druids and knights of Tropal realize that only through cooperation can they defeat Crarnock's goblin army. The journey will test the resolve of both peoples as they realize that their collective bias and misunderstandings are as much a threat as Crarnock himself. For readers interested in history, mythology, culture change, and classic struggles between Good and Evil, PEOPLE OF THE SWORD is for you.
It's time for another giveaway!
One very lucky winner will win a signed copy of both books in the Valerie Stevens series by Sean Cummings : Shade Fright and Funeral Pallor.
Giveaway is open to US and Canada only and the winner will be announced on July 1st.
To enter, answer one of these questions :
* What is your favorite urban fantasy (or it could be any other genre) book/series?
* If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
**Don't forget to leave a way for me to contact you if you win.**
Extra entries :
+3 Post this giveaway somewhere (Twitter, Facebook, Blog...)You can do this daily. Don't forget to leave the link.
+3 Follow Sean Cummings on Twitter here
+2 Be a blog follower
+1 Leave a comment on the interview here
+1 Leave a comment on the review of Shade Fright here
+1 Leave a comment on the review of Funeral Pallor here
+1 Add up your entries
Good luck everyone!
Please give a warm welcome to Canadian author Sean Cummings!!
First off, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your books?
I’m a middle-aged geek who loves urban fantasy – well all fantasy, really. I’m a comic book nut as well and they’re a big influence on my writing. I love graphic novels and I really think we’re in a renaissance for the comic book medium thanks to graphic novels. I have two books out now, SHADE FRIGHT and FUNERAL PALLOR are a uniquely Canadian take on urban fantasy. Valerie Stevens is an apprentice mage who works for the government – in my books, the Canadian government tries to keep the peace in all things preternatural and Valerie Stevens is the only mage on the payroll. She’s an apprentice, though – still learning her craft from her mentor.
Can you describe your writing process?
I don’t have a process per se – I generally start off with a premise and I try to do a rough outline of what I think I’d like to happen in a book. Of course once I’m knee deep in the writing, the plot more often than not takes a life of its own and departs from the outline. This isn’t a bad thing, it just creates some challenge in ensuring there’s continuity throughout the book. I’m usually up at around 3AM to write – then off to work at 6AM. I try to do a bit more when I get home from the day job and that’s pretty much it.
What do you like to do when you're not writing?
I like to follow and interact with friends on Twitter. I watch a lot of British stuff on TV and of course I read comic books.
What inspired you to write the Valerie Stevens series?
I wanted to write a Canadian urban fantasy series because we’re inundated with great books that take place in the US, for example – this isn’t a bad thing, but I think readers would still be interested in stuff that happens in Canada. I also wanted to write a series that was full of really off-the-wall eccentric characters and between the headbanging Newby brothers in FUNERAL PALLOR, Caroline the zombie and Fifty-dollar Bill, I think readers will get a kick out of their antics.
If you had the ability to speak with the dead like Valerie in your books, who would you like to meet/speak to and why?
I’d definitely want to hang with John Lennon and pick his brain about the state of the world these days.
If your books were made into movies who would you see playing your characters and why?
Hmmm – I think Val would be cool if she was played by Anna Torv from Fringe. I think Caroline would be Demi Moore with a ton of makeup. Oh… wait… actually I think that Carla Gugino would be a pretty cool Val. Dave would probably be that dude who played Angel on TV – David Boreanaz – oh … he’s on Bones, isn’t he? I’d pick some Canadian actors but nobody would have probably heard of them.
If you could be any character in your books, who would you be and why?
I think I’d be Vishesh – he’s in the know about everything supernatural.
Favorite book(s) and author(s)?
The entire Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. Simon R. Green’s Nightside series is fantastic. Nancy Holzner’s Deadtown is a great ride too.
What can we expect to see from you in the future?
I’m currently drafting out an outline for a spinoff from the Valerie Stevens books. Tim Reaper, the death spirit bounty hunter – I’ve already pumped out a couple of chapters so that I could get a better feel for his voice. I think Tim Reaper will take place in Halifax – a very haunted city. I’ve completed the first in a series of Young Adult books about a teen witch and her dorky best friend.
