Monday, March 28, 2011

The Fine Lines Between Good and Evil

Posted by: J.K. Coi
My name is J.K. Coi and I’m a paranormal/fantasy/horror addict. I don’t think it’s a big surprise or anything, but since this is my first post here on the HBM blog, I thought I should make it clear where I’m coming from.

I started writing way back when. It was something I’d always loved to do for fun, and I'm not even sure I remember how it became more than that, but now I’ve written paranormal romance for almost four years. My first heroes were human (at least at one time) turned immortal warriors who took on big bad demons to keep all hell from breaking loose—literally...but in some of my next books, the demons weren’t necessarily the bad guys anymore. After a while, the “good” and “evil” ceased to be so cut and dried.

The more I write the more complicated my characters become. Which is great, it means I continue to grow as a writer, and I love that. I think it's important for every writer.

It can also create problems for my plots.

When a character has a choice, that choice is much easier to make if one’s conscience is clear, if there aren’t opposing forces pulling him or her in different directions. But when those lines are blurred, when good and evil mix and no one’s sure which one will be stronger...things get murky.

That’s the dichotomy faced by the hero of my upcoming Carina Press release, FALLING HARD. Gabriel is a hard-core rocker who’s led a life of drugs and booze and bad choices. When he finally gets himself cleaned up, he’s determined to make up for all the damage he’s caused…only to discover that he shares his soul with Lucifer, the devil, who is slowly but surely claiming more and more of that soul. Now it seems that any attempt to do good would only be a waste of whatever time Gabriel has left, and normally he wouldn’t even have bothered, but you see, there’s this girl...

Of course, there’s more to it than that, and over the next few months leading up to FALLING HARD’S release date this July, I’ll be sure to give you a few more peeks into the world of my warring angels, including an introduction to Amelia, the glowing white angel warrior who is determined to prevent Lucifer from claiming Gabriel’s soul and bringing war to her people once again.

What draws you to the paranormal end of the reading (or writing) spectrum? Is it the characters, the settings, the twist and tug between good and evil? All of the above?

J.K. Coi

8 comments:

  1. For me it's all of the above. Paranormal is the ultimate "what if..?".

    FALLING HARD sounds like a great read!

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  2. Thanks David! I agree completely. With para/UF/SF/F--there are no limits to what you can imagine!

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  3. For me it's the settings. I love going on a journey into different worlds. "Falling Hard" sounds great. I already love Gabriel.

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  4. That's right, Janni! It's so much fun to leave the everyday behind for a little while and get drawn into a completely different place.

    And Gabriel...wow, Gabriel. Just sayin' :)

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  5. Yeah, I'd have to say all of the above! Like David said, the "what ifs" really hook me. The possibilities, otherworld realities, sentient beings with abilities we can only imagine . . . It's ultimate entertainment for people with over-active imaginations. Of course, without a great plot and compelling characters, all that would fall flat. Yep. I vote for all the above. Thanks, J.K.

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  6. Yep. All of the above. Love that you can come up with crazy worlds and characters but at the end of the day they face the same challenges we do--finding love, doing the right thing, not compromising integrity. All that stuff that makes a vampire, werewolf or possessed ex-rocker relatable. Gabriel sounds like a great character.

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  7. Great post, J.K. I'm all about delving into another world. Sometimes it's nice to leave the rules we know behind. And I love that picture! Good and evil are always so closely tied; I don't think we realize that. Without one, you can't have the other.

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  8. New in this, I like the character of Gabriel sharing His soul with the Devil. but just for a thought, can't the Devil have a heart, he wont always cause the evil, of course when Gabriel becomes fully dedicated (selling his soul to Lucifer). It's a good book. I personally think it should be more than a fantasy. In real life we know of instances where a person gives a soul to the Evil one because of reasons.

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