Brenda Whiteside's Blog, page 56

Follow Your Dream by Caroline Clemmons #Fearless #Romance

FEARLESS FRIDAY
Striking out on your own, following a dream, is definitely fearless. Be sure to read on, and welcome Caroline Clemmons to  Fearless Friday.
Thanks to Brenda for having me as her guest today on Fearless Friday.
How fearless am I? Picture me blushing as I answer, “Not very.” I’ve done a lot of things that took courage, but I was acting with my husband, which made the event far less frightening. However, one thing sticks in my mind that was life-changing.
For several years I worked as the bookkeeper for our county tax assessor. The pay wasn’t great, but it came with good retirement benefits, had a short commute, was in a nice building, and the tax assessor was a friend.
This was in an office with ten other women. Can you say drama! Most of the women were really nice but there were three whose performance and gossip mongering made each day a challenge. l loved my actual job—but the parade of divas in and out of my office sapped my energy. Yet, I had to be accessible and couldn’t just shut the office door. When I arrived home from work each weekday, my mind was mush from dealing with the spectacle at work all day. I dragged into the house too foggy to concentrate on writing. Still, I’m aware many writers succeed under those conditions.
For years I’d wanted to write romances. I’d even started one to which I slowly added pages. That left weekends to write. In addition, I have several annoying health concerns that zapped me frequently. On Saturday mornings, I attended RWA chapter meetings or critique sessions. Sunday morning was church. I believed that if I could stay home, I could succeed. I didn’t tell my husband those feelings. Fortunately, my husband encouraged me to quit my job and write.
I had to deliberate the possibility. Giving up a sure salary for the maybe of a writing career was a difficult decision. What if I failed? What if we needed my income? Ha, I was willing to take that risk. The next morning, I gave my notice. Yes, I gave up my day job and concentrated on writing.
I sent out sample chapters and got rejections while I completed two books. One great day, I got an acceptance letter. Hooray, I was on my way!  Four years from the day I quit my day job, I was published. I had my foot in the door, so to speak, with a traditional publisher. Now I’m indie published, which is so much better for me. In spite of that, I was extremely happy with my first sale.
Stepping into the unknown carries a risk. That’s why I admire the heroine of my new release, GARNET, book 9 of the western historical Widows of Wildcat Ridge Series. Imagine the fearless courage required to become a mail-order bride. Worse, only nine months after her wedding, Garnet Chandler was widowed, left with her niece and nephew in her care and a café to operate alone. I hope you’ll give GARNET a read. The universal buy link at Amazon is http://getbook.at/garnetWOWR.
Through a crazy twist of fate, Caroline Clemmons was not born on a Texas ranch. To compensate for this illogical error, she writes about handsome cowboys, feisty ranch women, and scheming villains in a small office her family calls her pink cave. She and her Hero live in North Central Texas cowboy country where they ride herd on their rescued cats and dogs. The books she creates there have made her an Amazon bestselling author and won several awards. Find her on her blog , website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Google+, and Pinterest .
Join her Facebook reader group, Caroline’s Cuties, for advance news, contests, and conversation.
Click on her Amazon Author Page for a complete list of her books and follow her there.
Follow her on BookBub .
Subscribe to Caroline’s newsletter here to receive a FREE novella of HAPPY IS THE BRIDE, a humorous historical wedding disaster that ends happily—but you knew it would, didn’t you?
She loves to hear from readers at caroline@carolineclemmons.com

A Fur Baby Saga #puppy #furBaby #rescueDog

Baby Rusty
Three years ago, we lost Rusty, a rescue dog from the Navajo Nation in Arizona. He was Red Heeler mix from a working cattle dog momma, which is all we knew for sure about him. We called him “the smartest dog in the world” and we loved him dearly for eleven years. Until recently, we hadn’t even considered getting another dog. He’d been just too special.
A few weeks back, we were in one of those puppy mill pet stores because our granddaughter is a dog loving little girl. She has two of her own, but loves to visit pet stores. One of the puppies took a Old Rustystrong liking to FDW. I saw a light in his eyes…FDW that is. We left the store and the $3,000 puppy behind, but it got me thinking that the time might have come for us to consider another dog adoption.

