Why I interview my villains before starting a book

Before starting a new book, one of the most enlightening and productive things I can do is sit down with my characters and talk to them, sort of like an interview. Believe it or not, Raine is not the first character that I talk to. I talk to my villains -- the established ones like Sarad Nukpana and Rudra Muralin, and the new ones from the next two books that I can't tell you about yet.

Why do I do this? A book's villain is the one who makes the trouble that Raine and my other main characters have to overcome and/or get themselves out of. So in my opinion, it's vital to understand what plots they've got brewing in their nefarious minds. I need to know their plots, plans, and manipulations before I type that first word on the screen.

And even more important, I must understand the "why" behind their actions. The best villains don't see what they're doing as evil -- to them it is necessary. A good example of this is the elven mage Carnades Silvanus. He doesn't see his actions as evil, or even as unreasonable. He views himself as the champion of the elven people, an unrecognized hero, and anyone who doesn't agree with his world view is against him and the "good" that he stands for. Carnades sees things in black and white (good & evil). As far as he's concerned, gray is the same thing as black. And after reading Armed & Magical, you all know how narrow and warped his world view is.

Important Safety Tip: Interview your villains one at a time -- they're notorious for not playing well with others. ; )

Coming up this week: I finished organizing my notes for Bewitched & Betrayed -- whew! And I'll tell you who are the easiest (and most fun) characters for me to write.

Lisa