Monday, March 4, 2013

Melissa Foster's Here! Hurrah! Hurrah! Fun! A Sale! A Game! March 5-7!


Traces of Kara
is an action-packed, pulse-pounding psychological thriller/suspense
novel that features a determined killer who slowly loses his grip on
reality as his carefully detailed plan starts to fall apart and a
heroine determined to move forward with her life, who now
must reconcile everything she believed to be true about her
family with the reality of their tragic past.
~~~






Let’s Play Villain

 by Melissa Foster



How fun would it be to throw caution to the wind and do all the naughty things you have only thought about or worried over? Wouldn’t it be fun to tell off those that anger you without any need for restraint? How about pummeling the bullies who are bothering your kids? Bank robbery could be fun for some. Or maybe you want to dress the part, too. Throw on leather and chains and pull up on your Harley, smokin’ a doobie and drunk off your butt? To each his own, right? Obviously we cannot go around doing all of those things…but our fictional villains can. And where are villains born? In our clever little minds. So, let’s play villain.

Whatever your pleasure, don’t fret over being a hated villain, try being an empathetic villain! Maybe you’re misunderstood and you’ve gone over to the rough side of town because of that. When I create villains, I always give them some redeemable qualities. I like to be conflicted over my hatred of their evil doings. How about you?

Readers are so precious to writers, because you are the ones we try to entice, excite, and surprise.  Your enjoyment is a writer’s motivation and inspiration. So share your fave villains with us! Who did you love to hate? Who could you simply not get past?

Here’s a fun (and weird) game for you to take away with you. Find a close friend and play VILLAIN. No, don’t go out and rob banks or pummel people in real life, but come up with who your villain might be, what they might look like, then combine them with your friend’s villain and see what you come out with. I think you’ll be surprised at how complex a villain can be, and brainstorming with friends only makes the villain more interesting.

My villain in TRACES OF KARA was derived from many sources and conversations with friends and readers—and I adore him.

Ready to play? Ready? Set? Go!

Melissa


Melissa Foster is the award-winning author of  three International bestselling novels. Her books have been recommended by USA Today's book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the Women’s Nest, a social and support community for women, the World Literary CafĂ©. When she's not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on Fostering Success. Melissa has been published in Calgary’s Child Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Women Business Owners magazine.  Melissa also hosts an annual Aspiring Authors contest for children and has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC.




A Book Readers Heaven Challenge!
March 5-7

Here's your challenge... 
Name four of the above villains on comments!
Or, Better Yet
Name a villain and describe why she or he's your favorite Villain!

Guest Blogger will choose TWO winners--that's Melissa Foster!

Prize: Choose two ebooks named above and BRH and Melissa Foster will buy them from Amazon and have your selection (if you are chosen as the winner) delivered to you! Must do During the Limited Time!
Comment on BRH Blog, with contact info, of Course!
~~~


8 comments:

  1. Thank you for hosting today, Glenda! Villains are so fun to conjure up! I'm looking forward to the responses.
    Welcome readers!!

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  2. Can't wait to read this one, Melissa - you tell great stories!

    I loved Darth Vader as a little girl because he turned out to be a big old softie underneath the armor. I remember watching the last Star Wars and crying when he took his helmet off, not because I was scared of his scared head but because he was just a nice daddy. ;)

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    Replies
    1. Aw, that's so sweet, and if you're like me, I was lulled into his voice, too, because I WANTED to see who it came from!

      Thanks for stopping by, Jen!

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  3. Hi Melissa...your villain in Traces of Kara is very ~scary~ and very sad at the same time! I don't usually feel sorry for the bad guy, but......anyone who messes with Kara deserves what they get!!! :)

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    Replies
    1. Lol hi Pat! I love that loyalty to my characters. Thank you!

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  4. Pat F, You are sooo right...I think I would have remained sorry for him if he hadn't gotten soooooo scary! LOL

    But my vote doesn't count in the contest...

    Best,
    Glenda

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    Replies
    1. Oh Glenda, but your vote counts enormously as a reader! I visited the power plant when I was researching the book, and it was so scary that I honestly kept thinking, "They could kill me here...or here...or here...and no one would ever know."

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