We both played around on some Internet rescue sites. I even applied for one puppy, but was told because we didn’t have a doggie door, we couldn’t adopt from them. Another puppy looked like a possibility, but the price was high, and he wouldn’t be ready for a few weeks. I honestly can’t remember how I came upon Black Hat Humane Society. When I did, our search looked up. They didn’t have any silly rules about doggie doors, and they were more reasonably priced. The kicker is they are the main rescue site for the Navajo Nation. It served us well once. Why not again?
AmigoCut to the next chapter. We found Amigo. I’m not going to relate Amigo’s whole story today. That will be another blog post, if this all works out. We have to travel 3 ½ hours to meet him. The foster mom will have to travel nearly three hours to meet us, sort of in the middle. The first day we had scheduled fell through. Then we were supposed to get him today, but her schedule changed again. We are now set to pick him up tomorrow. Snow is in the forecast for the Mogollon Rim. We can’t get to Gallup, NM without a trip along the rim. Hopefully, the snow will be light like the weatherman is predicting or this adoption will be postponed yet again.
All of this postponing and the wait now has my stomach and my head in turmoil. Second thoughts are setting in. If we get there and he doesn’t respond to us, we’ll have made a wasted trip. Is all this trouble a sign we should forget it and find another dog? Or maybe not get a dog at all?
AmigoTo be continued…

A #Wicked #Villain – If I Want You by Rachel Brimble

WICKED WEDNESDAY Please welcome back Rachel Brimble. She's talking my favorite genre, romantic suspense, and that means a wicked villain.
Although I write mainstream romance, romantic suspense and historical romance, I have to admit when I create a villain I love, romantic suspense is without a doubt my favourite sub-genre to write.When writing a suspenseful story, it’s imperative the author connects with the villain as much as they do the hero and heroine. During the creative process of writing If I Want You, it was actually the villain who came to me before the protagonists.
If I Want You is a ‘whodunit’ type mystery where the villain is not revealed until the end of the book, so I have to be careful how much I tell you about this character. The story has a definite sense of obsession running throughout which starts with the heroine realising the man who abducted her as a child might be running free and pursuing her a second time even though she is now an adult.
For me, creating a villain starts with understanding why they are villainous – some people will argue there is a possibility that some people are born evil, but I don’t believe that. So, in order for me to be entirely invested in my wicked character, I have to first imagine their childhood and adolescence to ensure their motivations are believable.
With the villain in If I Want You, the character’s motivation for stalking the heroine is steeped in their childhood. Their entire mindset, actions, resentment and beliefs stem from the experiences and emotions they endured when they were young. Thoughts festered, revenge was plotted and, eventually, obsession developed.
Having a villain who believes they are just in their beliefs and actions makes for a scary individual who I hope the reader is a little afraid of, but also, a whole lot invested in catching. I love writing romantic suspense for this exact reason – how can I not love knowing the reader is turning the pages more and more quickly? Is vying for the hero and heroine to escape or apprehend their tormenter?I have written eight romantic suspense novels so far but, I have to say, the villain in If I Want You is undoubtedly my favourite!
Happy Reading…
Blurb & Buy Links for If I Want You…
Links are uncovered between Abby’s disappearance and Tori’s kidnapping, and Tori is forced to accept the monster who held her captive is back. But this time, Tori is all grown up, and there is no way she will let him hurt another little girl.
Buy Links:Amazon UK: http://amzn.eu/190CYmxAmazon US: http://a.co/c5O5R7sBarnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/if-i-want-you-rachel-brimble/1127157672?ean=2940158911118Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/if-i-want-youGoogle Play - https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Rachel_Brimble_If_I_Want_You?id=E-g7DwAAQBAJ
Rachel Brimble Bio & Links:

