Stella writes…

Dear Michelle.

I've written to you before, asking you whether there will be a tv show or not, but now I wanna ask you about something else. This may be an odd question, but I'm curious: Who would you say is the most well-written villain you've made?

Personally, I find the main villain from Gods and Warriors very well-written. I don't write his name since these comments are official and I don't wanna spoil anything for those who want to read that series but haven't had time to do so.

I love that we got to follow him sometimes and get a little understanding for how he became the way he became. Still, you made it impossible to root for him due to his despicable qualities. It takes a very talented author to do that. I wonder if there are any other villain you've made who you think you wrote really well and why? Don't be modest. Just be honest.

Dear Stella, what a great question – and thank you for avoiding spoilers about Gods and Warriors!  I’m rather proud of the Soul-Eaters in the Wolf Brother books, although I’m not naming names for obvious reasons; but perhaps top of my list would be the father in Wakenhyrst.  I think that’s because in a book of that length, I had a chance to get under his skin and show in some depth what made him the way he is.  I should add that in general, I enjoy creating unpleasant characters.  It can be strangely liberating to explore all sorts of unlikeable traits and take them to extremes, albeit on the (relative) safety of the page.  Thanks for getting in touch again.  Best wishes, Michelle