Write Your Villains Like Heroes by Author Shawn Peters and The Unforgettable Logan Foster Giveaway

Happy Monday Everyone! Today I’m excited to have Shawn Peters back to share about his new MG, The Unforgettable Logan Foster and the Shadow of Doubt. I interviewed Shawn when his first book The Unforgettable Logan Foster, was released. His new book sounds even more action-packed than the first book, and I’m excited to read it.

Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:

Sometimes, it’s not so easy to tell the differences between good guys and the bad ones. Filled with superheroes, supervillains, and epic showdowns, The Unforgettable Logan Foster and the Shadow of Doubt is the thrilling second book in the acclaimed Logan Foster series from super-author Shawn Peters.

After using his photographic memory to defeat Necros and her minions, Logan has seen his life change completely. Now, the Multinational Authority for Superhuman Control (MASC) is keeping a close eye on everything he does in order to keep him out of Necros’s clutches.

But when Logan stumbles upon the fact that Necros was in the area on the very same day he became an orphan, he can’t help but wonder—is MASC hiding the truth about who his parents really are

When superheroes mysteriously start going missing, all signs point to the same supervillain who also may hold the clues to Logan’s past. Only Logan—along with his super-strong best friend, Elena, and their new bestie, Connie—can uncover the truth, find the missing superheroes, and stop Necros. Will Logan be able to save the day and uncover the truth about his birth parents before it’s too late It’s another action-packed Logan Foster adventure from super-author Shawn Peters.

Follower News

Before I get to Shawn's guest post, I have Follower News to share. Jean Davis has a new release,

Everyone Dies: A Collection of Dark Tales. Here's a blurb:  Otherworldly creatures, the not-so-dearly departed, fellow man, and creations of our own demise patiently wait while we bumble through life, thinking we are in control. The end is always near. And here are a few buy links: 

Amazon
B&N
Direct from the author

Write Your Villains Like Heroes by Shawn Peters

When you write about superheroes like I did in my debut series, THE UNFORGETTABLE LOGAN FOSTER and THE UNFORGETTABLE LOGAN FOSTER AND THE SHADOW OF DOUBT, everyone wants to know who your favorite superhero of all time is.

Well, I’m not going to tell you the answer to that question here – though it’s easily found online if you listen to certain interviews--  because I don’t want to talk about heroes. At least, I don’t want to talk about the characters who are seen as heroes by the reader.

Instead, let’s talk about villains, and how to create really interesting ones.

For the first couple of millennia of human storytelling, villains were just… evil. The Wicked Witch of the West was just green and mean. Sauron wanted absolute power over Middle Earth. Dracula had a thing for sucking on necks, Shere Khan wanted to eat Mowgli just to be cruel, and Iago simply wants to ruin Othello’s life. You can go all the way back to The Devil, whose only motivation in the Bible and dozens of books since then is the misery of mankind.

 

But in recent times, “bad guys” are having a moment, because the really interesting ones are no longer being written like villains. Instead, they’re written like heroes who have gotten something important wrong, and that’s far more intriguing. Or course, this concept of a fully realized villain isn’t truly new. I can even remember when I learned about that idea.

I was a junior at Santa Monica High School, I was a drama geek, and I had just been cast in my first “bad guy” role. Not the main villain, mind you, but a real jerk who hurt and lied to the woman who loved and supported him. And to be clear, I was NOT doing a good job playing him. So, I went to my director and mentor, Dr. Frank Ford (after whom I named the character Dr. Francis X. Chrysler in my debut) and I asked him how to play a bad guy. I’ll never forget his response. He said, “You’re not a bad guy. No one can play a bad guy. You’re the hero of your story, and no one else understands that.”

Wow. That’s some heavy meta-empathetic mind candy to lay on a 16-year-old kid who is still two years away from needing a shave. But that idea became a massive driver in my life, both on the page and off it. The concept that very few, if any people, see their own actions as truly evil is frightening and powerful. It doesn’t excuse their actions, of course, but it does create more depth of understanding that goes beyond simply dividing the world into dark and light, wrong and right.

So how do you build a great villain, especially in the middle grade literature space? You simply give them everything you give your heroes… and maybe a bit more.

