Let's talk about villains

I can't tell you how excited I am to be among the Suspense Sisters! What a honor and blessing to be asked to join this group of fabulous Christian romantic suspense authors. Thank you, ladies, for having me. 

I don't know about you, but I love a complex villain. Oh, sure, the mustache-twirling, evil-to-the-core fellows are fun, but the multi-faceted kinds, the ones who know the difference between right and wrong and still somehow end up choosing wrong, fascinate me.

How does a person go from being a decent human being, perhaps even an upstanding member of society, to committing heinous crimes? I love trying to figure that out. I love coming up with curious backstories and twisted events that caused otherwise would-be heroes to turn dark. 

One of my favorite villains I ever wrote was named Julien Moreau. He was a normal kid who grew up in a seemingly normal family in France. Except where other kids' parents were schoolteachers and janitors and insurance agents, he was the son of an international arms dealer. 

When he was a child, there was an expectation that Julien and his brother would join the family business. Maybe "expectation" is the wrong word. As he explained in the story (Convenient Lies, book 1 in the Nutfield Saga) "One doesn’t walk away from my family." 

If he could have, he would have. Or so he claims. Though, when power and money are on the line, as Julien would say, "One doesn't know what one would do."

The thing about Julien--and about all complex villains--is that he's not all bad. He hurts when people harm him, he laughs. He loves. But when you come up against him, look out. Because he's as dangerous as a man can be. 

Who are some of your favorite fictional villains and why? Comment below for a chance to win a paperback copy of Convenient Lies, so you can learn more about Julien Moreau--and the hero and heroine--for yourself!