On Getting Myself Into a Pickle… By J. Arlene Culiner #fearless #travel

MUSE MONDAYMy guest today, J. Arlene Culiner, doesn't consider her tale fearless. Oh my gosh, I do! And it's so much fun. You must read on...
Here’s the question: do I think life will be boring if I stop doing rash things? Probably... So the incident I’m about to relate has nothing to do with bravery or courage. Instead, it’s about being in a pickle — a fairly frequent position in my higgledy-piggledy life. It started like this:
Once upon a time, I found myself in a clapboard, rusty trailer, semi-ghost town in Nevada. The hotel I stayed in was a rundown has-been, where ceilings soared high, and the lumpy, almost colorless wallpaper was a century old. In the shabby bar, a talentless band whined out bad country music, and locals dished up tall tales. It was a singular place, and I’d give anything to be able to go back…
But where was it? Believe me, I searched for it over and over, and never found it again. What was it called? I can’t remember. So I’m still looking for that cranky community — even years later. Which is how I got myself into the pickle I mentioned a few sentences back.
I was on a book tour, making my way from Los Angeles to Oklahoma by bus because, believe it or not, I really like travelling on buses and trains. You get to meet some pretty strange characters — grist for the writer’s mill — as well as highly interesting ones. Long-distance bus drivers have told me some of the best stories I’ve ever heard: they’ve been around; they’ve seen it all. Also, my ecological conscience reminds me that, if I take a plane, I’ll add a significant amount of planet-warming gases to the atmosphere.
On this particular bus, the driver and I chatted about books, about unusual destinations too. I mentioned that I’d crossed whole countries on foot, that I’m ever on the lookout for odd places.“Well,” he said, “if you want to see an unusual place, get off a few miles from here. There’s a date plantation, a restaurant where you can get a good meal, nothing else. But if you walk north, you’ll find the crankiest, finest community around. I remember it well. It might be what you’re looking for.”
Why not? I was around fifteen hours outside of Oklahoma City: I had time. So, feeling very optimistic, I stepped off the bus and headed for the restaurant — I was starving. Of course I hadn’t asked the driver any normal questions such as — “how far north do I have to walk?” or “is there anywhere to stay in the area?” or “when does the next bus come through?” I always think luck is on my side.
            “Restaurant’s closed,” said the waitress as she slopped away gooey crumbs from the counter top.            “Don’t tell me that.”            “Well, it is,” she said with unpleasant satisfaction. She was dying to go home, prop up her aching feet, sit mindlessly in front of a television.“Okay, then. Where can I get something to eat?”            “She looked at me as if I were very strange. “Out here?”            “Yes… I just got off the bus, you see. The driver mentioned a community not far away. To the north. Walking distance.”            “He said that, did he?”            “He did.”            She harrumphed.            “It isn’t?”            “It’s a pretty big walk.”            “How big?”            “Hours away.”            “Ah. How about a place to sleep? A motel, a room somewhere.”            “Out here?”            “Well, yes…”            “Nothing like that out this way.”            “And out at that community?”            “Doubt it.”            I chewed over the information for a few minutes, then optimism abandoned me. “When does the next bus come through?”            “Tomorrow afternoon. Five o’clock.”
Outside, the sun sank with alarming speed. Now what? I wasn’t about to set off on a night trek. No, I’d just have to find a place to sleep, somewhere safe. Where would that be? I thought of all the hungry cougars, wolves, giant killer ants, and zombies who were waiting for the moon and a victim. I thought of armed, dangerous two-legged cranks who roam through the night. I could hear teeth grinding and saliva dripping. I could see strange shapes. “Cut it out,” I ordered myself (but not too loudly.)
I found a little hollow far from the road, curled into it, pulled all the clothes out of my bag and hoped they would be as warm as a good blanket. I also hoped I would be able to sleep. That I would survive.
When I next opened my eyes, it was early morning. Amazing! Evil had passed me by. I headed north, taking the dirt road over a perfectly empty plain. It was a very lonely road. I didn’t see a living soul, but my imagination conjured up movement and shadows, created strange, unpleasant noises. Still, I kept walking: whatever was going to get me, would get me coming or going.
I reached the community an hour or so later — it wasn’t really all that far. It was a wonderful place. There was a clapboard bar run by two wild ladies; there were old timers and cranks; there was great conversation; there was food and drink; it was — albeit too briefly — home.
            “Come back,” people said to me. “There’s plenty of place for you to stay. There are empty shacks.”            “I will,” I answered. I meant it too.
            But I haven’t returned. Not yet. Will it be as wonderful as I remember? Who knows? What I have done, however, is mix it together with that first community, that rusty trailer, semi-ghost town in Nevada. Together, they’ve become a delightful fictional community called Blake’s Folly. It’s the setting for my newest contemporary romance, Desert Rose. And it really is worth a visit.
This place was a rusty trailer, scrapyard, abandoned car, clapboard shack, sagging old house community: a dead end if there ever was one. This was nowhere. This was the end of the line, socially speaking. This was a has-been. This was home.
You can find J. Arlene and all of her books HERE.

