This week I have a guest blog for a change! This author was already a guest on Amberkatze's Book Blog back in May and came by for an interview. So this time I asked the author if he could write something special for us ;)
Thank you Justin Gustainis for coming back to visit us! I hope you all enjoy the guest blog!
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Evil Makes It Easy by Justin Gustainis
When you’re creating villains, the writing books say, you should make en effort to portray them as complex. Show that not all of their traits are reprehensible, and give them a motivation for their evil that makes sense – at least, to them. And that’s good advice, usually. I think what has made Hannibal Lecter such an intriguing figure is the contradictions in his character. Here’s this brilliant, educated, highly cultured man who is also a sadistic psychopath who, before his incarceration, had killed at least nine people and eaten parts of some of them. Hannibal the Cannibal, indeed.
But when you’re writing supernatural villains, the job is usually easier. With vampires, for instance, the motivation is easy – and I don’t mean just because they’re evil. The thing is, they’re predators, and we’re their pray. What they do to feed and survive seems evil to us, because humans are the ones they are doing it to. It’s all a question of perspective. Remember: Colonel Sanders is not a hero to chickens. Now, when I say vampires, of course, I’m referring to the traditional “I vant to dreenk your blood” types, not the tortured Byronic figures created by Ann Rice, who has a lot to answer for, in my opinion. These days, Ms. Rice writes religious books and has, apparently, found Jesus. Were that she had found Him thirty years ago – imagine what we would have been spared. Although she did used to write pretty good porn under a pen name. But I digress.
Monsters are cool, because we expect them to act like monsters. If a dude turns into a werewolf, we don’t expect him to get up on his hind legs and beg us for food. As with vampires, we are the food, Jack.Witches are a bit more complicated, because they’re not monsters, as such. They are people whose knowledge of the Craft gives them power, and power can be used for good or evil. The traditional view in Western Culture of witches as evil crones comes from the Middle Ages, especially the Catholic church, who were the first to connect in the public mind the practice of Earth Magic (not unlike what modern Wiccans do) with Satan. Keep in mind, that these women were healers, counselors, and priestesses, and hence the Church’s main competition. The Church tended to burn its competition at the stake, back in those days.
In my novel Black Magic Woman
, the title character is a practitioner of black magic who is carrying on a long-standing feud, and thus trying to destroy an innocent family. Her motivation, is, in a sense, loyalty –to her mother’s memory, and to the family tradition that says her family is at war with the other family, whether the other family knows it or not. On the other hand, my character Libby Chastain is a practitioner of white witchcraft. That doesn’t necessarily make her Glenda the Good Witch, but the White is a path Libby freely chose, and the magic she practices, by definition, cannot be used to hurt people – although, as some of Libby’s enemies have leaned, it doesn’t always keep bad people from hurting themselves.
But you know who are the easiest supernatural villains to write? Demons. Now I’m talking about the traditional, Judeo-Christian, pea-soup spitting, “Your mother folds laundry in Hell, Karras!” type of creature. I recognize that other writers have offered other conceptions of demons, and many of these are interesting and well done. But my demons hate humans and always have, because they thought that God’s creating us was a slap in the face to the angels. Well, pride goeth before a fall, and so, legend tells us, a bunch of the angels fell – a long, long way. And humans have been on their diabolical shit list ever since. Usually, tradition says, demons just try to tempt us into sin, but every once in a while one of the horny bastards get more ambitions (just ask any exorcist). The third Morris & Chastain novel, which I’m working on now, is called Sympathy for the Devil. In it, a major party’s presidential candidate is secretly possessed by a demon. The guy is, in effect, Hell’s candidate in the election, although the public doesn’t know. Why bother? Because if he wins, he can use the power of the Presidency to start world War III and destroy us all, a consummation that, in Hell, is devoutly to be wished.
Of course, this situation presents an interesting problem for Quincey and Libby, once they figure out what’s going on. How do you exorcise someone against his will, someone who happens to be under the protection of the U.S. Secret Service?