Any tips for aspiring writers out there?
It’s a craft and you have to keep at it. I think that when you’ve got something you’re ready to submit to agents and/or publishers, don’t get yourself all wrapped up in angst over whether your query is any good. Just get it out there. Cast a wide net and keep plugging away at it. I started writing with a goal of getting published when my son was in training pants. He’s turning twenty this year and my first book came out when he was eighteen. You have to keep at it and you also have to love what you’re writing.
Where can readers find you for more information?
They can check out my website at http://sean-cummings.ca . They can hit up my blog, follow me on Twitter and Facebook and they can email me at info@sean-cummings.ca
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Thanks Sean for stopping by! Stay tuned everyone for a book giveaway!
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Shade Fright
Funeral Pallor
Title : Funeral Pallor
Author : Sean Cummings
Published by Snowbooks (July 1st 2010)
Genre : Urban Fantasy
Book Description :
There's a nest of rotting husks in an old Calgary warehouse and they've got a hankering for human flesh, but that's the least of Valerie Stevens' problems. While necromancers are a dime a dozen, these mindless killing machines all share one thing in common: they're former occupants of every funeral home in the city.
The evidence points to the zombie Caroline, especially now that she's been experiencing short term memory loss and an inability to account for her whereabouts. If Valerie plans to clear her best friend's name, she'll have to move fast: someone has dispatched a zombie assassin and Caroline's only hope may rest with a pair of middle-aged head-bangers with a few secrets of their own.
**Ebook courtesy of Sean Cummings
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My Thoughts
The sequel to the book Shade Fright starts with a lot of action : Valerie, the apprentice mage, must battle a nest of zombies at a warehouse. She struggles to eliminate all of them and that's when we're introduced to two new guys : Rick and Nick Newby, the headbanging zombie killers with a snowplow.
All the characters are back in this second installment plus there's a few new ones. We get to see a lot more of Caroline the zombie in this book and less of Fifty-Dollar Bill, the ghost of a former Canadian Prime Minister. I love the wide variety of characters in this book. From the headbanging brothers to zombies, there's something for everyone. Oh, and there's also the death spirit/bounty hunter, Tim Reaper. He's a fun new character who will get his own spinoff novel.
Although this is the second book in a series, I think it could be read as a stand-alone. There's a few mentions of something that happened in book one but it's still possible to follow the story without knowing what happened previously in Shade Fright.
I enjoyed this book very much. I never wanted it to end. That's how good it was. When you get hooked on the first couple of pages, you know that it's going to be a wonderful read. From the beginning to the end, Funeral Pallor was action-packed. It was impossible to guess how the story would unfold. The book was full of surprises.
I'm sure we're going to hear a lot more of Sean Cummings. He's an incredible urban fantasy writer. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.
I give this book 5 stars!!
*Read my review of the first book in the Valerie Stevens series, Shade Fight, here.*
Title : Shade Fright
Author : Sean Cummings
Published by : Snowbooks (2010)
Book Description :
'I fell into this job quite by accident, when I discovered that I possessed the ability to see the preternatural world. There are a handful of people with similar abilities, and part of my job is to locate them, since Government Services and Infrastructure Canada like to keep track of these things. Don't ask me why'. There's a malevolent force in town, and it's quite literally Valerie Steven's job to determine who's behind it and why they want to destroy the world, starting with Calgary. She'll have help, in the form of her best friend (now more or less a zombie, unfortunately), a powerful dwarf troll, and the ghost of former Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King (but he goes by 'Bill' these days). But that's not all - Valerie has some tricks up her sleeve and, she hopes, luck on her side. Oh, and her boyfriend, Dave. He drives a dump truck.
**Ebook courtesy of Sean Cummings
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Valerie Stevens investigates the preternatural world and works for the Government in order to kill what goes bump in the night. She describes herself as an alchemist : she combines her knowledge of sorcery with chemistry, astrology, medicine, etc. Being the very powerful and kick-ass heroine she is, Valerie must battle the evil presence in town along with the help of her friends : Caroline the zombie, Fifty Dollar Bill and the two-thousand-year-old troll named D.T. Valerie is about to face something she has never encountered before in her life and it all starts with a farmers' grain bin disappearing into a three-hundred-foot hole...