In the Book: #Hero Takeover #RomanticSuspense

Joshua clings to the side of a mountain in ArizonaThe first book of my new series has a working title of Magpie, a Joshua, Arizona book. You can deduce from the title that Magpie MacKenzie is the main character. The arc of the series will cover the MacKenzie family and their life in Joshua, Arizona.

I'm thirteen chapters into the first draft and a curious thing has happened. Zack Peartree, Magpie's counterpart and hero has jumped in and is dominating the story line. I don't like to use force on my characters. It's usually good if they develop organically. BUT...I'm going to have to curb his appetite for being in the spotlight. Or it's possible I just need to step up Magpie's game.

This is one of the fun things about writing a novel. As a reader, you might assume authors know their story and sit down at the computer and pound it out. Not necessarily. This is the hardest facet of writing to explain to someone who isn't familiar with the process. At least, not my process. It's important to stay on the path as far as the theme and the story. The plot can and does wander from time to time which can be a nightmare to get back on track. You don't want to end up in Florida if you're headed to Maine.

For now, Zack can have his way. I think if I haven't seen Magpie step out of the shadows by chapter
Stairs take you to the street abovefifteen, I'm going to have to backtrack and discover where she shut down. She needs to find her mojo again.

Brenda and her husband are gypsies at heart having lived in six states and two countries. Currently, they split their time between the Lake Roosevelt basin in Central Arizona and the pines in the north. Wherever Brenda opens her laptop, she spends most of her time writing stories of discovery and love entangled with suspense.
Visit Brenda at Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brendawhitesideauthor/

Happy New Year with #prizes #giveaways

I'm starting the New Year off with a bang with not just one great giveaway but TWO! Be sure to enter both of these for multiple chances to win big!

BREAK OUT THE BUBBLY on Bookwrapt
Click right... HERE.
It’s a New Year, romance lovers! Let’s celebrate the 365 reading days ahead with a giveaway! Enter for your chance to win one of these amazing prizes: a Kindle Fire, Amazon bookmark gift cards, ebook prize packs, or a gorgeous Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice book tote.

It's a Rafflecopter entry. Very easy to do. After you've entered, pop over to the Book Fair page. 

INSTAGRAM FOLLOW GIVEAWAY
You can win a $175 Amazon gift card just for following authors (me included) on Instagram. It's a win-win. Not only do you have a chance to win the gift card, but you'll be notified of some great deals and great books from authors without having to search them out.
Click right... HERE



Happy New Year and Good Luck!!!!!