• What is their origin story? Every hero has one—being bitten by a radioactive spider or being raised by awful parents who don’t recognize their daughter’s brilliance and abilities-- but then again, so should every villain. And that origin story isn’t just about how they gained powers or became special. It needs to be about what put them on a path to believing they were right and everyone else was wrong. It could be about how they were mistreated and decided to never be a victim again, or it might be about how they were tricked into doing something unforgivable and then realized they’d been manipulated. The point is, as an author, you have to know how things started for them, even if it’s not included in the book, or else you aren’t writing a character. You’re creating a caricature.
• What are their powers? There are all kinds of power; money, strength, cunning, persuasiveness, x-ray vision, stealth, perceptiveness and a thousand others. The thing is, power itself is neither good nor bad. Only the use of those powers can have that kind of judgment attached to it. So regardless of whether you’re writing a super-villain in a sci-fi adventure or a bullying antagonist in a contemporary novel, give your antagonist a specific skillset that they could have possibly used in kind, benevolent ways under other circumstances.
• What is their motivation? Even if a villain wants to destroy half the universe – see Thanos in the MCU—that isn’t their motivation. That’s the action they’re willing to achieve their goal. Their motivation is what they believe to be true. Thanos believed that overpopulation of the galaxy would lead to wars and tragedies that could eradicate all life if left unchecked. In Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, it turns out that Luke, a son of Mercury and ostensibly one of Percy’s friends, is actually trying to create war among the gods of Olympus so that Kronos can return. But Luke’s motivation isn’t any of that. He just wants revenge upon his neglectful father and feels powerless to get it any other way. And even in my debut, the nearly immortal Necros makes it clear that more than world domination, she wants to free superhumans from being controlled by MASC (the Multinational Authority for Superhuman Control). Why? Because they turned her into a villain because of her life-stealing powers. What does your villain want and why?
• What is their weakness? If Superman wasn’t weakened by Kryptonite, he’d be the least interesting hero ever created because he’d be boringly perfect. The same goes for your villains. They have to have a weakness, though it doesn’t need to be something magical or super-rare. Pride can be a weakness, allowing your villain to be distracted or even tricked. Distrust is always a strong weakness for a villain because if they are underhanded and dangerous, they likely assume everyone else is too. The key is to make sure their weakness is somehow attached to the origin and motivation.

It may seem formulaic, but like any other checklist, it’s just a framework to make sure you’ve done your “chores” along the way. Because if you can answer all those questions as an author, that’s when your villain stops being just a plot device created to give your hero something to do. Instead, they become the hero of their own story, and for the reader, things get a lot more interesting.

Shawn Peters has written professionally for television and advertising for more than two decades. His debut middle grade novel, “The Unforgettable Logan Foster,” was published by HarperCollins in January 2022. The highly anticipated sequel, “The Unforgettable Logan Foster and the Shadow of Doubt,” was released on January 3, 2023. Shawn is married to a super­hero public school teacher and is also a father of two kids who are now both too old for his books or his jokes. Basically, he’s a suburban-dad trope-fest. After years of coaching his kids’ teams and playing old-man softball, he now spends his spare time jogging slowly, comparing IPAs with other dads, and making ultra-nerdy Dungeons and Dragons puns. Follow him @shawntweeters on Twitter and IG, or check-in for upcoming events and school visits at www.ShawnPetersWrites.com

Giveaway Details

Shawn is generously offering a hardback of The Unforgettable Logan Foster or The Unforgettable Logan Foster and the Shadow of Doubt, winner’s choice, for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by February 25th. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog and/or follow me on Twitter or Shawn on his social media sites, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. This book giveaway is U.S. and Canada.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is hosted by Greg Pattridge. You can find the participating blogs on his blog.

