Writing Villains.

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There are groups of villains in Here Comes The Son, my urban fantasy. I tried quite hard to ensure none of them came off as caricatures of a baddie. Voldemort comes to mind when I think of over the top villains.

For me, some of the most fascinating baddies, are ones who righteously believe in their actions. They don’t see themselves as bad or evil. They wholeheartedly think they’re doing the right thing.

The *insert spoiler* were fun to write. They genuinely believe they’re doing God’s work in their own twisted way. They’ve separated from others to follow their own path.

And gone horribly wrong as a result.

They believe their motivation is correct.

For me, motivation is both fascinating and essential. Why is the villain doing what they’re….doing? I don’t know if other authors are as interested in it. I am.

Backstory I think goes hand in hand with motivation. One leads into the other. Some characters personal histories never make it onto the page, but having that in my mind helps me tell their side of the story.

And I’m also always fascinated when others pick up on those little hints in a story.

Writing is Hard.

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The alternate title to this post would be: Five ways Here Comes The Son surprised me while writing it.

‘Writing is hard’ is accurate as fuck, though.

1. Level of Difficulty.

Of all the novels I’ve written, Here Comes The Son, is at the top of the list for being the most difficult. I struggled. My publisher had to push my editing deadline multiple times. I hit writer’s block for the first time, really, in my writing career. I loved the story, the characters, the city…everything, but I still had to fight for each word.

2. Side Characters.

I hadn’t actually intended the cast of characters in the story to become so large and varied.

3. The Bad Peeps.

*spoilers*

4. Research.

I’ve done a lot of varied and interest researching for my books. Here Comes The Son probably stretched my googling skills to the max.

5. The Ending.

This actually coincides with the first on this list. The ending changed a bit over the course of writing the novel. In fact, at one point, I almost gave up on trying to put it together.

I’m glad I didn’t.

I adore Iggy and Lalo.

And their story.

Your Mother Smelled of Elderberry.

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I thought it might be fun to share a few of the TV shows/movies that have inspired various stories I’ve written.

1. Lucifer – Here Comes The Son

2. Father Brown (and like ten other cosy mystery type TV shows) – Grasmere Cottage Mystery Trilogy

3. Antique’s Roadshow – After the Scrum

4. NCIS – The Lion Tamer

5. Forged in Fire – Forged in Flood

6. The Great British Bake Off – The Royal Marine

7. Strike Back – Ivy

8. Monty Python – The Wanderer

9. Travel Shows – Pure Dumb Luck

10. Strike Back & The Unit – The Botanist

Red Flags.

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Relationship red flags have always been a hard one for me to spot. As an autistic, I have frequently struggled to get a good read on people. The older I get, the better at it. I become through a very painful process of trial and error.

I thought I’d share some of my hard-earned lessons with you.

Anyone who gets enjoyment out of your embarrassment or humiliation. Nope. Big red flag for me, particularly when it’s clear that you aren’t laughing along.
They try to separate you from your friends/family. Anyone trying to isolate you is a big massive RED flag. Run, don’t walk.
Physical or verbal intimidation. If they rely on scaring you or intimidating you into doing what they want, another warning sign. Don’t pass go, don’t collect $200.00, just go.
Lies. Everyone tells little white lies, but if you’re with someone who lies about the big things all the time. Nope. Sorry. Not a good sign.
Immaturity. Now, I don’t mind moments of childish enjoyment and silliness. But if someone is emotionally immature, it can be a red flag.

They are so many more. These are just ones I have personal experience with. It goes without saying if a partner is physically, verbally, emotionally, or in any other way abusive. That’s more than a red flag.

A Desk By Any Other Name

I’ve wanted to do a post like this for a while. It’s just a silly post about the contents of my desk drawer (and nightstand.)

So, this is my desk drawer. It’s mostly organized. I clean it out every couple of months because it starts to irritate me.

Nothing earth-shattering. Two little baskets with post-notes, ink refills, and stapler refills, even though I never use my stapler.

Stapler. (Anyone else say that in the same voice as the guy from Office Space? Just me?)

Stamps, international and regular. They’re covering up address labels and a checkbook because…no one needs that information.

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Now, technically, this isn’t my desk drawer. This is my nightstrand drawer but most of the things on the right should be in my desk drawer. I often write/work in bed so I keep some of my supplies in my nightstand.

The silver case has some of my pens (Should I do a blog post about my massive pen collection?) The blue folder has post-notes and a notepad. It’s from Cocoa Daisy. Then there’s a collection of drawing/sketch pads, a postcard notebook, and other random nonsense.

Oh! And there’s a sewing kit I’ve owned for twenty years and NEVER USED ONCE.

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This inspired a vlog for my patrons so if you’re interested check that out here:

My Patreon

So, what’s in your desk drawer?

Judge a Book By Its Cover

Just a fun post this week with a few of my favourite book covers from 2019 thus far. I couldn’t include all the ones I loved and there is no particular order here.

Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck & Fortune by Roselle Lim

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The Bride Test by Helen Hoang (A fellow Autistic, yay!)

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Once Ghosted, Twice Shy by Alyssa Cole

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The Candle And The Flame by Nafiza Azad

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Broken Bone China by Laura Childs

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Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

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A Divided Mind by M. Billiter

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Zed by MV Ellis

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There have been so many beautiful and/or interesting book covers this year. What have been some of your favourites?

An Open Letter To Myself

….well, a letter to twenty-year-old me.

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Dear Self,

First, you’re going to be okay. Divorce is scary, but it’s not the end of the world.

Second, you’re autistic. I know you think you have some terminal illness because you get so tired after being around people. It’s okay. You’re autistic. And you’re going to be so relieved when you find out.

Third, you will fall in love again.

Fourth, the divorce was about him…not you. He’s been divorced three more times since you.

Fifth, you’re brilliant. And you can write. You just have to believe enough in yourself to try.

Now, stop crying into the ice cream.

He’s not worth it.

You’re going to be fine.

Love,