Guest Post: "Romancing the Supervillain" by Cari Z (WHERE THERE'S FIRE)

WHERE THERE'S FIRE , my new supervillain story in the Panopolis series, has everything you’d expect in, well, a supervillain story. There are evil plots, threats of violence, uncontrolled super powers, actual violence, and plenty of explosions, just to get you started. Right, good, okay. Sounds like a thriller!

Ah, no. Not completely. WHERE THERE'S FIRE  is certainly thrilling, and has a science fiction edge that makes all things possible, but the heart of the story is about two men in love, and the extremes they’re willing to go to in order to keep their love alive. Which, let me tell you, isn’t the easiest thing to put down on the page. I mean, who is the first person who comes to mind when I say “literary romance hero?” It’s Mr. Darcy, isn’t it? Raise your hands if it’s Mr. Darcy! It’s okay—no one is immune to the glory that is Colin Firth.

Whether or not you thought of our dear Fitzwilliam, I doubt that villainous is the first descriptor that pops into your mind when you think of them. Romantic obviously has the top slot, followed by proud, maybe, or perhaps rakish! Not necessarily likeable at the beginning, but certainly a decent human being. Not a villain, oh no, what? Yeah, I hear you. It’s a perspective I understand, but it’s also one I’ve discarded in this story. I think that falling in love can happen to someone even in difficult circumstances, and for a person who might be used to coldness or cruelty, that love can be even more profound.

I’m not setting love up to be a reason to turn bad guys good, though. I think it’s safe to say that Edward Dinges, nouveau Villain and lover to the Mad Bombardier, does plenty of villainous things in WHERE THERE'S FIRE. Some actions he’s provoked into, some he brings on himself, but regardless of why he ends up doing them, he commits to them wholeheartedly. His love hangs in the balance, and love is impossible to reason with. Will Edward feel bad later? Definitely, if he survives. But at least he’ll be alive, and able to feel remorse and love and wickedness and all the things that make life worth living.

Sounds pretty romantic to me.

By the way, one of my favorite literary romances of all time? Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling. Just saying.

About Cari Z

Cari Z was a bookworm as a child and remains one to this day. In an effort to combat her antisocial reading behavior, she did all sorts of crazy things, from competitive gymnastics to alligator wresting (who even knew that was legal!) to finally joining the Peace Corps, which promptly sent her and her husband to the wilds of West Africa, stuck them in a hut, and said, "See ya!" She also started writing, because some things she just thought she could do better. She's still climbing that ladder, but can't stop herself from writing, or from sharing what she creates.

Cari enjoys a wide range of literary genres, from the classics (get 'im, Ahab) to science fiction and fantasy of all types, to historical fiction and reference materials (no, seriously, there are so many great encyclopedias out there). She writes in a wide range of genres as well, but somehow 90% of what she produces ends up falling into the broad and exciting category of m/m erotica. There's a sprinkling of f/m and f/f and even m/f/m in her repertoire, but her true love is man love. And there's a lot of love to go around.

Website

About WHERE THERE'S FIRE

Making a name for myself as a Villain in Panopolis is hard work. Six months ago, my boyfriend broke me out of jail. Now he’s spending most of his time defending our turf against other Villains he accidentally freed along with me. And my new psychic powers are not only impossible to control, but they’re also giving me migraines.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. My skills are improving every day, and Raul —aka the Mad Bombardier —and I have never been happier. That is, until my first solo job is interrupted by a mysterious woman who tells me that Raul has been kidnapped by a ruthless new Villain. The only way to free him is to do a job for Maggot, a man with scary ideas and an even scarier superpower.

I can’t go to the cops or a Hero for help. Odds are they wouldn’t listen to me anyway. If I fail, Raul will be killed. If I succeed, we’ll both be bound to a man who’ll stop at nothing to put Panopolis on the path to civil war.

It looks like the only way to win is to take out the competition.