Upcoming Interviews and Guest Posts

Thursday, February 16 I’m participating in the Wish Big Giveaway Hop

Monday, February 20 I have an agent spotlight interview with Lori Steel and a query critique giveaway

Wednesday, March 1 I have an interview with debut author Jenna Voris and a giveaway of her YA sci-fi Made of Stars and my IWSG Post

Thursday, March 2 I’m participating in the For the Love of Reading Giveaway Hop

Monday, March 6 I have an agent/author guest post by Lizz Nagle and J.A. Nielsen and a giveaway of J.A.’s YA fantasy The Claiming and a query critique giveaway by Lizz

Monday, March 13, I have an agent/author guest post by Sara Crow and Maria Jose Fitzgerald and a giveaway of Maria’s MG contemporary mystery Turtles of the Midnight Moon and a query critique giveaway by Sara

Monday, March 20 I have an agent spotlight interview with Kristen Terrette and a query critique giveaway

Hope to see you on Thursday!

 

 

Literary Agent Interview: Lori Steel Interview and Query Critique Giveaway

Today I’m thrilled to have agent Lori Steel here. She is a literary agent at Red Fox Literary.

Update on 7/6/2024: Lori has left Red Fox Literary to found SteelWorks Literary. She is currently closed to queries. Check the agency website to learn when she reopens to submissions.

NOTE: Lori is closed to queries but has created a special submission form on Query Tracker for Literary Rambles followers that will be open until August 2023. You can find the link in this interview.

Hi­ Lori! Thanks so much for joining us.

Thanks, Natalie. I’m delighted to be here!

About Lori:

1. Tell us how you became an agent, how long you’ve been one, and what you’ve been doing as an agent.

Like many things in the publishing industry, my path to agenting was one of time, patience, and hard work! My first career was as an educator and school librarian. After completing my MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program at Vermont College, my interests shifted from a solely craft/writing focus to a curiosity about other possible opportunities in the publishing. In 2012, I began the common practice of working behind the scenes to gain industry experience and build kidlit community relationships. I interned as a reader at a large agency and also worked as an Agent Assistant for Agents representing kidlit. I also taught writing classes as an adjunct professor, and was writing instructor at my local indie bookstore, Politics & Prose for seven years. Just after Jacqui Lipton founded Raven Quill Literary in winter 2019, I joined her team first as an Assistant before slowly taking on my own clients in spring 2020. When RQLA merged with Tobias in summer 2022, I joined the exceptional team at Red Fox Literary.

Early clients were predominantly picture book authors working in both fiction and nonfiction. My first deal (Jilanne Hoffmann’s nonfiction PB, The River of Dust illustrated by Eugenia Mello and publishing in summer 2023 with Chronicle) went to auction in summer 2020, which was certainly an exciting way to begin! Since then, I’ve signed middle grade and YA authors, both debut and award-winning, and talented illustrators. I now work full-time as a literary agent and love that each day is different, challenging, and inspiring.

About the Agency:

2. Share a bit about your agency and what it offers to its authors.

Red Fox Literary is a boutique agency that represents authors and illustrators for the children’s and YA markets. RFL was founded by Karen Grencik and Abigail Samoun in 2011, and now has eight agents working on both coasts, with foreign rights support from Rights People. Since its inception, the agency has built a reputation that includes not only an incredible list of authors and illustrators, but a collaborative, collegial, and knowledgeable team of agents. I feel incredibly fortunate to have joined the Den, as we affectionally call it.

What She’s Looking For:

3. What age groups do you represent—picture books, MG, and/or YA? What genres do you represent and what are you looking for in submissions for these genres?

I represent projects across audiences and forms—fiction and nonfiction picture books through Young Adult—as well as illustrators. I tend to lean into the older end of the PB spectrum and younger YA with all in between. Having said that, I have broad tastes and enjoy graphic novels as much as narrative nonfiction picture books, and middle grade horror, so it’s more a matter of if the narrative voice captures me, and I have a clear vision of where it would fit in the marketplace.

4.  Is there anything you would be especially excited to seeing in the genres you are interested in?

Honestly, anything unexpected that compels me to turn the page! I always have an eye out for manuscripts that approach story in unique or unexpected ways, will contribute to the kidlit cannon, and, most importantly, capture young readers.

What She Isn’t Looking For:

5. What types of submissions are you not interested in?

Hard sci-fi (think space or tech), YA horror (I represent MG horror), expository nonfiction, potty/slapstick humor, gratuitous violence, self-harm, and eating disorders are probably not great fits for me.

