7/7/11

Villain 1 and Other Stuff

I had mentioned on an earlier blog that I had two villains in my book. The death of the first opens the door to the second. Cassia is my first. She starts off innocent enough, until I transform her into a self-centered, power-hungry, downright cruel bitch. Here is a brief piece of a conversation she has with Craven’s best friend after her betrayal.

*

“Damon, let’s be realistic. How could I possibly harm Craven? He has Pantheas, strength, thirty five years over me, and armies at his back. What do I possess that could inflict the least bit of damage upon your darling brother?”



“His heart,” was the simple answer.



She flinched. It was brief, barely noticeable. “That’s redundant. Things are already set in motion.”

*

I always hated Cassia too much to draw her.   She was everything a man like Craven could ever hope for.  You know the type they show on TV, the trophy wives with the fake lips, store-bought boobs, and the tiny tattoo of a devil with a pitchfork pointed at the crease of their ass.  (Okay, I made that last part up, but she does have a tattoo, and I always thought it'd be hilarious to have one like that.)  The point is that she was his dream woman.  He was blind, lovestruck, and she tried her best to ruin his life.  I was thrilled to kill her...so no pictures of her.


Instead, I will post a drawing of a more personal nature because the mention of the tattoo reminded me of  an old friend. 



This is Janine. She’s a friend from my past, the woman I spoke about that had the brain tumor when she was a child. It managed to disfigure half her body. She was always afraid of having me draw her.

“I’ll just look ugly,” she said.

“No you won’t,” I assured. “That’s not what I see when I look at you.”

She finally yielded. It was simple to make the necessary alterations so that both sides of her face matched. When I was done, she held the drawing up to her, eyes misting over.




“I’m beautiful,” she said, “but it’s not me.”

“Sure it is. Don’t argue with an artist. That’s the you that I see.”

We were friends for a long time, and yet we haven’t spoken in years. Maybe it was her outspoken envy of me, or the fact that after she downed half a bottle of tequila she tried to make a pass at me.

I remember running out of her apartment and making a long distance phone call to would-be hubby.

“She wanted you to do what?” he nearly shouted, then paused, voice softened. “Well, did you?”

The man had a one-track mind, still does.

That was about it for our friendship. Still, sometimes I miss her. It’s not everyday you make a friend that allows you complete honesty without judging. I don’t hold her audacity against her. Total acceptance can be irresistible, with or without tequila.

14 comments:

  1. Loved this post! So many things we write are really about ourselves and people we know or knew. Sometimes I wonder what's going on psychologiacally in my head.

    Anyway, I had a female friend do the same to me but it was over a cheeseburger and she was driving. So I was trapped and worried until she drove me home. Needless to say, I never went on a lunch or shopping date with her ever again.

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  2. @Shelly. I don't wonder about my head anymore. :)

    Now don't get me wrong. It wasn't so much worry or even shock at what she attempted to get me to do. I'm a free thinker. To me an expression of love is just that no matter what shape it takes. I can write a mean hot gay sex scene that'll make your jaw drop without batting an eyelash, but I like MEN. So yeah I got my butt out of there so fast I'm pretty sure I left my shadow behind.

    @L.G. Thanks for stopping by. Hey, I'm a bit of a romantic, but don't tell anybody. To me a book isn't complete unless there's a love interest. Craven and Theodora will have that and more, except that won't be her name, but that's left for another book.

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  3. Have you posted about Janine in the past? Poet wants to know.
    Seriously, though. I'm with Luanne here. I love the retort "His heart."
    Looking forward to following your story. Finish the darn book and I promise you a sale.

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  4. I've had two of my best friends leave me stranded like that. It's pretty devastating, even if you reunite, things are never the same.

    And as for villains, I think they work best when the reader can understand their motives, no matter how vile. They must have frailty, too. And there is a piece of the author in every villain.
    (I missed you while I was away on vacay!)

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  5. @Bryce. I posted about Janine in one of my funnly story posts. She was the New York girl that fell at McDonalds. As for the story, I would love to have you read it. I'm speeding ahead as fast as I can. I wish I could learn to blog on my phone so I don't have to wait till breaks and lunch to chat with you guys.

    @Nancy. Hey, there you are. I missed you too. I had no idea you were on vacation. Hope you went somewhere exciting. I agree there's a piece of the author in every villain...good God, I hope that doesn't make me a slut. I would rather relate to Theodora.

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  6. Great excerpt! I love the matter-of-fact answer. :)

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  7. Thanks golden eagle. I work really hard on my dialogue so that they sound real and not stupid. Glad you stopped by. :)

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  8. Laila, you're awesome. I hope you know that! :)
    Maybe with your friend, it was the tequila talking, after all, have you ever tried that stuff?? Wow! I love your picture of her and that you drew her as you see her. That's really thoughtful and genuine. Friends like that are hard to find.
    Your description of Cassia is hilarious. I am not a fan of women like that either. And I like the tattoo idea. haha! I always thought if I were going to get a tramp stamp, I would want it to say Professional Plumber. hehe!! :)

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  9. @Heather. That is so sweet. Thank you. You're awesome too. Yeah, I've tasted tequila..yuk. I'm a wine drinker. I haven't found another friend like her. Professional Plumber!! ...^-^... too funny. I don't have a single tattoo...I'd hate to not be able to change it often.

    @Carrie. Thanks Carrie, and I so appreciate you not blowing smoke up my ass. I love honesty.

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  10. Great post! I've had friends I was very close to where things kind of ended awkwardly, not because of them making a pass at me but because of jealousy. It's very sad.

    I really want to read your book.

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  11. @Out of My Mind. Thanks for passing through. :)

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  12. @Lisa. I almost missed you. :) Jealousy can be a very bad thing. This girl I posted about actually impersonated me and tried to chat with my hubby on line. The very smart man told me about it.

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