 |
| Art being used with permission of pascalcampion.com |
Answer to Quote #3:
If you guessed WATERFALL then you were right!
I asked Lisa T. Bergren a few villainous questions. Below are her answers. I really enjoyed them and I hope you do as well.
Villainous Interview:
Please share with me the moment in which the villain reveals his mastermind plot. Or your favorite line from your villain. Or you can share a summary of the villain's grand scheme.
Lord Paratore holds the Fiorentini castle closest to the Sienese border, and within sight is Castello Forelli, Lord Marcello's Sienese castle. The two are continually at battle, vying for more territory and to change the border. Lord Paratore attempts to use my heroine, Gabriella, to gain entrance to Castello Forelli and take her down, once and for all, and holds her sister as captive to make sure it occurs. A quote from p247: "Know this, m'lady," he said in a whisper, leaning toward my ear. "If we run into a trap, your sister will bear the full cost of your betrayal. She will die, and not before she begs for it."
Hmm, I like villians of all sorts. Sometimes, there's just nothing better than a villain with a truly black heart and a cause he's willing to die for. That's Lord Paratore in River of Time. But sometimes a conflicted villain is the BEST...witness Lord Rodolfo Greco, who stole about half my fan-base's love from Marcello and Luca, in order to root for Greco's redemption. Those dark horses come out of nowhere and take a life of their own.
Should villains be seen in black and white? Are they just made in that mold and always will be. Or do you think that villains are made by a series of events that shape them? Is there room for change and redemption?
He was always there. But then, when you have a setting so close to a conflicted border, it was a natural. I think it's interesting that at one time, the Paratore and Forelli families lived in peace. But those days are long over. My hero came first, however. Marcello--an Italian prince, of sorts. And then he needed a mortal enemy....
Did your villain form out of necessity, develop to fit the needs of the story, or come fully formed? Who came first the villain or the hero?
He's a conniver, using anything and everything and everyone to accomplish his goals. I see him as a corporate raider. One of those guys who accumulates massive wealth on the backs of others--a swindler at times, justifying it in his head--but eventually put in jail after losing everything. In life, the bad guys aren't always caught. But in my books, I like to see 'em hang. Ahh, the power....
If placed in current reality how do you think your villain would fare? Would he turn into a couch potato? Would his will for power shrivel up in the face of the Cheeto? Or does he have what it takes to dominate no matter the situation?
What advice would your villain give to aspiring villains?
Discover the weakness in your enemies and capitalize on it at once.
Lisa T. Bergren