My MSWL page has more details about what I’m looking for and is updated regularly.

Agent Philosophy:

6. What is your philosophy as an agent both in terms of the authors you want to work with and the books you want to represent?

I’m looking for authors and illustrators who seek to create meaningful, sustaining stories that never talk down to their audience. As a former school librarian and educator, I have seen firsthand that books can change lives, and their impact in providing safe spaces to explore, understand, and challenge. I seek projects that have the potential to become classics in the future, not necessarily the next NYT bestseller (although, of course, it’s great when both happen!). Curious creators who explore, play, tinker, and challenge themselves to experiment with difficult topics, structures, and forms. Essentially, I’m looking for creatives who are responsive to feedback, actively engage in learning more about the industry as a business, and who approach their work with the philosophy that the endgame isn’t always publication, but the craft itself.

Editorial Agent:

7. Are you an editorial agent? If so, what is your process like when you’re working with your authors before submitting to editors?

I do consider myself an editorial agent. I work with clients to develop new work, and to revise and edit projects in preparation for submitting their work to editors. However, I often hear confusion around what to expect from editorial agents. For me, any feedback I provide should not take the place of trusted critique partners, sensitivity readers, or craft instructors in the drafting and revision stages. Instead, this process begins when clients feel that they are close to submission-ready and send to their agents to evaluate their projects for both craft and industry readiness. Authors just starting out will get more of this guidance, while more experienced authors with established editor relationships may not need as much editorial work before submission. When searching for an agent, it’s a good idea to ask what kind of editorial work they provide, if any, before making representation decisions.

Query Methods and Submission Guidelines: (Always verify before submitting)

8. How should authors query you and what do you want to see with the query letter?

Authors should query me through my Query Manager page found here. At the moment, I’m closed to unsolicited submissions, but Literary Rambles readers can submit using the link below until August 6, 2023.

9.  Do you have any specific dislikes in query letters or the first pages submitted to you?

If queries are not personalized, it may give the impression that the author is simultaneously submitting to a large group of agents without taking the time to research a strong match for their project and career goals. Tailor submissions and query letters to specific agents for a more professional impression. Also, please don’t undermine your hard work—pointing out that you’re inexperienced, a debut author, don’t really have any qualifications is not necessary! Let your query and manuscript speak for themselves and highlight the positive! Likewise, reconsider going overboard and naming yourself the next NYT bestselling author.

Response Time:

10. What’s your response time to queries and requests for more pages of a manuscript?

My aim is to respond to queries within two months, but I’m a percolator. I tend to spend more time with pages that interest me. Chances are, if I have a project for an extended amount of time, I’m seriously considering it. For instance, QM stats for the past year show that my average pass time is 28 days, but my average full request is 71 days. I always put client work first and I admit to being a slow reader! So, while I respond to all queries, requested full novels or multiple picture book projects can take a bit of time to complete, especially during busy seasons.

Self-Published and Small Press Authors:

11.  Are you open to representing authors who have self-published or been published by smaller presses? What advice do you have for them if they want to try to find an agent to represent them?

Absolutely! Some authors start by self-publishing, then grow their audience, develop craft, and/or want to explore the traditional market. However, once a book is published, agents cannot market the project for First Rights, so it’s unlikely to garner interest with unknown writers in this way.

12. With all the changes in publishing—self-publishing, hybrid authors, more small publishers—do you see the role of agents changing at all? Why?

I don’t think so. Literary Agents focus on the trade industry, not self-published or hybrid titles. Small publishers are doing exciting things and we work with many of them! Additionally, small publishers are more likely to be open to unsolicited submissions and unrepresented authors, providing more potential avenues to pursue a book deal outside of traditional publishing.

Clients:

13. Who are some of the authors you represent?

I represent both up-and-coming debut authors such as Nydia Armendia-Sáchez, Jilanne Hoffmann, and Anita Yasuda, alongside award-winning authors such as Colleen Paeff (The Great Stink) and Laura Shovan (A Place at the Table). You can find more about my clients at RedFoxLiterary.com.

