indieBRAG is pleased to welcome LUCINDA BRANT the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Georgian historical romances & mysteries
Would you please take your most notorious Antagonist and answer the questions below about him or her? This will be a lot of fun and give readers a sense of your character development of different types of personalities. As you know, readers love to read about Antagonist too!
- Antagonists name.
Diana St. John. The villainess in my novel Salt Bride: A Georgian Historical Romance
- What are two emotional traits your antagonist has?
Diana has few if any positive emotional traits. And those she does possess, such as self-determination and single-mindedness, she uses in an evil way.
- Does your antagonist feel victimized? How so?
Of course. Like all truly evil people, she has one perspective, her own. Anyone or anything that is counter to her point of view must be against her. She desperately wants to be Countess of Salt Hendon. She thinks she is in love with the Earl, and so when he marries another, she believes she is the injured party. Nor does she blame him. It is all the fault of his bride, Jane. And it is Jane she focuses on to have her revenge.
- What motivates him/her?
The need to be in control, not only of her environment, but of the people around her. Most particularly, to be a meaningful part of the Earl of Salt Hendon’s life.
- Who is your antagonists rival?
Jane, Countess of Salt Hendon, the Earl’s bride.
- How do you sympathize with him/her?
I don’t think there is a reader yet who has sympathized with Diana. Without giving the story away, she uses any means at her disposal to get what she wants, even her young children.
- How does he/she express themselves?
She is very intelligent, and she is also socially well-connected, and thus she treats those who are intellectually and socially inferior with contempt.
- What advice would you give a new writer in creating their Antagonist?
An antagonist needs to be more than a cardboard cut out. To give them dimensionality, give them flaws, let them show a range of emotions. And ensure the motivation for their actions is believable.
- Out of all the stories you have read, who is your favorite Antagonist?
Oh, that’s a difficult question! Iago, in Othello, the only three-dimensional character in that play!
Please visit Lucinda Brant and find more about her award winning books!
Oh, I agree! Edward Halsey, (Earl Delvin) comes in as a close second.
Love this book. I have reread 3 times over last couple of years. I wanted to cry with Jane, slap some sense into Salt and do bodily harm to Diana. One of my favorite series.
Yes! Delvin is a nasty piece of work, isn’t he, Franci? A sense of entitlement wrapped up in arrogant bitterness!
So glad you love Salt Bride, and thrilled you’ve re-read it three times!!!, Cindy 🙂 Readers tell me it gets better with each read, and possibly because we know Salt finally sees the light, he and Jane get their HEA, and Diana gets her comeuppance—almost. Well, she finally does in Salt Redux! 😉
TY both for stopping by and leaving comments. 🙂