|
Amy Kathleen Ryan | A Villain to Love
βWriters must be fair and remember even bad guys (most of them, anyway) see
themselves as goodβthey are the heroes of their own lives.β βStephen King, ON
WRITING
When I wrote The Sky Chasers, the scenes I really enjoyed, the scenes I
could hardly WAIT to write, always had my villain in them. Anne Mather is a
plump, middle aged woman with a grandmotherly bun of silver hair and kind gray
eyes. She smells like coconut cream, her cheeks glow with pinkish wholesomeness,
and sheβs evil to the core. As Captain of the New Horizon, a farming vessel on
its way to colonize a distant planet, Anne Mather ambushes her ally ship and
kidnaps all the girls, including my heroine Waverly Marshall. Itβs up to Waverly
to find a way back to her home ship a million miles away, and itβs Anne Matherβs
job to make her doubt every move she makes.
In order to write Anne Mather, whom USA Today praised as, βa female
antagonist on par with the literary likes ofβ¦ Dolores Umbridge,β (Can you tell
Iβm proud to have my villain compared to one of J.K. Rowlingβs?) I had to
imagine someone committing a really horrible act with the conviction that it was
the right thing to do. I made this choice as a writer because the quote above
from Stephen King strikes me as absolutely correct. Nobody wants to see himself
as bad, least of all Anne Mather who is the religious leader of her ship as well
as the captain. Before the night of the attack that orphans dozes of children, I
imagine her praying on it, and really believing that she gets the go-ahead from God.
Some people might be uncomfortable with my making such a terrible villain a
religious leader, and I donβt blame them. It is awful to think of a pious woman
making morally reprehensible choices, but I did this for a reason: Surely Pope
Gregory IX, the architect of the Spanish Inquisition, prayed about his deeds
which resulted in the murders of thousands, perhaps millions of Jews, Moslems,
and Christian protestants, all in the name of God. John Hathorne, one of the
judges during the Salem witch trials in Massachusetts that culminated in the
deaths of twenty innocent people, probably prayed during the night before he
condemned his victims to death. And most recently, members of the Westboro
Baptist Church have picketed the funerals of our servicemen because they object
to allowing gays in the military, so somehow that makes it okay to scream at a
fallen heroβs mom on the absolute worst day of her life. As difficult it is to
imagine, all these horrible people probably believed that God had given them the
go-ahead for their heinous crimes, too.
Does this mean religion and evil go hand in hand? Certainly not. Mahatma Gandhi,
Martin Luther King Jr, and Reverend Desmond Tutu were all devoted religious men,
heroes who defended ideas of non-violence and loving acceptance. So why do some
people get it so awfully, horribly wrong? How can followers of Jesus, who told
us to βturn the other cheek,β warp this idea of tolerance into a justification
for burning people at the stake? Why do so many of Jesusβ followers, a pacifist
himself, use his words to justify violence? It boggles my mind, and for that
reason, I wanted to find out for myself by inhabiting the mind of a religious
villain.
What I came up with feels right to me, and it can be summed up by Lord Actonβs
observation: βPower tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.β A
lot of religious leaders believe they are following the path God has set out for
them. What if God leads them to a position of power? Doesnβt that mean God
thinks youβre the best person for the job? This representative of God is
suddenly beyond reproach because since God is perfect, his Chosen Leader must be
perfect, too. That vital mechanism inside everyoneβs brain that questions
our leadership gets turned off. If people really believe God has anointed their
leader, if they feel wronged by their enemies, if they think they have no
choice, they really might follow their prophet right off a cliff.
But this kind of fervor doesnβt last forever. Anne Mather gets her comeuppance,
and eventually must face up to the fact that she doesnβt always get it right.
She makes mistakes like the rest of us, and some of her mistakes have horrifying
consequences.
I didnβt write The Sky Chasers with a view to redeem Anne Mather. I donβt
think she really deserves redemption. But I did want to make her human. I wanted
her to be plausible, just like any of my other characters. And because Iβm maybe
a little wicked myself, I wanted my reader to have some moments of sympathy for
Anne Mather. I wanted to encourage the reader to read closely, pay attention,
and tease out Matherβs contradictions, because thatβs what we all should be
doing, all the time, lest we follow our own leaders over the edge of a cliff.
Itβs happened before, after all. It could happen again.
Comment below for your chance to win a hard-cover copy of FLAME, the third and final
book in the Sky Chasers series!
Five winners will be selected; US & Canada addresses only.
Comments
16 comments posted.
Re: Amy Kathleen Ryan | A Villain to Love
Your posting really moved me, and made me stop and think. I
am looking forward to reading your book so much, and am
saving it for my Fall reading, on my TBR list, should I be
so fortunate as to read it. The reason why is because this
is a book that should be slowly read and savored. You have
put a message in the book, and want the reader to think
while they are reading. I plan on taking my time, and not
breezing through the book, even though this isn't my normal
genre. You caught my attention with your posting, and
definately caught my attention with this book!!
Congratulations!!
(Peggy Roberson 11:50am August 1, 2014)
Some of the world's most terrible villians were religious leaders. Jim Jones immediately comes to mind. There have been quite a few cult leaders that have lead their followers to a very bad end.
(Sandy Fielder 3:58pm August 1, 2014)
goody looks contest
(Kent Cook 4:45pm August 1, 2014)
It's about power and sex. Everyone is trying to buy their way to Heaven. A Cult Leader gives the desperate and hopeless what they want and need to hear and it is a great factor of maintaining control over the masses.
(Kai Wong 12:07pm August 2, 2014)
Sounds like a book you wouldn't want to put down until you've read the last page
(Mary Smith 6:57am August 2, 2014)
The exceprt seems very interesting that now I would have to
find the series to read
(Toni Whitmire 1:43pm August 2, 2014)
Always looking for a different type of book to read and venture from the world of Louie Lamore for a change
(John Zeiger 3:31pm August 2, 2014)
excellent series! the books kinda "haunted" me for a while--nice treat when so many books leave me when i finish them. thanks!
(Barbara Bradley 7:29pm August 2, 2014)
Oooo I love me a good villain! Esp one referenced against the evil Dolores
Umbridge!!
(Josie Ikeda 9:54pm August 2, 2014)
I HATED Delores Umbridge. She was so certain she was right.
That is truly the scariest of villains. I'll be interested to
see what you do with it. :-)
(Marcia Berbeza 1:43am August 3, 2014)
This sounds like a book I'd love to read! Thanks for a great giveaway!!
(Bonnie Capuano 9:34am August 3, 2014)
It sounds like some great book. I like how you described your villain. It sounds interest and a lot of fun to read.
(Larena Hubble 8:18pm August 3, 2014)
When your book gets turned into a movie I'd love to be an extra. Villian or not.
(Deborah Stackpole 8:37pm August 3, 2014)
This book sounds really interesting! I will have to put it on my 'to be read' list!
(Joanne Schultz 9:12pm August 3, 2014)
Loved reading more about Anne Mather! It's really interesting
to see a little background on how the character was created :)
(Ashley Ferguson 1:11pm August 4, 2014)
Looks like a riveting book. I like reading when characters
have flaws and ways they overcome or make amends with others
they have offended intentionally or not.
(Alyson Widen 3:49pm August 10, 2014)
Registered users may leave comments.
Log in or register now!
| 
© 2003-2026