Interviews and Guest Posts:

14. Please share the links to any interviews, guest posts, and podcasts you think would be helpful to writers interested in querying you.

Lori's website

Vermont College of Fine Arts Alumunx Interview

What Was on Her…interview with author Sandra Nickel

Café Chat with Eastern Penn PA/SCBWI and Jennie Krumrine

Update on 10/30/2024:

Interview at From the Mixed-Up Files (10/2024)

Links and Contact Info:

15. Please share how writers should contact you to submit a query and your links on the Web.

I am currently closed to queries, but Literary Rambles readers can query me on this special event link until August 6, 2023. I am most active on Insta at @bookishsteelfox and Twitter @bookishsort.

Additional Advice:

16. Is there any other advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors that we haven’t covered?

Remember that a persistent writer becomes a published author. Publishing is a long-game business. If you work on your craft, build community, and consistently create, you’ll find the right publishing path. And when you do, I will be cheering you on!

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Lori.

­Lori is generously offering a query critique to one lucky winner. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment through February 18th. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. If you do not want to enter the contest, that's okay. Just let me know in the comments.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. This is an international giveaway.

Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or e-mail me at natalieiaguirre7@gmail.com

Note: These agent profiles and interviews presently focus on agents who accept children's fiction. Please take the time to verify anything you might use here before querying an agent. The information found here is subject to change.

 

 

February Favorites Giveaway Hop-Book of Your Choice or Amazon Gift Card

 

Happy Thursday Everyone! Today I'm thrilled to be participating in the February Favorites Giveaway Hop hosted by The Mommy Island and The Kids Did It. I hope you're having a good winter. We're having a surprisingly mild winter in Ann Arbor. It's usually bitter cold and snowy in January and  February. This year it's been in the 30s and raining instead of snowing. I've been enjoying taking my dog out for walks. 

She turned 10 in January and is now older than me.

Book of Your Choice or Amazon Gift Card

Here are the newly released MG and YA books I'm offering in this giveaway hop. You can also choose another book in the series by these authors. You can find descriptions of these books on Goodreads. Here are your choices:

If you haven't found a book you want, you can win a $10 Amazon Gift Card.

Giveaway Details

 One lucky entrant selected by the entry form will receive a book of their choice listed above or a $10 Amazon Gift Card. Open to entrants internationally as long as Book Depository ships to you for free, 13 years and older. Open for entry from 2/02 – 2/23/2023 at 11:59 pm EST. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. The selected winner will have 48 hours to respond to the notification email to claim this prize or a new winner will be selected.

Please note that you must be a blog follower and leave a blog comment to enter the contest. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Upcoming Interviews and Guest Posts

Monday, February 6 I have an agent spotlight interview with Lori Steel and a query critique giveaway

Monday, February 13 I have a guest post by Shawn Peters and a giveaway of book 1 or book 2 in his The Unforgettable Logan Foster series

Thursday, February 16 I’m participating in the Wish Big Giveaway Hop

Monday, February 20 I have an agent spotlight interview with Lori Steel and a query critique giveaway

Wednesday, March 1 I have an interview with debut author Jenna Voris and a giveaway of her YA sci-fi Made of Stars and my IWSG Post

Thursday, March 2 I’m participating in the For the Love of Reading Giveaway Hop

Monday, March 6 I have an agent/author guest post by Lizz Nagle and J.A. Nielsen and a giveaway of J.A.’s YA fantasy The Claiming and a query critique giveaway by Lizz

Hope to see you on Monday!

And here are all the other blogs participating in this blog hop:

Writing Flawed Characters by Agent/Author Claire Friedman and M.K. Lobb and Seven Faceless Saints Giveaway and IWSG Post

Happy Wednesday Everyone! Today I’m excited to have debut author M.K. Lobb and her agent Claire Friedman here to share about M.K.’s debut YA fantasy Seven Faceless Saints. I’m excited to read it because it sounds like a fascinating world and there’s a murder mystery to solve.

Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:

In the city of Ombrazia, saints and their disciples rule with terrifying and unjust power, playing favorites while the unfavored struggle to survive.

