Villains You Care About, w/Nazarea Andrews

Nazarea Andrews, author of Edge of the Falls, is stopping by today to share her thoughts on villains. Take it away, Nazarea :-)

Villains you care about.

When I sat down to write Edge of the Falls I knew nothing about the world I was creating. I didn’t know how the story would play out, or even what fairy tale I was retelling (I tried about five before I conceded that this was supposed to be a Beauty and the Best retelling.)

I didn’t know I needed a villain.

This, you guys, is the problem with not going in with a plot.

So I started telling my story. And I realized that I needed an antagonist. Crafting an antagonist was a lot harder than I anticipated—especially when I had no clue who the antagonist was supposed to be.

And I think that’s the only way I could make it work. I wrote the first draft without an antagonist. It was only when I went back for edit that I created a villain. Which is why I like them so much. They’re people, flawed and manipulative and not always nice. They do things that make me and Sabah want to hit them. But they are human. With flaws and twisted motivations, and emotions that I care about.

All the best villains (and mine do not rank in this list) are multifaceted. Yes—they’re bad. But they need to be defined by something, the thing that drives them and all of their bad decisions.

If you can do that—well, hell. You might just have your hands on the next Voldermort.

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Author Bio: 

Nazarea Andrews is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. She loves chocolate and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids. She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, and overgrown dog. Her first book, Edge of the Falls, is available March 12.

Edge of the Falls synopsis:

Sabah always knew where she belonged—with Berg—and what was expected of her—to care for the other children the Mistress took in.

But when a ban-wolf saves her life, things begin to change.

Arjun isn’t like the other ban-wolves, the savage creatures that are barely human. He’s gentle and furious and as Sabah spends time with him, she can’t seem to get him out of her mind. But in a world of darkness, control, and danger, is there a place for two outcasts?

A romantic retelling of Beauty and the Beast in a dark dystopia.

Thanks so much Nazarea. Now this post brings to mind a question. Who is your favorite villain to love, uh, hate, oh, you know what I mean lol!! Comment below and you're entered in a giveaway to receive an ebook copy of Edge of the Falls. So I'm dying to know: Who? and Why?