M.S. Spencer Creates a Cozy on the Island #mystery #romance

MUSE MONDAYIt's cozy mystery romance day for Muse Monday. Please welcome, M. S. Spencer to Discover...
Flotsam & Jetsam is a cozy mystery romance set on a barrier island in north-east Florida.I first visited Amelia Island to attend the Amelia Island Book Festival, and was struck by the crazy quilt of events it had survived. Known as the Isle of Eight Flags, it had seen wave after wave of conquering armies, some big, like the Spanish, and some tiny, like the Patriots of Amelia Island who mustered nine gunboats and maybe a hundred men. Timucuan Indians, French, Spanish, pirates, Scots mercenaries, Confederate and Union soldiers, all occupied the tiny island at one point or another. It also has a sizable Geechee (Gullah) community. Faced with a setting like that, who wouldn’t want to craft a nice little murder mystery that drew on the island’s history?
Blurb:Three corpses strewn across the sand. Who are they and how did they get to Amelia Island?  State Park rangers Simon Ribault and Ellie Ironstone must find the answers while contending with a secretive group called the League of the Green Cross. Are the deaths linked to it? Or could they be tied to the colorful history of the island, which was won and lost eight times? Mucking up the investigation is the crucial question—who will Ellie choose: Thad, the handsome local idol, and Simon, the clever, quirky bookworm?
Flotsam and Jetsam: the Amelia Island AffairMainstream Mystery, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Suspense
Rating: Spicy (PG13)
Paper 430 p.; Ebook 97,578 words Buy Links (ebook and print):The Wild Rose Press: https://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/6345-flotsam-and-jetsam-the-amelia-island-affair.htmlAmazon: https://www.amazon.com/Flotsam-Jetsam-Amelia-Island-Affair-ebook/dp/B07JKTXYJCBarnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/flotsam-and-jetsam-m-s-spencer/1129787048?ean=2940161601945ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/flotsam-and-jetsam/id1439717297?mt=11
KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/flotsam-and-jetsam-the-amelia-island-affair
Indigo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/flotsam-and-jetsam-the-amelia/9781509223350-item.html
Will also be available at Walmart.
About the Author:M. S. Spencer has lived or traveled in five of the seven continents and has published twelve romantic suspense or cozy mystery novels. She has two children, a wonderful granddaughter, and divides her time between the Gulf Coast of Florida and a tiny village in Maine.Contacts:Blog: https://msspencertalespinner.blogspot.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/msspencerromanceTwitter: www.twitter.com/msspencerauthor

#Solstice #Christmas How It Came to Be

For the past six years, we've celebrated Solstice. It started when we shared the farm with our son and his wife. The holiday was very appropriate since we lived off the land, we have native American blood, and Christmas is rooted in the centuries-old holiday. Our celebration is a mixture of native American and European tradition.

We left the farm a few years ago, but we've continued our holiday celebration
Solstice 2012
on Solstice. We now have a granddaughter. Last year, she was old enough to grasp the concept and joined in for the fire ceremony. She was beyond cute and touched our hearts when she came up with her own set of things to be thankful for and what future blessings she saw. Quite a feat for a four-year-old.

Celebrating Solstice serves another purpose in that we don't have to share our son and family with anyone else that day. Selfish?
38 year-old-decorationYep. We do try to see them on Christmas Eve or Christmas, but it isn't always possible because they give time to my daughter-in-law's family.

I'm going to share with you the fire ceremony. Each year, one of us is the leader. This is the leader's speech as he guides us through the ritual.

The traditions of Solstice mean:Decorating is the way we ward off the darkness of winterEvergreens such as the tree and ivy represent the return of the New Year and new growth of both the Earth and within each of us.