After her father’s murder at the hands of the Ombrazian military, Rossana Lacertosa is willing to do whatever it takes to dismantle the corrupt system—tapping into her powers as a disciple of Patience, joining the rebellion, and facing the boy who broke her heart. As the youngest captain in the history of Palazzo security, Damian Venturi is expected to be ruthless and strong, and to serve the saints with unquestioning devotion. But three years spent fighting in a never-ending war have left him with deeper scars than he wants to admit… and a fear of confronting the girl he left behind.

Now a murderer stalks Ombrazia’s citizens. As the body count climbs, the Palazzo is all too happy to look the other way—that is, until a disciple becomes the newest victim. With every lead turning into a dead end, Damian and Roz must team up to find the killer, even if it means digging up buried emotions. As they dive into the underbelly of Ombrazia, the pair will discover something more sinister—and far less holy. With darkness closing in and time running out, will they be able to save the city from an evil so powerful that it threatens to destroy everything in its path?

Discover what’s lurking in the shadows in this dark fantasy debut with a murder-mystery twist, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Kerri Maniscalco.

 

Before I get to M.K. and Claire’s guest post I have my IWSG Post.

Posting: The first Wednesday is officially Insecure Writer's Support Group Day.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

The awesome co-hosts this month are: Jacqui Murray, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Pat Garcia, and Gwen Gardner!

Optional Question: If you are an Indie author, do you make your own covers or purchase them? If you publish trad, how much input do you have about what goes on your cover?

I'll skip the optional question because I have no experience with covers yet. Here's a progress report on what I'm working on. First, I'm updating all my agent spotlights about every three years, which means that they are being updated this year. I've already completed 67 of 200+ agent spotlights and agent spotlight interviews.

I'm also working on my revisions to the manuscript I just completed. I'm working on chapters 17 and 19 now. There are 46 chapters, so I'm making good progress. I edit heavily as I submit my chapters to my critique group and after I get their feedback. I'm finding that this is making my revisions go much faster.

What about you? What's your experience with covers? 

Writing Flawed Characters by M.K. Lobb and Claire Friedman

M.K. Lobb: I feel like if there’s one thing I know for sure about Claire, it’s that she’s always down for me to write a book with a character who’s just an absolute mess. Or, in the case of Seven Faceless Saints, two of them! Of course, every well-written character needs to have some type of flaw in order to come across as realistic and relatable, but I really like to take things to the next level. Is this something you specifically look for when you’re reading queries, or are you just drawn to these characters?

Claire Friedman: To quote Marie Kondo, “I love mess!” And of course, nobody writes a morally questionable, endlessly fascinating disaster like M.K. At the end of the day, perfect characters are boring! It’s the flaws (whether big or small) that keep things interesting. I do have a bit of a darker side when it comes to my taste – I get tons of flak for consistently suggesting horror movies for family movie night – but I always look for the same complexity of character (or “flaws”) whether I’m reading a dark fantasy or a romantic comedy. Bring on the messiness!

MKL: You know I can definitely do that! In Seven Faceless Saints, Damian is the leader of the city’s security force. He is quite literally working for the story’s main oppressors. Add the fact that he murdered a bunch of people during his time at war, accidentally got his best friend killed, let Roz think he was dead for three years, and has a list of daddy issues a mile long… Yeah, he’s got a few issues. That said, Roz tends to be pointed to as the more “unlikeable” one because she’s angry, blunt, and determined to take charge. I think that when it comes to messy characters, people are more forgiving of actions than behaviours. Actions can be explained and understood, while behaviours are hard to get around, especially when you’re in a character’s head.

CF: Interesting! I don’t think I’ve ever drawn the behavior vs. action comparison before, but it’s certainly an intriguing one. I wonder if readers are more willing to forgive Damian because we relate to his internal monologue and understand his tortured relationship with his past – whereas Roz is less apologetic and has more of a “take me or leave me” attitude. That said, I do also see a certain amount of sexism at play here. Male characters seem to get away with murder (sometimes literally!), while female characters can’t step a toe out of line without being labelled as “unlikable.” Personally, I love an “unlikable” character, so I’m #TeamRoz all the way!

