Lisa Kessler: The Art of Villainy

Hi everyone!

I’m excited to be visiting today!

I’m Lisa Kessler, and I love a good villain.  I’m also a huge Disney fan. The Evil Queen has always been my favorite Disney villain. If you think about the movie, Snow White, there would be no story without the Queen and her twisted relationship with the magic mirror. Another element that endears her to me is that moment when she realizes the Huntsman has failed to follow her orders, and she is willing to do the dirty work herself.

A good villain becomes the hero of their own story.

Another favorite around my house is Jareth, the Goblin King from Labyrinth. Although he’s kidnapped the heroine’s baby brother, placed her in a magical maze, and often cheats in order to slow her down, you’re drawn to him because he’s going after what he believes is right.  The heroine asked for the goblins to take her baby brother away. It wasn’t his fault she changed her mind… Or that’s what Jareth believes.

I enjoy writing villains too because it’s almost like staring into a mirror and seeing the book from a completely different, backwards angle. The villain believes in his cause, regardless of the cost.

In my Night Series, I pride myself on villains that push the heroes to the edge until it looks like the bad guys might win. I enjoy seeing how the conflict changes our hero by the end of a book.

So do you have any favorite villains in books or movies? I’d love to hear from you!

One commenter will win a free eBook copy of Night Thief! J

Night Walker – Book 1 of the Night Series

He gave up his soul for a second chance to love her...

Two and a half centuries ago, Calisto Terana lost everything when a zealous priest murdered the woman he loved. Now, desperate for another chance to love her, he wants redemption for the mistake that cost her life.

She's haunted by dreams of her own death...

After catching her fiance with another woman, Kate Bradley returns to San Diego to clear her head. The last thing she needs is romance, but after meeting Calisto she's drawn to him in ways she doesn't understand.

They've waited in the shadows for centuries...

Calisto has no doubt Kate is the reincarnation of his lost love, but the Fraternidad Del Fuego Santo has a new watcher with dark ambitions of his own. As old enemies reemerge and a new threat arises, the betrayal that enslaved Calisto to the night might destroy the only woman he's ever loved again. 

Night Thief – A Night Series Novella

After the fall of the Mayan civilization, Kane, an immortal Night Walker, has taken refuge in France for over 800 years. The modern world holds little interest for him until the night he meets the Golden Thief and is robbed of much more than his pocket watch.

Marguerite Rousseau is living a double life. By day she is the assistant to an eccentric French artist, Antoine Berjon, and by night she dons elegant evening gowns to woo French dignitaries before lifting their wallets.

Sparks ignite when Kane captures the thief, but Marguerite harbors a dark secret that could ruin them both.