Friday - Vijaya Schartz Talking About Heroes, Heroines and Villains #MFRWauthor #BooksWeLove

 
 
1. Do you write a single genre or do your fingers flow over the keys
creating tales in many forms? Does your reading choices reflect your writing
choices? Are there genres you wouldn't attempt?
I write all over the place,
because I like to read different things. Like when I read, varying the kind of
stories I write prevents me from being bored. My inspiration flows better when I
alternate. In my case, it's science fiction, medieval fantasy, or contemporary
romance. I also vary the lengths, novels and novellas, sometimes an entire
series.
 
2. Heroes, Heroines, Villains. Which are your favorite to write?
Does one of these come easy and why?
I love my protagonists, of course, but I
also have a reputation for writing the worst (and by worst these reviewers mean
the best) villains. I enjoy developing and refining my bad guys. I make them
believable, strongly motivated, and intelligent. I believe the stronger the
villain, the more heroic the hero or heroine will have to be to defeat him (or
her).
 
3. Heroes. How do you find them? Do pictures, real life or plain
imagination create the man you want every reader to love? Do they come before
the plot or after you have the idea for the story?
Before I start writing, I
know my hero from the inside. I know his motivations, his strengths, his
weaknesses, and what makes him tick. What he looks like will be determined by
the genre, and what I discover along the way, whether it's his birth place, his
race (or species if it's science fiction) his occupation, etc. A young business
executive will not look the same as a seasoned medieval warrior, a Native
American shape shifter, a Chinese super Ninja, or a genetically enhanced Space
Marine. Once I know what he looks like, I do search for corresponding pictures
on the web, and I use them for inspiration. Sometimes I create picture boards
for my book. Depending on the publisher, some of these pictures might end up on
the book cover.
 
4. Heroines. How do you find them? Do pictures, real life or
imagination create the woman you want the reader to root for? Do they appear
before the plot or after you have the idea for the story?
I try to vary the
looks of my heroines. Again I know them from the inside when I brainstorm the
story. They are always strong, often wear a uniform or carry guns, swords,
blasters. With very few exceptions, they kick butt. By the time I look at
pictures on the web, I already know what she looks like, and finding a picture
to represent her is often a challenge.
 
5. Villains or villainesses or an
antagonist, since they don't always have to be the bad guy or girl. They can be
a person opposed to the hero's or heroine's obtaining their goal. How do you
choose one? How do you make them human?
This is a trick question for me,
because not all my villains are human. Sometimes they are of a different species
(alien or part alien), and sometimes they are immortals, even gods. Yet, no
matter what we are, we all have deep motivations, and I make sure theirs are
clear and easy to understand for the reader. We can all relate to the thirst for
power, the lure of riches, pride, revenge... my secret is, that in his mind the
villain is the hero of his own story. In the Archangel series, I have the
reptilian devil himself being harassed and belittled by his nagging wife. It was
fun to write.
 
6. What is your latest release? Who is the hero, heroine and
or the villain?
BELOVED CRUSADER is Book 6 in the Curse of the Lost Isle
medieval fantasy romance series. The hero is a Christian Knight who embarks on
the first Crusade in hopes of erasing his Pagan origins. He swore never to be
like his father, who let a woman rule his life. The heroine is Palatina the Fae,
seeking redemption from a curse. She is immortal, and Pagan. An erudite, she is
curious by nature. But in this Christian world, discovery could mean burning at
the stake. I have two villains in this story. One is the Great Goddess herself,
who turns against the heroine for disobeying and questioning her faith. The
other villain is a Naga shape shifter, half serpent half man, an instrument of
the Goddess, and possibly the Prince of Darkness himself. This is the first of
my villains to be irredeemably dark.
 
7. What are you working on
now?
Something shorter, lighter, a contemporary romance novella titled "Asleep
in Scottsdale" featuring a young CEO with a sleeping disorder. The heroine is a
sleep therapist. The villain is... well, I don't want to spoil the read, since
it's a bit of a mystery and the twisted bad guy is only revealed quite late in
the story. Still, you can expect danger at every turn, a strong, intelligent
heroine, and sizzling romance.

Then Book 7 in the Curse of the Lost Isle
medieval fantasy series will feature yet another sister, Meliora the Fae, whose
curse is to live as a recluse on Mount Ararat, with only a magic hawk for
companion, forever forbidden to love... Since it's a romance, you can see where
this is going.
 
8. How can people find you?
            Website
http://www.vijayaschartz.com 
            Blog
http://medievalnovels.blogspot.com/ 
            Twitter
https://twitter.com/Vijayaschartz
            Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/vijaya.schartz