Clink Street Spring Reads 2018: Lee Cockburn and Creating a Sinister Villain

Clink Street Spring Reads 2018 has arrived at Novel Kicks and I am pleased to be welcoming the author of Devil’s Demise, Lee Cockburn to the blog. Lee, how do you create a sinister villain? 

In everyone’s mind, there are ideas of what a villain should be, so it is a very individual thing, each to their own, as to what would make a realistic and frightening bad guy so to speak, they come in all shapes and sizes, many blending in unnoticed in society, living along side us.

My villain in Devil’s Demise is truly evil, filled with hate and anger with a genuine belief that these feelings truly lie at the feet of the women he now hates, which of course is absolutely not the case, and his failings and attitudes in life are his own doing and no-one else can be blamed.

What makes a villain sinister and frightening, is what he or she is capable of, the fear they install in others, the victim’s inability to defend themselves against them, or to get escape from them and all of these factors put together, set the scene for a terrifying situation, the one of desperation and helplessness, and true fear of the baddie!.

Eyes are very important, soulless eyes, eyes that show no emotion, no hint of remorse or willingness to listen or understanding the pleas of their victims, evil emotions fixed on their prey and totally focussed on what they intend on doing, leaving no chance for a change of heart, no human caring emotions, no conscience or remorse, just a broken mind, filled with hate and intent.

Throughout the novel I play on the readers fear too, they put themselves in the situation of futility, helplessness, and terror , one of sheer desperation and in their minds they too become truly frightened of the monster, the shape or vision they have created by themselves of villain’s appearance and genuinely fear this person.

The part of the villain is integral to the storyline, it’s like the core of an apple, it is central to the plot, everything else that is going on as the tale unfolds, the sinister villain is always there, lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike again. Even when the story moves on to other characters and their stories, they are sitting there in wait to catch the reader off guard, frighten them once again as you dare to relax a little, you can almost feel his stare upon you, as you look down at the pages, which was my intention, the bad guy in Devil’s Demise is the worst you could ever encounter. The first chapter is brutally graphic (too much so, which I now regret, too much detail in relation to the violence the main character suffers, but does survive, showing her strength and desire to live), and does not hide the sinister capabilities and hatred that this man is harbouring against innocent women and his demented and twisted desire to harm them.

There is the flip side to a scary villain, it is the strength of the people they are trying to harm, the first victim of Devil’s Demise comes so close to death, it is a miracle she is able to pull through, but she does. But the book is meant to be her story of survival, her ability to overcome this gruesome event, to grow again and not to be controlled by fear as he wanted, and for her to rise up again and defeat him once and for all. Of course there is the unfair physical attributes that give the villain the upper hand, but fear and determination not too be beaten are a force to be reckoned with, and when you corner your victim, they either succumb to their fate or fight with everything they have to survive, which is what happens in Devil’s Demise and she shows she is not willing to be controlled by fear of him forever.

In Porcelain Flesh of Innocents, the sequel to Devil‘s Demise, the villains are many, not because of their physical attributes but of what they do and their choice of victim, a story of retribution and that the perpetrator will forever look over their shoulders, as their past lives will catch up with them.

Both novels are hard-hitting with a sinister evil running through the artery of each book, the reader on the edge of their seat wanting good to succeed over bad, which unfortunately is not the case in every situation in life, but we can always hope and I hope the books address this.

About Devil’s Demise:

A cruel and sinister killer is targeting Edinburgh’s most powerful women, his twisted sense of superiority driving him to satisfy his depraved sexual appetite. He revels in the pain and suffering he inflicts on his unsuspecting victims but a twist of fate and an overwhelming will to survive by one victim ruins his plans for a reign of terror. His tormented prey will need all her courage if she is to survive the hunt.

View on Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Devils-Demise-Lee-Cockburn-ebook

About Lee Cockburn:

Lee Cockburn has worked for Police Scotland for sixteen years including as a police sergeant in Edinburgh for seven years and also as a public order officer. Before joining the force, she played for Scotland Women’s rugby team for fifteen years, earning over eighty caps for the Scottish ladies and British Lionesses teams. She also swam competitively for twelve years, successfully representing Edinburgh at the age of fifteen in the youth Olympics in Denmark in 1984. Lee lives in Edinburgh with her civil partner Emily and their two young sons Jamie and Harry. Her first book Devil’s Demise was published by Clink Street Publishing November 2014.

Follow Lee Cockburn on Twitter: https://twitter.com/lee_leecockburn

by

Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.