Margaret Carter's villain

Margaret and I are part of the same promo group, Jewels of the Quill. Janet

Interviewing Dr. Hugh Lange from WINDWALKER'S MATE, a Lovecraft-inspired paranormal romance by Margaret L. Carter (published by Amber Quill Press, www.amberquill.com):

What should I call you?Just call me Hugh. After all I've been through, my title doesn't mean much anymore.

Tell me about yourself.I was a professor of anthropology before getting sentenced to prison on tenuous charges of producing designer drugs. I wasn't a drug pusher. I used carefully calibrated doses of certain rare substances to enhance the psychic abilities of my son, Nathan, and his girlfriend, Shannon—who, by the way, I rescued from the streets of Baltimore when she was running away from an abusive stepfather. The criminal charges were instigated by Shannon's mother in revenge for luring her daughter into a cult, as she saw it.

What do you want?I want my four-year-old grandson, Daniel, to embrace his true heritage. The Windwalker, a deity from another dimensional plane, used my son's body to beget a child who would have vast powers, including the ability to open the gate between universes to invite the Windwalker and the other Ancient Ones into our world. Nathan and Shannon are determined to keep me away from Daniel. They don't understand the importance of allowing him to develop his gifts and fulfill his destiny.

So you have a good reason for what you do. What is it?To welcome the inevitable return of the Ancient Ones to rule our universe. All who resist Them will be exterminated or treated as mere livestock. Those who serve Them, on the other hand, will receive unimaginable rewards. When the earth becomes transformed into a realm fit for the Ancient Ones' habitation, I want my grandson to share in that glorious future in accordance with his birthright. If possible, I would like Nathan and Shannon to enjoy those rewards, too, instead of suffering the doom of most of the human species. I wish they could grasp the fact that I have only their welfare and their child's at heart.

Do you have a family and friends?Not anymore. I forsook my academic career to serve the Windwalker. My only friends, the other young people who belonged to my so-called cult, vanished from my life after I was imprisoned. My son, Nathan, betrayed me by testifying against me at my trial. He and Shannon refuse to let me become part of my grandson's life. If I achieve my goal, though, Daniel will join me in ruling the transfigured world of the Windwalker's triumph.

Why do others call you a villain?Because they don't understand the inevitability of the Windwalker's reign. The only choices are to worship It or to suffer at Its mercy—of which It has none.

Margaret L. Carter has written numerous novels, novellas, and short stories in horror, fantasy, and paranormal romance. She specializes in vampires and has had several books and articles published on vampirism in literature, including THE VAMPIRE IN LITERATURE: A CRITICAL BIBLIOGRAPHY and DIFFERENT BLOOD: THE VAMPIRE AS ALIEN. Her vampire novel DARK CHANGELING won the 2000 Eppie Award in the horror category. Visit her website at www.margaretlcarter.com.