Fire celebrates the longed for return of longer days of sunshine and warmth.
Our Solstice Eve meal is a gathering to share love and foods of our ancestry.
Gift giving on Solstice morning began with the Shamans and continues with our present-day Santa Claus. They gave to us the spirit of giving which each of us embodies.
Solstice 2013Now we will each choose a direction. We honor the directions of North, South, East, and West to help us focus on the unique nature of Solstice and the wonders that open to us on every side. Remember both the physical attributes of each direction and what is in your heart.
Each direction represents an element or part of nature. Read the general thoughts of that element, and then speak on how that relates to you and your own thoughts.
Praise what you find most precious about the season and our simple festival.
May this Solstice and turning of the season bring us love, peace, and good fortune in the coming year.
The remaining four of us each speak to the direction:
NORTHThis direction represents Earth.
When you focus on North and Earth, know:This is the season of cold.But there is life waiting to germinate and be born.We are part of Earth.
Solstice 2014WESTThis direction represents the element of WATER.
When you focus on West and water know:We are reminded of restless seas and wandering spirits.This brings the blessing of movement.We are seeking new directions, and we are emotional as the new year begins.
SOUTHThe element of FIRE (think of physical fire and the fire within you)
When you focus on South represented by fire and heat, know:Heat of life ripens the earth.Our heat seeks the roots of our life.With the warmth comes stability.
2016EASTThe element of AIR (the air around us and your breath within)
When you focus on the East represented by air, know:New life awakens with each breath and spreads through the world in spring.This is the direction of peace.Our spirit will triumph.
And then we roast marshmallows and make smores! Can't have a fire without those.

Happy Solstice and Merry Christmas to you all!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Katy Eeten #ChristianRomance #Christmas

MUSE MONDAYIt really is the most wonderful time of the year. Good stories to read are most welcome. Please read on for my guest, Katy Eeten.
Thank you, Brenda, for hosting me on your blog today! I’m excited to share about my novella Christmas in Meadow Creek, a small-town Christian Romance just in time for the holidays.
This story was such a joy for me to write. I’ve written two contemporary Christian romance novels to date—Blast From Her Past, published in early 2018, and A Heart Held Captive, which is due out next spring. Both of these books took an immense amount of time and energy to write, edit and market. But my Christmas novella was literally written in three weeks. Probably because the subject matter was a combination of my favorite things—writing, family, romance, and Christmas.
Even though I live in Wisconsin and hate the cold winters, there’s something about watching the snow fall as I’m decorating a real pine Christmas tree in the living room with my family. I love singing Christmas tunes, sipping hot cocoa, and watching my sons untangle the wads of lights as my husband strings them on the tree. It’s a magical time of year full of peace and joy, family and traditions, gifts and goodies.
There are moments, however, when it feels like pure chaos. The kids get extra hyper as they’re hopped up on holiday treats, anticipating all the games and toys they know are coming their way. There are holiday parties to host or attend, gifts to buy, decorations to hang, money to spend. And not everyone has a family they enjoy being with. This is also the time of year when loved ones lost can weigh heavy on our minds. I remember the first Christmas after my dad passed away, and even in the midst of happy celebrations, everywhere I looked was a reminder of his absence.
But despite all that, Christmas makes me pause and remember all that I have to be thankful for.
Book Blurb:
Sarah Laughlin left her big-city life and dead-end relationship behind for a fresh start as a fourth-grade teacher in the small, Wisconsin town of Meadow Creek. And it feels like home, too, despite the persistent troublemaker in her class and the lack of familiar faces. But the holidays are going to be lonely this year. Until she meets firefighter Lincoln Thompson. Suddenly, the hope of spending Christmas with someone she cares about is within reach.

