Between The Pages: Guest Post Jack on the Rocks by H.L. LeRoy

Title: Jack on the Rocks

Series: A LT. Jack Daniels Mystery (A loosely tied together series. But any of the stories can be read as a standalone.)

Genre: Thriller/Mystery

Publisher: Kindle Worlds (the World of J.A. Konrath)

Release Date: Dec 11, 2016

Edition/Formats Available In: eBook/Kindle ONLY

Blurb/Synopsis:

LIEUTENANT JACK DANIELS should have seen the avalanche of trouble headed her way but events had dulled her edge and crumbled her foundation of toughness. With the press and politicians all coming for her, Jack begins to question whether she is really a cold blooded murderer or simply losing her mind. Was it an officer involved shooting gone wrong? An honest mistake? Or, something much, much worse?

There's one thing for sure, it has turned the Chicago Police Department upside down, and Lieutenant Jack Daniels' life along with it.

Guest Post

How do you create villains? Is the bad guy truly evil from the beginning, and the reader knows it or is the bad guy slowly revealed throughout the book?

CREATING A VILLAIN

In general, the villains in my stories grow organically. I look for the best way for the antagonist to be a formidable obstacle to the protagonist. Sometimes that means the antagonist drives the story from the start and it’s obvious that he’s the villain. Other times, the villain is not so obvious. Problems for the hero pop up where they shouldn’t and are attributed to bad luck or coincidence. As the issues mount, the hero suddenly realizes that everything is too convenient and that someone is after them.

In Jack on the Rocks there are several villains. Some are known from the beginning, some arrive unexpectedly, and some are even unintentional villains believing they are the good guy. To begin with even Jack sees herself as, if not a villain, at least an unintentional evildoer. All of these villains conspire to ruin Lieutenant Jack Daniels’ life.

Everyone has a fear. And if not a fear, at least something that makes one extremely uncomfortable. It could be heights, snakes, spiders, confined spaces, or maybe fear of the dark.

One phobia that most of us seem to have to one degree or another is Xenophobia, the fear of the unknown. With many villains, you choose the most dangerous and focus all your efforts on them. But Jack doesn’t know who the villains are, let alone who is the greatest threat.

In the end, the greatest villain of all is the unknown.

H. L. (Holly) LeRoy is an award winning, American short story writer and novelist. Born in San Jose, California, LeRoy currently resides in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with his family.

When J. A. Konrath approached me with the opportunity to write in Lieutenant Jack Daniels’ world, I jumped at the chance. Since my other works are in the mystery/thriller/action/adventure genres and tell the stories of strong female protagonists confronting impossible situations, I knew it was a perfect fit.

Amazon Publishing has secured licenses from Warner Bros. Television Group's Alloy Entertainment for Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, and The Vampire Diaries; Valiant Entertainment for Archer & Armstrong, Bloodshot, Harbinger, Shadowman, and X-O Manowar; J. A. Konrath's Jack Daniels series, Hugh Howey's Silo Saga; Barry Eisler's John Rain novels; Blake Crouch's Wayward Pines series; and The Foreworld Saga by Neal Stephenson, Greg Bear, Mark Teppo, Eric Bear, Joseph Brassey, Nicole Galland, and Cooper Moo. Licenses for more Worlds are on the way.

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