Good vs. Evil

Do you believe people can change? Can a person who seems shallow, judgmental, and sometimes mean push those negative traits away to bring out a sweeter spirit?

Redemption. Paying the price for bad acts. Forgiveness. Is it easy to forgive someone who has done terrible things? Not at all. But what if they’re sincere in the changes they make? Does that change things? Maybe.

Everyone has been wronged by someone else at some point in their life. On the flip side of that, everyone has done something to hurt someone else. So, we’re all victims and we’re all villains, though that sounds a little harsher than it should.

Okay, maybe I don’t need to dig too deeply into the good vs. evil thing as it relates to real life. But what about in fiction, specifically romance?

Have you read stories with heroines or heroes you love to hate? Probably. Most stories would be pretty boring if the characters were perfect in every way. I have to admit that a snobby heroine who gets her comeuppance is fun for me. I love to read stories where a character gets what they deserve, especially if it happens in a creative or funny way. And writing about this sort of girl, well that can be pure joy!

When I picture the villain, sometimes he looks a little like this:

It's obvious and a little fun to have a villain where you can see his or her motives. You can see the fall coming, even if the bad guy doesn't - and of course, they never do. 

But what about the less obvious villain? The one who goes back and forth or seems sweet and lovely until you're shown her black heart. Those villains often look something like this:

 

I love a story where the heroine has deep character flaws. If there’s a glimmer of goodness in her somewhere, there’s hope she can turn things around. Whether the transformation is gradual where she doesn’t even realize she’s changing or fast due to some incident, it’s fulfilling to witness the change. It restores faith in people. It brings a smile.

When I was deciding on the story line for my last Cutter’s Creek book, I knew I had to find true love for Mary Pershing. I don’t think she really deserved to find someone to put up with her attitude, but I knew it could be a fun story. I honestly struggled with whether to actually write the story that was in my head. I wasn’t sure the girl was redeemable and in my head I saw the scheming villain with the curled mustache. Then I remembered that everyone is redeemable – if they choose to be.

So, I took the challenge and Mary’s story made it through. She got worse before she got better. She allowed herself to be influenced by flash and affluence. She scoffed at a man she deemed unworthy of her attention when he was simply trying to get to know her. She was unlikable until she started to see the truth about life and herself. And it turns out that people are happy this story made it out of the darkness!

If you like a flawed heroine, then Mary Pershing will be right up your alley. If you like transformation and happy endings, then you’ll enjoy the latest Cutter’s Creek story – A Pure Heart.

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Annie Boone writes sweet western historical romance with a happy ending guaranteed in every single story. Inspiration comes in many forms and Annie finds more than one way to make her stories entertain and inspire.

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