by Jean Joachim
Evil villains add depth to romance. I have a few romances with evil villains. My baddest bad guy, Rex Vesson, grew up deprived. He was born into a household with two big sisters who both hated him. Their father deserted the family when Rex was born and they blamed him.
A skinny kid, Rex was knocked around continually until he went into the military. He worked out, built his body up and learned how to defend himself. From there he launched a career as a blackmailer, working as a bouncer in a nightclub. When he picked the wrong people to threaten, he was forced to flee for his life. Rex moved in with his cousin, Alan, in small town, Willow Falls.
In Willow Falls, Rex was sniffing around, looking to start up another blackmailing business. He zeroed in on his cousin as having something to hide. Before pursuing Alan’s secret, he hooked up with Deena, a topless dancer. Though Rex’s heart had hardened over the years, Deena wormed her way into his psyche. They were a couple, working together at The Wet Tee Shirt, making love and blackmailing Willow Falls folks.
Life gets complicated when Rex goes for a big score against my hero, Mac Caldwell through his young son, Jason. A nicely oiled blackmail machine pops a spring and spins out of control as jealousy coupled with fear crowd out affection in Rex’s heart. Deena has to go. Rex easily slips into more serious crime, then cover-up, framing my hero in Now and Forever 3, Blind Love.
While I was writing Rex, I developed a grudging respect for his wily ways. But when it came time for him to get caught, he refused! Damn, outright refusal! For several chapters he managed to slip under the radar of the police as well as sharp-eyed Callie, my heroine, Mac’s wife. I got pretty frustrated not to mention a little scared a character I created could take on such a potent, evil life of his own, preventing me from bringing him to justice. It was more than a little weird!
It turned out the only person sharp enough to bring down Rex, was Rex himself! Yes, I let him get caught in one of his own traps. What was Alan up to? You’re simply going to have to read the book to find out and to discover how Rex brought himself down. Evil must be avenged!
Can a handsome, charming, womanizing professor win the heart of a temporarily blind ballerina? Love comes to the university as Peter Caldwell, dashing Art History professor and accomplished pianist meets Lara Stewart, ballerina. Peter can’t seduce with her with his devastating good looks because Lara can’t see. Obsessed with the one woman he can’t have, Peter has to learn how to love.
Sam Caldwell joins Peter, Mac, Callie and his grandchildren. Witty and attractive, Sam isn’t looking for a woman but finds love isn’t only for the young but the young at heart as well.
Small town secrets feed a blackmailer and blackmail on campus is paid with sexual favors. Blind Love is a roller coaster ride of twists and turns. This full length novel is three parts love and passion mixed with one part intrigue, stirred up with a twist of mystery and heated up to three flames.
Jean Joachim is an author, married, a mother of two boys and owner of a rescued pug named Homer. She writes contemporary romance and has twelve contemporary romance books published with one more scheduled to be release within the coming months. Jean has been writing non-fiction for over twenty years and fiction for three. Her review column, "Movie Choices for Kids" has been syndicated on parenting newspapers websites for the past 12 years. A native New Yorker, she still lives in New York City.
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He definitely was a scary badass villain.
ReplyDeleteYes, he was, Lindsay.
DeleteI love the complex villains - the ones who cause you to feel that unwelcome twinge of pity, just before they prove themselves the blackest of hearts!
ReplyDeleteMe, too, Lise. I try to make all my bad guys complex. Makes them more real and gives the story more depth.
ReplyDelete