Tags
character interview, interview, Romance, Shehanne Moore, The Viking and The Courtesan, Vikings, villains, writing, writing villains
Dudes, can we back off here before Snotra reaches for the rat poison? A few years ago I did a post on the villain
I have had villains is all my books–sometimes more than one. Until now the record for the most cardboardy has been held by Lady Margaret. Lady Fury’s mother in law but even she had her reasons for acting as she did. Snotra, my new villain is –hands up– the most obvious villain I’ve written. She’s pushy, driven, money-orientated, insulting, nasty, bossy, argumentative, greedy and determined to have her own way and the hero at all costs.
I had such fun writing her, I didn’t even try to disguise her. So I think to be true to that second quote card about villains up above, we should hear her side of things…
Dudes, let’s let Snotra answer all right.
Snotra: Rats? I am being interviewed by rats?
Dudes… settle down okay?
Snotra: You have rat poison. Yes?
Snotra: That woman, that one who my betrothed brought back from England, Malice and her fat ragbag friend, Gentle. Oh, very well, you don’t think these women were villains and I did not see what they were up to, playing me off against Sinarr, talking about me behind my back, stealing my beloved? Obviously you don’t. Well, do you know Shehanne asked that fav villain question the other day on facebook and it was Moriarty, Cruella Deville and Raoul Silva from Skyfall who topped the list. Why was my name not there? Because I am a very nice person. Now would you like some Viking mead? I ‘meade’ it specially.
Snotra: Well, I could say Sinarr and I had known each other since we were children and the way had been hard for me, having no money. But the fact is Shehanne needed a device, a device to show the hero and the heroine’s otherwise questionable actions – him in taking a bed slave, her in conniving behind my back to get back to her own time and all that happened afterwards– in a sympathetic light. When she first wrote me she wrote me nice. But then she saw the problem she had created. The hero of the book had brought home a bed slave. It made him, not me, look bad.
Then you should swop them for horns. I have just the pair with poison tipped pins… Anyway, that is why Shehanne
decided that I should have twice chosen money over my betrothed, why I should call Malice and Gentle names and all these other things, including trying to burn them. We villains are very nice people but these authors need us. And what they need is us NOT to be nice. Behind the scenes Malice and I are the very best of friends….
Next question?
Snotra : Shehanne says it here,
To that I would add,
1 Your villain should NOT drive the plot. We should leave that to the flaws of the heroine and hero. Believe me, Malice and Sinarr had so many, I quite lost count. A villain is only so-oh bad. It might even be that they can come good….. Especially in ridding the world of rodents.
Snotra. You see.
Snotra : Apart from asking you to drink from my poisoned chalice, you mean you can’t guess?
Snotra :
Extract. The Viking and the Courtesan.
“My apologies for getting right in your way, mistress.”
No doubt Gentle would have far rather said something else but the thought of being turfed out into the rain presently battering the thatched roof and spitting on the roaring fire so the flames sizzled, probably prevented her.
“It’s all right, Gentle. You are so fat we all know you can’t help it. How you never sank the Raven on the way here is a miracle of Odin. We know it was so you could come here and be my giant house-slave that you were spared.”
“Snotra…”
“Oh, don’t frown, Sinarr, you of all people are not going to dispute it.” Give Snotra her due, she knew how to keep the crowd in her orbit by flicking her gaze over the opposition. “She’s a cart-horse. Do you know, Ari, that is why he never chose her for his bed slave? If she was in his bed she’d break it. Here. Drink up. Enjoy. You might as well savour all this house has to offer.”
In 898 AD she wasn’t just from another land.
Wrecking a marriage is generally no problem for the divorce obtaining, Lady Malice Mallender. But she faces a dilemma when she’s asked to ruin her own. Just how businesslike should she remain when the marriage was never consummated and kissing her husband leads to Sin–a handsome Viking who wants her for a bed slave in name only?
She came from another time.
Viking raider Sin Gudrunsson wants one thing. To marry his childhood sweetheart. Only she’s left him before, so he needs to keep her on her toes, and a bed slave, in name only, seems just the thing. Until he meets Malice.
One kiss is all it takes to flash between two worlds
But when one kiss is no longer enough, which will it be? Regency London? Or Viking Norway? Will Malice learn what governs the flashes? Can Sin?
Where worlds collide can love melt the iciest heart?
shehanne moore 
Snotra is a nasty piece of work, Well done, Shey! I ma thoroughly enjoying The Viking and the Courtesan. Nearly finished!