The first chapter of Sympathy for the Devil is included as a bonus at the end of Evil Ways
, which is just out. By the way, there’s a lot of witchcraft, both black and white, being used in the current book. Read it, why don’t you, and find out why.----------------------------
Contest TimeJustin is being very generous and has said he will send a a signed, inscribed copy of Evil Ways
to one lucky winner. So enter away to win a read you are not going to forget!To enter the contest let me know your new years resolutions! If you haven't got any then tell me ;) But nothing about resolutions = no entry! I am not one for the 'enter me' comments!
To earn yourself another entry you can post about this guest blog and contest somewhere on the web. Make sure you leave me a link so I can confirm your entry.
The contest will be open until Sunday 11th of January till 4pm CET. If you enter you should check back! I do not go hunting for winners, they should contact me. If the prize isn't claimed within 7 days I will pick a new winner.
Enjoy!
Labels: Author Guest Blog, Contests, Justin Gustainis
At 4 January 2009 at 11:36, 
shaunesay
Thanks for visiting us Justin! I would love to be entered for Evil Ways!
My New Year's Resolution, pretty much the same as every year, exercise more! The equipment is right there in my basement, and I usually read while walking on my treadmill, so it's a win/win situation! You'd think I'd be able to keep it up better!
Thanks again!
At 5 January 2009 at 05:03, Zita
My resolution is to finish my bathroom redecorating project. It's just scraping off the wallpaper and repainting, but, man! Can I make excuses not to keep on scraping! I swear they used superglue to put this stuff up! So I have resolved to finish my project before my birthday (Jan 28). Wish me luck!
At 5 January 2009 at 18:34, Leslie
Interesting guest post Justin. I like how the white witchcraft doesn't mean you're dealing with Glenda the Good Witch.
I made the usual excercise more and eat healthier resolutions that I make every year. But I also made a new resolution this year and that was to read one horror novel. Something really scary. I haven't read one since junior high and that was John Saul's Suffer the Children. Not even sure if that's considered horror but it scared me at the time.
At 6 January 2009 at 04:35, Kathy
This year, I need to get myself more organized. I need to do everything from clean out closets to deleting old files on the pc. I also need to start exercising. (Is cleaning out closets considered exercise?)
I posted the contest on my blog http://kathyschaos.blogspot.com/2009/01/contest-time-at-amberkatzes.html
Thanks - KathyB
At 6 January 2009 at 09:34, Nancy
Great post, Justin! Your insights into villains are right on!
My resolutions? The main one at the moment is to clean up the post-holiday chaos ... and find my water bill. I've paid it in person, but really want to know where the heck it has been hidden!
Amber, as always, thanks for a great guest!
Light,
Nancy Haddock
La Vida Vampire
Last Vampire Standing
At 7 January 2009 at 22:03, Unknown
i LOVED black magic woman!!!!!! and would love to wint this!
resolutions, to lose weight, whcih aint going to happen LOL
and DO more with my life, sp when i look back at it and i can proud say I DID ________ that! ive gotten steppen wolf whole band autogrpah (5yr ago), and leon russell (last yr)\\and all the old hippies said i never get those , HA
At 9 January 2009 at 21:13, Amy
I don't have New Year's resolutions in the traditional sense. At Solstice, a time when the darkest days are passing and there is increased light coming to Earth, I committed to let go of things that were getting in my way, keeping me from the things I deserve, and to continue to do what I need to in order to grow in wisdom and in my Craft.
At 9 January 2009 at 22:15, windycindy
Hello, To sum up my resolutions in one word is "relax!" I suffer from an anxiety disorder and I am hoping to conquer it! I also love to read and hope to focus on reading a lot of various genres of books this year!
Please enter me in your drawing. I appreciate it! Thanks, Cindi
jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com
At 10 January 2009 at 00:12, Wrighty
I'm not normally one to make resolutions but I have decided that I am going to get more organized and unload the extra "stuff" we all have laying around. I start doing it but don't seem to get far. This books sounds very good! Please include me. I've added it to my blog. Thanks!
www.wrightysreads.blogspot.com
5wrights1@verizon.net
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