If ever oh ever a villain there was…

By Dakota Rebel


I love villains. In movies, in books, on TV, I just adore them. Not only are they generally the hottest character, they usually have awesome accents too. Alan Rickman in Robin Hood, Alan Rickman in Die Hard, Alan Rickman in Harry Potter, Alan Rickman in…well everything. How can you not love him? YUM!

Writing villains however, this creates a bigger challenge. The majority of my books don’t actually have a villain. I had one in Sweet Dreams, Joaquin, and I am pretty proud of how he turned out. But for the most part the conflict in my books is not a person, but an event, or an action, or just between the heroes themselves.

I may love villains, but very rarely can I pull one off well. I much prefer to read villains in other people’s books. It keeps it fresh for me. Loving villains in other stories is easier because I don’t find myself wondering what I would have done differently. I can just kick back and enjoy the ride.

I suppose though that this isn’t what the Grip group had in mind when they invited me to post. Or maybe they did, I don’t know. So in an effort to save this post from absolute ruin here are my top three favorite things about villains:'

1. They don’t give a f@*k about anything but their goal. I like someone who is driven and strives for excellence.

2. As I mentioned earlier, they are almost always hot and usually have a great accent too. It is a great combination to have.

3. Sometimes they turn out to be not so bad. I really do enjoy a good twist in a book where the villain is villainy through the whole thing, but then you find out that they really aren’t that bad. When this is done well, it is a beautiful thing.

So there you have it, my favorite three things about villains. I’m sure you’re all just thrilled and awed by my amazing talent to fill up a blog post with random ramblings yes?

I would like to thank the Grip for inviting me back to post on the blog. It’s been a long time and I love what you’ve done with the place. It looks fabulous.

XoXoXo

Dakota Rebel

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Dakota lives in Detroit Michigan. She loves the city at night and the shopping during the day. She loves David Bowie and vampire movies, The Beatles and Dolly Parton. She is partial to pixie sticks and cannot stand nuts...in her food. She will always believe that pizza is the perfect food. She is as much in love with her partner as she is with herself. And she will be the first to tell you how incredibly witty she is. She doesn't believe in lipstick but won't leave the house without eyeliner. She is fiercely political and can often be found ranting around her house and the internet on any given topic. She still won't admit whether or not she really believes that vampires exist. And if you let her, she can convince you she doesn't know how to ride a bicycle.

For more information and links to her books visit her website at www.dakotarebel.com

Dakota also just started her own jewelry line, Rebel Jewelry, at www.dakotarebel.etsy.com.