The Good, The Bad, and The Bulletproof
While writing my latest
novel, HEART OF STONE, I took a good, long look at the hero/villain
relationship. One cannot exist without the other. Agonists need good
antagonists (or should I say bad antagonists)
to balance them. Stories need their tension to make them interesting. But I
believe that the line between agonist/antagonist is as thin as the forward
slash I used to separate the words. This belief was strengthened as I wrote
STONE. In creating this relationship for a novel, I learned that I needed to be
careful not to make the good guy too
good or make the bad guy too bad.
Oak East is the good guy in
the novel. The agonist. The hero. But he is far from being good. As a matter of
fact, he’s tragically flawed and he knows it. He’s a former drug dealer. An
ex-convict. And last but not least, a killer. Even though he believes that he
kills for the right reasons. Carlos “Cap” Morgan is the novel’s bad guy. Our
antagonist. Our villain. But as I wrote the novel, and got deeper into his
character, I found the guy engaging. Likeable, even. There are many funny
scenes where he has colorful dialogue that will make the reader crack up. And
even though he’s heinous, and just bad for no reason, he’s entertaining at
least. So you have to appreciate that about him.
I named the title of this
guest post The Good, The Bad, and The
Bulletproof because I wanted to briefly discuss the creation and dynamic of
good guys versus bad guys. So what’s up with The Bulletproof? That’s a bonus of sorts. As the book description
states, legend has it that the Deacons of Shalom Bethel
are bulletproof. So the novel gives readers much more than just hero versus
villain. There’s a bit of mystery as the reader gets to discover at the end if
the legend is true. Whether the Deacons of Shalom Bethel are really
bulletproof. What do you think?
Crime Fiction
Date Published: 7/4/2017
Are the deacons of Shalom Bethel invincible? Legend has it that in the 1940’s, they came out of a gunfight with holes in their clothes but not their skin. Bullets bounced off of them. They walked through buckshots like water. That story is passed down by every deacon. The legend of Stephen Stone. That legend is about to be tested.
On the heels of a nightclub triple murder, a mysterious blizzard hits Shalom, a city normally warm year round. The blizzard brings with it bitter memories and ghosts Deacon Oak East thought were long gone: his prior drug conviction, his on and off relationship with his wife, the gruesome murder of his father and the role he played in it. But it's not just the past that haunts him. In the present, a homicide detective wants him and the deacons for the nightclub murders. And a gangster named Cap Morgan wants revenge. The snow is falling. But soon, it will be raining bullets. Is the legend true? Are the deacons of Shalom Bethel bulletproof?
About the Author
James Fant is an award winning author who lives in Charleston, SC with his lovely wife and two hilarious children. He received a degree in biology from College of Charleston and a master’s in business administration from Charleston Southern University. His love for literature was forged by the works of Eric Jerome Dickey, Walter Mosley, and Stephen King. He also finds inspiration from screenwriters Shonda Rhimes, Aaron Sorkin and Kurt Sutter. Literarily, James has always been drawn to intelligent yet imperfect characters and he writes novels with them in mind.
Contact Links
Twitter: @jamesfantjr
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