Lincoln loves his home town of Meadow Creek, but ever since his long-time girlfriend left him for a better life in the city, he wonders if he’ll ever find love in this small town where everyone knows everyone. Then he meets Sarah during her class's field trip to his firehouse, and a spark is lit. But when they discover that Sarah's troublemaking student is none other than Lincoln's beloved nephew, their newfound relationship is put to the test.
Book Excerpt:“Y’know, it’s kind of funny how we keep running into each other.” Lincoln leaned his elbow on the table with his head resting on his hand, as if blocking out anyone behind him, and focused solely on Sarah’s face.
She was suddenly ultra-conscious of her breathing, her blinking, her every move. And was it just her, or was it getting hot in here? “Yeah,” she finally managed to say. “Three days in a row now.”
Lincoln’s lips formed a slanted smile, and for the first time she noticed a dimple on his handsomely rugged cheek. He leaned in before speaking again, his voice extra low. “I was wondering if you wanted to make sure we saw each other again? Maybe tonight—for dinner?”
She prayed he didn’t notice how hard she swallowed upon hearing his question. And what was that noise—was that her heart beating? She hoped he couldn’t hear it. Why was it so hard to think straight all of a sudden? This was the first request for a date she’d received since moving. Well, since Todd had broken up with her, really. Thankfully, her brain was finally able to send her mouth the message to smile. “Sure. Yeah, I’d like that.”
Lincoln’s crooked smile turned into an all-out beam. “Great. Can I pick you up at seven? If you don’t mind giving me your address.”
Quickly nodding, Sarah got out her phone. “I can text it to you. What’s your number?”
She sent the text to the number he recited and put her phone away.
Lincoln’s eyes crinkled as he spoke. “Well, I better get back to serving.” He stood to leave, touching Sarah’s arm gently. “I’m glad I ran into you again. I’ll see you at seven.”
Sarah nodded. “Looking forward to it.”
Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Meadow-Anaiah-Romance-Novella-ebook/dp/B07K6XLK8B

Do You Love Your #Villains? By Barbara Bettis #WickedWednesday

WICKED WEDNESDAYI love a good villain. And Barbara has a good point for us on Wicked Wednesday...there has to be something good in all that evil to make it interesting. Please read on and join the conversation.
The first thing that popped into my mind when I thought of a topic for Wicked Wednesday was—book villains.
Creating wicked villains was one of the hardest things to do when I started writing fiction. Since I write medieval, the bad guys were supposed to be pretty rough, like life then. Trouble was—and still is—I have a problem creating villains who are wicked enough to deserve the label. I don’t like to hurt any of my characters, even the bad guys (and I use that term to include gals too). So seeing they get their punishment comes hard for me.
It’s such fun creating these characters, I hate to do away with them. I keep wanting to reform them. It’s been said that every villain is the hero of his own story. So when trying to build the layers of that person, giving him reasons for behaving the way he does, I develop sympathy for him (or her).      
In an attempt to remedy that tendency, the second time I tried to develop a villain, the character turned out to be something of a stereotype. From the moment he stepped onto the page, you could tag him as ‘The Villain’. Well, that wasn’t good. So I had to work on changing up the characterization in that book.
But it took me four books to finally dispose of the one main villain threaded through them all. By the time his end came around, however, I was ready to do him in.
Not all villains have worked out that way. In my first book, I became so attached to the man who was originally slotted for the part, I changed the plot. How? By reforming him—and bringing in the good, old reliable mean fellow from the first book. The one who went on to create problems through the next two.

I’ve come to accept this weakness and know to watch out for it so I never again have to change a plot because I’ve become too attached to a villain.
QUESTION: Does anyone else have trouble creating wicked characters?  How do you do it? Is there a wicked villain you grew attached to?
Follow my villains—good and bad—in: SILVERHAWK, THE HEART OF THE PHOENIX, THE LADY OF THE FOREST. And in the upcoming FOR THIS KNIGHT ONLY.
About Barb:Former journalist and college professor, Barb has retired to become an editor and lady-who-likes-to-write-in-comfy-jammies.  She starts every day with tea, but firmly believe a home office isn’t complete without a coffee pot and a scented candle. And snacks.
Visit Barb: www.barbarabettis.blogspot.com