From the beginning, the spirit of William Lyon Mackenzie King, Canada’s tenth Prime Minister (whom Valerie nicknamed Fifty Dollar Bill) quickly became one of my favorite characters. He lurks around Valerie and refuses to cross over to the other side, preferring to stay with the living much to Valerie's dismay. He offers Valerie a great amount of help with his knowledge. I even laughed out loud at some of the things he did or said in the book. I love the idea of having a famous historical person as one of the characters.
When I read the book description for the first time, I knew it was going to be great but it turns out the book exceeded my expectations. It was awesome! This book is a page-turner that kept me reading for hours at a time. A very enjoyable and entertaining read from the first page to the very last. The only regret I have is not reading this book sooner!
Shade Fright is action-packed and very original : a family lawyer/zombie with a conscience and scared of ogres, statues whispering, the ghost of a former Prime Minister... The author takes us to a whole new world, a world I can't wait to get back to in the second book in the Valerie Stevens series: Funeral Pallor.
I give this book 5 stars!
Title : She's So Dead to Us
Author : Kieran Scott
Published by : Simon & Schuster
Book Description :
When having money is all that matters, what happens when you lose it all?
Perfect, picturesque Orchard Hill. It was the last thing Ally Ryan saw in the rear-view mirror as her mother drove them out of town and away from the shame of the scandal her father caused when his hedge fund went south and practically bankrupted all their friends -- friends that liked having trust funds and new cars, and that didn't like constant reminders that they had been swindled. So it was adios, Orchard Hill. Thanks for nothing.
Now, two years later, Ally's mother has landed a job back at the site of their downfall. So instead of Ally's new low-key, happy life, it'll be back into the snake pit with the likes of Shannen Moore and Hammond Ross.
But then there's Jake Graydon. Handsome, wealthy, bored Jake Graydon. He moved to town after Ally left and knows nothing of her scandal, but does know that he likes her. And she likes him. So off into the sunset they can go, right? Too bad Jake's friends have a problem with his new crush since it would make Ally happy. And if anyone deserves to be unhappy, it's Ally Ryan.
Ally was hoping to have left all the drama in the past, but some things just can't be forgotten. Isn't there more to life than money?
*****
**Book courtesy of Simon & Schuster Canada
My Thoughts
A year and a half after her father's financial scandal, Ally is back in the town of Orchard Hill where she used to be a member of the wealthy and popular social group: the Cresties. But after her father lost a great amount of money, her former friends (Faith, Shannen, Hammond, Chloe, the Idiot Twins : Trevor and Todd) won't accept her back and declare her a Norm (a term used for all those unpopular and non-wealthy kids). The only one who welcomes her is Jake, the new guy in town who now lives in Ally's old house and who also happens to have a big crush on her but... he's a Crestie and his friends don't want him to date Ally. A Crestie and a Norm can't get together.
The only thing Ally wants is to get her old life back. No matter how much the Cresties hurt her or her mother, she has only one desire : she wants to be one of them. She wants to get invited to those parties and Sunday dinners like the good old days.
From the beginning, you can tell that Jake is not like the other Cresties. He doesn't like it when his friends hurt Ally's feelings. The more I was reading, the more I loved Jake.
The book is very well written. It represents exactly the teenage life : struggle to be popular, humiliation, evil pranks, love, jealousy... I think everyone can go back to their years of high school and find someone who was a Shannen, a Chloe, an Ally...
We get to read the point of view of both Ally and Jake which is very interesting. Both are living different lifestyles : Ally a Norm and Jake a Crestie. It's very easy to follow even with the perspective of those two characters.
This is a book that you can read in one sitting if you have the time. A very fun read! If you loved the movie Mean Girls, you will love this book. I can't wait to read the next one because She's So Dead to Us ended with a major cliffhanger!
I give this book 5 stars!!
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
*Grab your current read
*Open to a random page
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
*Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Title: She's So Dead to Us
Author : Kieran Scott
Do you know what it's like having to explain to my brothers why my dad's moving out? To listen to my mom crying in the middle of the night? I wish you'd never existed. You and your entire family. (page 138)
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