WWK--Better than ever--Look for the return of blogs by Linda Rodriguez! She's back--on 1/4. Watch for our new blogger Tammy Euliano--debuting on 1/17
*************************************************************************************************
Margaret S. Hamilton's short story, "Killer Weeds," appears in the January 20 edition of Texas Gardener's Seeds: From Our Garden to Yours. Congratulations, Margaret, who, if you follow Facebook know, is a superb gardener herself!
Congratulations to Jennifer J. Chow for garnering a 2021 Lefty Nomination for Best Humorous Mystery Novel. We're crossing our fingers for Jennifer!
Congratulations to Paula Gail Benson whose "Reputation or Soul" has been chosen for Malice Domestic 16: Mystery Most Diabolical anthology to be released this spring.
KM Rockwood's "Stay Safe--Very Safe" appears in this year's 2020 BOULD anthology. Congratulations, KM!
Margaret S. Hamilton's "Dealing at the Dump" appears in Cozy Villages of Death Fall 2020.
Margaret S. Hamilton's "Black Market Baby" and Debra H. Goldstein's "Forensic Magic" appear in Masthead: Best New England Crime Stories Fall 2020.
Jennifer J. Chow's Mimi Lee Reads Between the Lines (interview on WWK on 11/11) released on November 10.
Annette Dashofy signed with agent Dawn Dowdle of the Blue Ridge Literary Agency. Congratulations, Annette!
KM Rockwood's "Secrets To The Grave" has been published in the SinC Chesapeake Chapter's new anthology Invitation To Murder, released by Wildside Press on 10/6.
Susan Van Kirk's Three May Keep A Secret has been republished by Harlequin's Worldwide Mystery. The WWK interview about the book can be accessed here. We're so glad another publisher picked up this series.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

11 comments:
Well-drawn antagonists can be at least as interesting as the protag – and why not allow him to survive, maybe even get through a hung jury so he’s out on the street for your next novel? I introduced the Happy Reaper in ANT FARM (Seamus McCree #1 – BSP Kindle ebook on sale right now for $0.99) and he reappears in #s 5 & 6, both of which are Works-in-progress.
~ Jim
A big mistake some writers make is always portraying their bad guys as bad or downright evil. Sometimes that isn't the case. G. K. Chesterton said to look for the person who became desperate. That way you can have a likable character who in desperation turned to murder. Now when I read a mystery I always suspect the most likable character in the book.
I, too, like nuanced villains. In my current WIP, I'm afraid my villain is too one-dimensional, and your post gives me a few new things to think about as I'll need to fix this in revisions.
Oh, Jim, I'm so glad the Happy Reaper is coming back! I hope he does well in Irma. Not sure which Island is his. I'm quite sure he IS a survivor though.
Carla, one of the joys of British mysteries is that the reader often gets to know and care about the villain as well as the protagonist and the victim before the crime. It's a method of character development different to the US model and it often humanizes both the crime and the criminal.
I don't watch much TV but as far back as I remember, there have been popular TV shows based on that very premise- THE Cat, It Takes a Thief, How to Get Away with Murder. I know I'm missing a big one, I can only come up with the letter D. I'm sure readers would also identify. In fact, I'm sure it would make a great series.
Most "bad guys" are conflicted. Just like most "good guys."
You do want a satisfying ending, but I see nothing wrong with people in fiction escaping consequences. As you say, it happens all the time in real life.
I'm with Julie. I need to make my bad guy more believable, more ordinary. Desperate might work.
Right! Desperation can drive us all to do stupid things. Maybe each of us is just a few bad decisions away from being on the other side of the hero/antagonist continuum.
I think an interesting bad guy has most of the characteristics of the good guy but also lacks something the goos guy has or hads developed during the book.
In most of my books, the murderer isn't a bad guy so much as he/she is desperate like G.K. Chesterton said. I develop most of the people who will be the murderer, and often I feel so sad for him/her, especially if he/she has family who will be hurt by this. Once I liked my potential murderer so much, I had to change it to another equally nice person.
In books that aren't whodunnits, the bad guy is the protagonist--his past, he's trying to overcome. Sometimes, people don't forgive him. Others fall in love with him--but usually in those books the bad part doesn't include murder.
Did you fall for bad guys in your youth, Carla? I did too, but I am totally over it. Now--I look at bad guys and wonder why I put up with them, how I could have been so stupid, and think what PITAs they would be to live with. You don't have to write a one-dimensional character--but I'd say--just get over him.
Hi Carla, It's such a great sign when you're heart is pounding while you're writing your scenes of suspense!
I've gotten so tired of the brilliant, mastermind bad guy - the Moriarty character from the television show Sherlock comes to mind. The writers tried to make him so over the top it was just ridiculous.
Post a Comment