My Villains

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I considered writing a post about villains several months ago, then the whole fiasco with Infinity Publishing blew up and I wrote about that instead. Now that it’s over, I’m back on my regular track! So let’s talk about book villains.

Dranamir from The Relics of War

As I’ve mentioned previously, the concept for The Relics of War was developed more than 20 years ago. I was a teenager. Even though I rewrote the entire trilogy during the past year, Dranamir’s character remained largely the same.

I was 16 or 17 when she entered the story. I’m not entirely sure what or who might have influenced her character, but in retrospect, she’s 100% a sociopath. If I think too long about that (or about my age at the time), it scares me a little. I often wonder what dark corner of my mind she crawled out of.

Despite her penchant for violence and torture, Dranamir is fiercely independent and will not hesitate to put the men she is forced to work with in their places. It’s not much of a redeeming quality, but it’s something. As the series progresses, the reader will learn more about her past and some of the motivation behind her devotion to the Nameless god. Though she acts on his orders, she enjoys her role as Soulless and the power it gives her. She’d rather be feared than respected.

You can read more about Dranamir here: Character Profile – Dranamir

Colin Marsden from The Caein Legacy

As his half-brother put it, “Colin’s a bastard.”

Not in the literal sense, but he’s a difficult man and will do anything in his power to get what he wants. And he has a lot of power – he begins the series as heir to the throne, and quickly ascends to the kingship after his father dies under mysterious circumstances.

Colin has a brutal temper and harbors no qualms about lashing out at those closest to him. A perfect example is his attempt at executing his younger brother. Family means nothing to him, he cares little for the peoples’ opinion, and believes himself above the law. He becomes more dictator than monarch and is the catalyst for most of the conflict in the series.

Unlike Dranamir, I did draw elements of Colin’s personality from someone I once knew. I won’t name the person, but no one has ever made me so angry as they did. I doubt they’ll ever read my books, because in their words, “fantasy is a waste of time,” but if they’ve happened to change their mind since 2003, maybe they’ll recognize part of themself in Colin’s character.

Be careful what you say/do around an author. We’re always watching and always searching for new material. You might land yourself in a book one day…whether you realize it or not.

You can read more about Colin here: Character Profile – Colin Marsden

Chandra/Ji’anne from Hunted

Hunted is an odd story in that the main character is her own worst enemy. While she’s driven to follow the path she’s on – at first out of curiosity, and later to seek revenge – many of her decisions are the source of the book’s conflict.

It’s not immediately clear during part one, but as events unfold in parts two and three, it is. She believes the hunters are her enemy, but ultimately, it’s her decision-making that prompts the conflict. In the end, her greatest enemy is the result of her summoning power (and her possible misuse of it – I’ll let the reader decide how they feel about that). It’s not the hunters or her sister.

Chandra/Ji’anne is a character that some people love and others detest. She’s a bit of an anti-hero, so the response was expected.

You can learn more about Hunted here: Hunted book page

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