Villains with Ann Voss Peterson

There comes a time, I guess, when all authors must join the world of the blog...

I'm Ann Voss Peterson. I write romantic thrillers for Harlequin Intrigue, both legal and otherwise. My upcoming Intrigue, an intense and edgy thriller entitled Marital Privilege, will be in stores in October. Check out an excerpt at annvosspeterson.com. I also enjoy dabbling in a little paranormal in the 3-in-one Intrigues and upcoming series I'm writing with Rebecca York and Patricia Rosemoor. Thanks for setting up the blog, Patricia!

I find myself fascinated with the villains in my stories. Maybe that's an indication that I'm a little warped, or maybe it's a healthy outlet for the dark, twisted part of my personality (healthier than actually committing those atrocities). But I love the way a strong, complex villain pushes the hero and heroine to heights they wouldn't achieve on their own. So much so, that I am now writing a three-book series revisiting the villain from my 2002 Harlequin Intrigue, Accessory To Marriage. Serial killer Dryden Kane is in prison, but that didn't stop him from haunting me until I continued his story. The books will be in stores next summer (June, July and August, 2006). The titles aren't official yet, but I'll definitely let you know when they are!

The other reason I've been thinking about villains is my recent viewing of Revenge of the Sith. It was a little disturbing to realize how satisfying I found Anakin's slide into darkness. But then Shakespeare's tragedies were always my favorites, too.

Don't get me wrong. I love stories with happy endings. I write stories with happy endings--for the hero and heroine. But there's something about seeing the story through the villain's eyes (which would make it a tragedy, of course) that gives me a vicarious thrill.

So that brings me to my topic. I'm curious about other people's thoughts about villains. What kinds of villains do you like? What do you think a great villain brings to a story? Do you love to hate villains? Who are some of your favorite fictional villains?

-Ann
Ann Voss Peterson