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Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Revenge. It Sounds Good.


Have you ever had someone dump you?  And when that person dumped you, did you plot the many ways you would get even?  Boy, I have.  Years ago, there was one “guy” in particular.  Another word comes to mind, but you know...  Anyway, he told me I was special.  He said all kinds of flattering, sweet things to me, but he didn’t mean a single word he said. As it turned out, he was a Lying Sack of Trash.  When his coldhearted dumping of me was fresh in my heart, I spent hours—hours!—plotting my revenge in my head.  Because I am generally a polite girl, I started in polite girl mode, in which, in my fantasy, I told him off in front of a large group of people.  But that gave me no satisfaction whatsoever, so I moved onto mean girl mode and began to think of things that would make him uncomfortable.  Like brownies doctored with laxatives, or sand in the gas tank.  But those ideas only made me thirst for more, so I began to fantasize about the full-bore, kick-to-the-curb, stiletto-to-the-neck, make-him-beg-for-me revenge.

That was fun.

Unfortunately, in real life, revenge always sounds better than it actually is.  If I had done any of those things, I probably would have been charged with some form of domestic violence, or worse, gotten myself hurt.  In The Revenge of Lord Eberlin, a young man (Eberlin) returns to the town where his father died for revenge.  It’s sort of a twist on Wuthering Heights—he’s made himself a rich man, and he lives, breathes, and eats his desire for revenge.  He holds one person responsible—the girl who placed her father at the scene of the crime for which he hanged.  But that girl, Lily, is now a woman, and she’s alluring in a way he didn’t expect.  Eberlin tells Lily that he wants revenge, and he will have it by destroying her livelihood or taking her virtue—her choice. 

What a great revenge fantasy!  But of course it doesn’t go down like that.  First, Lily is not a shrinking violet.  And it’s far more complicated than Eberlin ever dreamed.  There are plenty of unanswered questions, and well, the woman he means to ruin becomes the woman he can’t live without.

I guess in a way Eberlin ultimately gets his revenge, but it’s not as good as the revenge fantasy.  It never is. 

Have you ever had a revenge fantasy?  Have you ever sought revenge, or do you know anyone who has gone for it?  I read an article years ago about some women who didn’t have the “this isn’t practical” filter and went for it. 

Look for The Revenge of Lord Eberlin, on sale today!  I am offering three lucky commenters signed copies of the first book in the Secrets of Hadley Green series, The Year of Living Scandalously.  And look for the third book, The Seduction of Lady X, in stores March 27. 

19 comments:

Debby said...

I have never sought revenge. I figure it is their loss.
debby236 at gmail dot com

Kathleen O said...

I do have one of those, If I ever run into him again fantasies and what i would do...But what I would have done, would never happen. So I just let it die.

petite said...

I have definitely had revenge fantasy but did not let it go further than that. As you mentioned who knows what would happen if we allowed it.

CrystalGB said...

Hi Julia. Congratulations on your new book. Sounds good. I have had a revenge fantasy but have never carried it out.

Lil said...

I have never carried out a revenge fantasy. To a large extent I believe in Kharma. Have not met anyone who has carried out a revenge fantasy. But have known misbehavior from jerks to have it come back and bite them.

little lamb lst at yahoo dot com

Na said...

A revenge fantasy sounds like a great way to deal when you've been wrongly dumped. Fortunately I've never had to put one to use and the best revenge I can think of is indifference :) Fantasy-wise it would be fun to see the man grovel, regret and tear up. Hah!

Cambonified(at)yahoo(dot)com

Unknown said...

I generally believe in Kharma, too, but sometimes kharma just doesn't work fast enough, you know? Na, you are right. Indifference, living well...all great revenge tactics. But somehow not quite as satisfying as the fantasy. haha

Unknown said...

Oh Good Lord. I have commented here a couple of times today and just realized I wasn't intereing the security code OR signing my name. "unknown blogger" is me, Julia London. Sorry, gang!

Maureen said...

There have been times I have thought about revenge but I figure when you put all your energy into such a negative thing it can't be any good for you. Congratulations on your new book!
mce1011 AT aol DOT com

Jane said...

I think it's natural to want to seek revenge against those who wronged us, but I've done it. I agree with Lil about karma and figure the bad guys will get what they deserve.

ev said...

Way back when I was young and not so smart, I got po'd at a guy (rightfully so, he was cheating on me) and thought about a way to get even. Since the statute of limitations has long since expired, I will finally admit, that yes, Barry, that was me that dropped the transmission on your Camero.

Di said...

Yes - an obnoxious boss who was a bully - but didn't really do anything about him - just tried to stay away from anything he was involved with.

Michele L. said...

I sure have had a revenge fantasy but only called and complained about her transgressions. It was this girl who kept stealing from a company and got people fired where I used to work. She was so brazen about it that she told me what she did! She eventually got fired after many of us girls called up the corporate office and complained about her.

Well, you know what this girl did? She went to work for her church after she was fired and she stole money from her church! It was in the paper that the church had a warrant out for her arrest. She wound up turning herself in and served time in jail and then was sentenced to community duty. Last I heard she was working at a pizza joint. I sure hope they aren't letting her work the cash register!

Mary Preston said...

I've never had a revenge fantasy. I tend to deal with things & then move on.

Eli Yanti said...

i dont have a revenge fantasy but my friend have it alhough is only a joke, she always said that if you dont like that person, kill them and buired in back office, lol

Pat Cochran said...

Back in high school, my first boyfriend
royally dumped me. He was on the football
team and I was on the drill team. He drove
me home from the game one Friday night and
by Monday he was with another girl. One
who was more "accommodating," shall we
say. I was too hurt and wanted nothing
more to do with him. My time was too
precious to waste on how to punish him!

Margay Leah Justice said...

I am so excited about this series! It's on my to read list.

Dina said...

nope have not seeked revenge, figured not worth it

host said...

I did fantasise a lot about it but in the end I did nothing - several times in my life lol :)
It seems that I am not such a revengeful person when I cool down.