THE EVOLUTION OF WANDA JEAN, PART II
By the time BROOMETIME SERENADE--the second novel in the Oz Files series--was completed, Wanda Jean had grown in power and significance. I gave her a central role in the narrative, her sole aim to take the lives of the two meddling agents. More importantly, she was even more popular among my smattering of readers.
My original plan was to have Martin & Claire despatch Wanda Jean once and for all, to remove her from my novels--I’d come to terms with the idea of creating a series at this point--and to concentrate on other villains. Writing was already under way for the next addition to the series. I was, however, to revise this view and so I created a means by which she survived. Around this time, I remembered something about all the good books I’d read and enjoyed over the years. They all had a ‘super’ villain--a mastermind--one that continually cropped up to antagonise and confound the ‘hero’. Sherlock Holmes had Professor Moriarty, James Bond had Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Superman had Lex Luthor and Denis Leyland Smith had Dr. Fu-Manchu.
I had begun to view Wanda Jean in a new light.
The first thing I had to do was to create a back story, a childhood that would help explain both her powers and her preference for evil. I knew next to nothing about the Wiccan world, so I began researching the history of witches and witchcraft. I purchased a few books on potions and spells and tried to work out how I could include these in my books. The good thing was I could take my time and make sure I constructed my evil character correctly. The third novel in the series, INTRIGUE AT SANDY POINT was about completed by this time, but Wanda Jean didn’t feature as a main character. She remained in the background, harassing Martin & Claire whenever she could.
I was still, however, worried about one aspect of the direction my novels were taking. How would the public react to a series of novels featuring witchcraft? As often happens, events outside my sphere of influence was to answer my question. At around this time, I read my first Harry Potter book. Because of the popularity of this series, I realised that my witch character was more likely to be received than I’d otherwise expected. What I needed to be careful of was not to make Wanda Jean’s magic seem a copy of Harry’s.
In the next novel, SPIRIT OF WARRNAMBOOL, I would begin the task of tackling the origins of a truly evil character.
Want to meet Wanda Jean in the flesh. You may do so here:
The Oz Files: Broometime Serenade
My original plan was to have Martin & Claire despatch Wanda Jean once and for all, to remove her from my novels--I’d come to terms with the idea of creating a series at this point--and to concentrate on other villains. Writing was already under way for the next addition to the series. I was, however, to revise this view and so I created a means by which she survived. Around this time, I remembered something about all the good books I’d read and enjoyed over the years. They all had a ‘super’ villain--a mastermind--one that continually cropped up to antagonise and confound the ‘hero’. Sherlock Holmes had Professor Moriarty, James Bond had Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Superman had Lex Luthor and Denis Leyland Smith had Dr. Fu-Manchu.
I had begun to view Wanda Jean in a new light.
The first thing I had to do was to create a back story, a childhood that would help explain both her powers and her preference for evil. I knew next to nothing about the Wiccan world, so I began researching the history of witches and witchcraft. I purchased a few books on potions and spells and tried to work out how I could include these in my books. The good thing was I could take my time and make sure I constructed my evil character correctly. The third novel in the series, INTRIGUE AT SANDY POINT was about completed by this time, but Wanda Jean didn’t feature as a main character. She remained in the background, harassing Martin & Claire whenever she could.
I was still, however, worried about one aspect of the direction my novels were taking. How would the public react to a series of novels featuring witchcraft? As often happens, events outside my sphere of influence was to answer my question. At around this time, I read my first Harry Potter book. Because of the popularity of this series, I realised that my witch character was more likely to be received than I’d otherwise expected. What I needed to be careful of was not to make Wanda Jean’s magic seem a copy of Harry’s.
In the next novel, SPIRIT OF WARRNAMBOOL, I would begin the task of tackling the origins of a truly evil character.
Want to meet Wanda Jean in the flesh. You may do so here:
The Oz Files: Broometime Serenade
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