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Thursday, January 2, 2014

BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--GUEST AUTHOR M.L. GUIDA

M.L. Guida writes paranormal historical romance. Learn more about her and her books at 
her website. Today M.L. stops by to discuss villains. 

I’d like to thank Killer Crafts and Crafty Killers for having me today. Crafty killers are definitely fun characters to write about. The best killers are those that have valid reasons for committing their disastrous deeds. For instance, Hannibal Lector in Silence of the Lambs, had a reason to kill Dr. Frederick Chilton, because of how he treated him in the asylum. He was an interesting character because he helped Clarice Starling find Buffalo Bill. His crafty escape put everyone on edge.

 In my book, A Pirate’s Curse, my villains love to torture the hero and heroine. Jacques D’Aubigne, Quinton Palmer and Zuto all have evil plans for them. In their minds, their 
motivations justify why they torture. It’s not just to torture. They all have goals that appear to be reasonable, not that Hannah and Kane would agree.

In this scene, Jacques has Hannah where he wants her.

He half smirked. “I doubt it. I don’t give up what’s mine without a fight.” He narrowed his eyes. “You’re not fooling me, Hannah. You want me to release you so you can return to O’Brien. I assure you, I’ll never do that. You’re mine. You’ll soon learn at the Sorcière de Mer what happens when you betray me.”

“Yes, you will.” She aimed the dagger at him. “Release me.”

He pressed the sword deeper into her throat, pressing her head back. “Drop it.”

Hannah gripped the dagger tight. The sword dug into her neck and pricked her, wetness trickled down her skin. She swallowed, the dagger slowly slipped out of her fingers, clattering onto the floor.

Jacques nodded his head. “Now don’t move.”

Hannah obeyed. Trapped. Again.

She glanced out the window and sagged down against the back seat.

Jacques never lowered his sword. The blasting cannons and the people’s screams grew fainter as the carriage rode away. She kept hoping to see Kane ride up on the dapple-gray horse again, pistol drawn, aiming it at Jacques’ smirking face, but he never came. She was on her own.

When the carriage came to stop, Jacques lowered the sword.

Hannah jumped out of the carriage and dashed down the road. The thunder of horse hooves followed close behind. A hand yanked her arm, pulling her off her feet and across the horse’s back. Pain burst through her gut from landing upon the animal’s withers. She struggled to get free.

Rough hands hauled her down. She turned to see Dubois sitting on a large black stallion. Jacques spun her around and scowled. “Dubois,” Jacques said. “Take her below. We need to be prepared for an attack and I can’t worry about her running off.”

 Dubois slid off the horse and dragged her into the house. She slapped his hand, but he held her tight. And when she slipped on the hardwood floor, Dubois tossed her over his shoulder, knocking the breath out of her and slapped her behind. She winced.

“So, you like to play rough, chere? The master likes to play rough, too. After he gets through with you, you’ll be as docile as a lamb.”

She shuddered at his menacing laugh. He lugged her down a flight of stairs. Torches lit their way, revealing cracked stone walls stained with black splotches. Coldness gripped her. She choked on the stench of decay and rot.

Dubois carried her into a torch-lit room. Whips, iron cudgels and clubs hung on the wall. Two gruesome torture racks filled the middle of the room. Dark stains covered the dusty stone floor beneath each device. But what caught her attention was the large wooden breaking wheel covered with metal spikes.

Jacques’s little play room is terrifying and like Clarice Starling, Hannah must use her resources to escape.

A Pirate’s Curse is the first book in the series, Legends of the Soaring Phoenix. The sequel, A Pirate’s Revenge, will be released in February 2014.

A Pirate’s Curse
Like a dark angel, Captain Kane O'Brien rescues Hannah Knight and her father from drowning after vampire pirates murder their crew and sink their ship. Struggling to control and hide her telekinetic powers, Hannah discovers the honorable and bold captain possesses his own secrets.

Every full moon, Kane turns into a vampire. Finding out Hannah not to be the cabin boy she resembles, but a beautiful, luscious woman, tempts all his appetites. Desperate to be free of his curse, Kane considers handing Hannah over to a demon. But after Hannah uses her power to save his ship from his immortal enemy, Kane can no longer deny his attraction and vows to protect Hannah with his life.

To find true love, they must combine their powers to defeat evil vampires, thwart Hannah's misogynist fiancé and escape a crafty demon.

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8 comments:

Linda Andrews said...

Loved the excerpt. The best villains are the ones who meet with an end fitting their despicableness (we can make up words, can't we?)

Angela Adams said...

Never underestimate the power of a villain to make a great story.

Susan Macatee said...

Wow! That's one nasty villain! Best of luck with your release!

E. F. Watkins said...

The most interesting villains are unpredictable. Think of the Boston Marathon bombers who killed and injured so many but spared their cab driver because they thought he wasn't "an American." A villain who seems charming sometimes is scarier, because his victims let their guard down. And when he makes exceptions for some people, it gives some insight into his twisted logic.

ML Guida said...

Thanks everyone. I love to write about evil villains. The darker the better. Jacques was fun to write about and I wanted him to be motivated about why he did what he did. There's a reason why he wants Hannah, not just because she's beautiful. \

Andrea Cooper said...

Sounds like a great story. I'm adding this to my TBR list.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

You've got several genres all rolled into one, and I am so fascinated by it all that I'm going to get this book and read it! Wishing you lots of success with sales!