Snotra is just awful… At least Belle and Gil from Lazuli had redeeming features. And Lady Margaret? I could get her not liking her son’s choice of wife. Dunno about Kara’s father and Kendrick in the redeeming features though. But Snotra? As she sez she had to be nasty. You are so kind to me Antonia. I am glad –more than bto– you are enjoying the book. OOh nearly finished… well more SNotra to come then… Her finest hour probably
Snotra is a bad girl. She needs to go over my knee 😉
And I’d hate to be a bed slave…… making beds, changing sheets etc. 😉
Have a lovely weekend Shey my friend (Are you a bad girl ?) lol 😀 ❤ xox
I know you would abso hate that Ralpha. You better watch out for Snotra. She’s on the prowl for yet another man….. Of course I am bad Ralpha. Being good is boring. have a great rest of the weekend now x
Excellent post on writing villains. And then of course the narration and whining by the Hammies was twice the entertainment. 🙂
Debby, US? WHINE?
love the hammie dudes xxxxxxxxxxx
Love villain interviews… you should check out my category… Kev’s Character Interviews. 😉
On my way Kev x
I must say you do move in exalted circles. Loved the Heathcliff one.
Oh, it comes with the territory! 😀 Thanks Shehanne, glad to hear it… I’ve been thinking of doing more.
I am looking forward. it is a smart idea. x
Thank you! 😀
I meant to add, these posts were also great posts x
I am relishing Snotra’s high-handed villainy in The Viking and the Courtesan. Congrats. She seems to have got those hammies well and truly scared. And me! You write villains so well, Shey. I wonder why ……
Cos of all them tenners I send you darling! Seriously, I just made her a little high handed… Just ever so slightly… A little… Oh, ok, I did enjoy writing her. I thought I am not even going to try to make her nice in any way, after I saw the corner I had boxed into there. Anyway, thank you although I am sure, some of the villains you have written you can handle her. Loved what you did with the ‘villain’ in The Italian Wife.
Ooooo Snotra is evil! I kind of love her, lol. And I burst out laughing at the hamstah’s “didn’t shoot the deputy”. Loved it, Shey!
Snotra is one of these bolshie, bossy, ride roughshod over everyone with a very nasty core folks. I did love writing her. She’s so transparently horrible I think you have to kind of cheer her on even as you cheer for her to get her comeuppance. I wish I could claim credit for the deputy. Mike Steeden who is a brilliant poet and very funny blogger reminded me of that line of the song after the last blog where they were all shooting the hamster, the gerbil, you name it. Lovely to see you Linda x
This is such an interesting way you use your villain’s voice to give writing tips on villains. Clever! I like the idea of mixing hero and villain. Hammies, mischievous as ever!
CAROL!!!! How lovely to see you not just back blogging but back here and being so kind. Snotra just refused to be quiet. I was going to give the tips but she took over xxxx
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hugs
Reblogged this on Kev's Great Indie Authors and commented:
Now those of you who have read any of my character interviews, know how much I love to interview the villian! Brought to you from Shehanne… Welcome to Kev’s Rollover Sunday, Shehanne!
Hugs Kev for doing that. Your rollover Sunday sure is something!. I am always awed by6 the amount of work you do to help everyone xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Rosa Klebb out of From Russia With Love…yes a bit of a carthorse yet a villain who ensured that for once no cold showers were necessary and for me that is a good thing!
Rosa…vas meesunderrstood ladee ees all. I am shocked to hear these re cold shower… But glad to see you back from France and not meestaken for poor refugeeee
Not a refugee yet saw and smelt (even from a distance away) the poor sods and their Jungle!
I know Mike. Some awful things on the news x
Maybe it’s the paranormal writer in me but I was so excited to read your take on villains, and it didn’t disappoint. I agree…villains should be as strong (read: bad) as the protagonist (read: good). Otherwise the story is off balance and predictable. Thanks for spotlighting the characters we want to throttle.
Ann!!! That is so kind of you. I do like a ‘good’ baddie. I see you do too. Yay! To me villains are such complex characters. In my last book I actually had the villain take a back step rather than bring down the heroine cos I felt that the heroine was capable of doing that to herself. But I do love the clash between characters that way. And I do love thinking out the baddies. xxx
Snotra! what a bitch! Cool!
Oh Snotra is probably the only real villain I created and she’s more bitch than villain. Now I did make her cardboard on purpose, totally off her rocker, especially at the end where she holds the Viking boat burning funeral and tries to burn all the slaves, as is actually what they did. Then, when Sin turns up not dead at all, she decided to turn it into a wedding. I had a lot of fun with her. But underneath she is a bit pathetic. It is last gasp saloon for her. She married twice, once an old man who dropped dead at the ceremony and then she married this boy of eight, which was legal in Viking times, you just didn’t go live with them. Then he died Neither man had any money despite pretending they did. So now she’s fallen back on the childhood sweetheart cos he does but didn’t before. And despite all that and him taking her and the father in, she just can’t be nice. She’s one of these kinds of people.
Lovely interview, Shey and the Dudes. Both told and shown – it really gets the message home.
And, another intriguing extract from The Viking and The Courtesan: intriguing.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Cath, usually my villains are not all bad but Courtesan was kind of a romp. The other villain in it, Malice’s hubby, wasn’t really that bad. so I kind of upped the ante with Snotra for the reasons she mentions Nice to see you.