MKL: It’s funny you say that—I often wonder what would happen if the roles in my book were switched, since people seem to judge female characters more harshly. Would Roz be considered weak where Damian is a “soft boy?” Would Damian be seen as your attractive, morally grey love interest where Roz is overbearing and aggravating? It’s interesting to think about. It does feel like there’s still more room for male characters to be flawed on an inherent level.

CF: I would absolutely agree. “Relatable,” seems to be publishing’s latest code word for “likable” – ex. Roz is a complicated character, and is therefore “unrelatable.” It’s ridiculous! I’ve never had an editor tell me a male character is “unrelatable” – but it happens all the time with my female ones. I think editors and readers are starting to push back against these expectations, but it’s still a topic that’s very much in conversation.

MKL: You know, when it comes to relatability, I wonder if making a character too relatable can be a negative thing. I’ve heard it said that most people don’t like to see their own flaws reflected back at them. I honestly don’t know if that’s true or not—I tend to love characters who remind me of myself, even if it’s in a negative way! There’s something about seeing people with similar flaws go through trials and come out on top (assuming the book doesn’t end miserably). Do you find the same? Or do you prefer to follow characters who are totally different from you?

CF: As someone who has no flaws, this is a hard one for me to answer – but I’ll do my best. Honestly, I’m not sure I favor either direction! It’s always fun to recognize yourself on the page, but I also tend to read for escapism. While I don’t actively choose books based on my own personality, I will say that I’ve read books that have changed my outlook on certain behaviors. I’m quite stubborn – which is a good trait for an agent and a bad trait for most other social situations! – and after reading BOOK LOVERS, I immediately called my partner to apologize for being such a steamroller. Growth!

MKL: Ha, I related to the main character in that book so much as well! In the same vein, I feel like there’s a trend of readers being interested in more “unlikeable” or morally grey characters. Obviously I’m on board, but I feel like the messier a character is, the trickier they are to write. You have to balance all those flaws with some key elements that still make people want to root for them. For me, this means 1) giving them a motive readers can understand, 2) showing they’re capable of forming meaningful connections, and 3) shedding light on their moral framework. For example, your character might know full well that what they’re doing is wrong, but what they’re hoping to gain is more important. Can the reader emphasize, even if they disagree with the action/behaviour? That’s what you’re hoping to build. Of course, it’s also reality that nothing is going to be for everyone! Do you have any go-to suggestions when it comes to character work like this?

CF: This is such good advice for building a morally grey character! I completely agree – the idea is to balance the good with the bad. There’s a famous screenwriting book called SAVE THE CAT that (to massively paraphrase) suggests you have your hero “save the cat” to win the audience over. The same principle goes for “unlikable” characters. What’s their cat? What keeps the reader invested, even when the character is at their worst? Where’s the humanity behind their actions? And most importantly: what makes them fun to read?

Thanks for sharing all your advice, M.K. and Claire! You can find M.K. at:

Twitter

Instagram

Tiktok

Website

Buy Links

Giveaway Details

M.K. is generously offering an ARC of Seven Faceless Saints for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by February 18th. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog and/or follow me on Twitter or M.K. on her social media sites, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. This book giveaway is U.S. and Canada.

Upcoming Interviews and Guest Posts

Tomorrow, February 2 I’m participating in the February Favorites Giveaway Hop

Monday, February 6 I have an agent spotlight interview with Lori Steel and a query critique giveaway

Monday, February 13 I have a guest post by Shawn Peters and a giveaway of book 1 or book 2 in his The Unforgettable Logan Foster series

Thursday, February 16 I’m participating in the Wish Big Giveaway Hop

Monday, February 20 I have an agent spotlight interview with Lori Steel and a query critique giveaway

Wednesday, March 1 I have an interview with debut author Jenna Voris and a giveaway of her YA sci-fi Made of Stars and my IWSG Post

Thursday, March 2 I’m participating in the For the Love of Reading Giveaway Hop

Monday, March 6 I have an agent/author guest post by Lizz Nagle and J.A. Nielsen and a giveaway of J.A.’s YA fantasy The Claiming and a query critique giveaway by Lizz

Hope to see you tomorrow!