First of all, thank you for having me, Kate! It\u2019s the first time I talk about my villains, so I\u2019ll tell you a bit about all the ones in my series Crescent Creek.<\/p>\n
In All Those Miles I Walked, we have a classic case of a politician gone bad (I mean, very bad). Frances Hailey had eyes on high chairs and no qualms about taking out any inconvenience. The inconvenience was Eva, a dear friend of DJ and Scott, the leading couple, which is what set the ball rolling. Was he redeemable? No. He had been carrying on his plan for years now, and he\u2019d have kept right on doing it if he hadn\u2019t been caught. As far as villains go, he was not one of the most intriguing, too. He doesn\u2019t even appear in the story, but it\u2019s because of him that DJ and Scott get their second chance. Then there\u2019s Frances\u2019s minion, the one putting DJ in real danger\u2026 a criminal that, thankfully, ended up in jail where he belongs.<\/p>\n
Now, the villain of Painted Love is the most interesting.
\nThe villain is the Heroine.
\nYep. You see, Florence is a thief, and gets close to Rhett only because he\u2019s friend with Aidan, her target.
\nThe clash within her heart (finish something she\u2019d started out of justice versus stop doing it out of love) and the war between her heart and brain (being with Rhett because she was falling for him versus being with him because he was an accessory to her plan) plagued her throughout the entire book. Guilt poked her from everywhere \u2013 for what she was doing to Rhett, for the promise to his step-brother that bound her to keep going, to the memory of her grandfather.
\nShe was a very complex, and lonely, person, and it doesn\u2019t really surprise me she fell for someone like Rhett, with his huge heart and solid moral compass.
\nIs she redeemable? Yes. Very much so, and the end of the book is proof of it.
\nShe fixed the wrong she\u2019d done after Rhett left her, and that is how much loving him changed her.<\/p>\n
In His Midnight Sun, the villain is a straight-out psychopath.
\nBasically, Lilith Chapman set off to avenge the man she loved when he committed suicide over Summer, the Heroine.
\nLilith had for Stephen the kind of love that\u2019s sick and wrong, and when his love for Summer took him away from her (or that\u2019s how Lilith sees his suicide) she decided to take away everything from Summer, too.
\nAn eye for an eye. Stephen for all that\u2019s dear to Summer\u2013which turned out to be Aidan and Chloe.
\nAnd boy, doesn\u2019t she come close to making it a couple of times\u2026
\nWas she redeemable? Well, I don\u2019t have a cut answer to it. I think we can all agree Lilith was a bad person, had a bad heart. She also had mental health issues, like, big time. Maybe if someone had cared for her, loved her, she wouldn\u2019t have come to plot a murder. But she grew up in an abusive family and had married an abusive man. I\u2019m not justifying her actions, just speculating if she could ever have been \u201csaved\u201d, or, at the very least, helped.<\/p>\n
So here they are, I hope you\u2019ll get a chance to read the stories!<\/p>\n
SHORT VERSION
\nCrescent Creek Collection, by Viviana MacKade<\/p>\n
From the cold Canadian border, the US1 runs along the east coast with patience. Southbound, always south, until it reaches the Sunshine State.
\nNot the fastest way, sure, but if you have time to drive it all the way down, you might find yourself lost in one of the coastal towns that dot the US1 like little jewels.
\nMaybe that town\u2019s name is Crescent Creek.
\nThese are the stories of its people.<\/p>\n
All Those Miles I Walked ~ The family man and the gypsy
\nPainted Love ~ The upstanding citizen and the thief.
\nHis Midnight Sun ~ The wild one and the good doctor.
\nCome and join them for a collection of stories that will keep you warm even in the coldest day.<\/p>\n
LONG VERSION
\nFrom the cold Canadian border, the US1 runs along the east coast with patience. Southbound, always south, until it reaches the Sunshine State.
\nNot the fastest way, sure, but if you have time to drive it all the way down, you might find yourself lost in one of the coastal towns that dot the US1 like little jewels.
\nMaybe that town\u2019s name is Crescent Creek.
\nThese are the stories of its people.<\/p>\n
All Those Miles I Walked ~ Crescent Creek 1<\/strong> Painted Love ~ Crescent Creek 2<\/strong> His Midnight Sun\u00a0~ Crescent Creek 3<\/strong> Buy THE AUTHOR Find me: Excerpt:<\/p>\n From All Those Miles I Walked<\/strong> FROM PAINTED LOVE<\/strong><\/p>\n Still with no clothes on, they sat in the middle of the bed and started eating. \u201cSo, you know my big secret, my superpower,\u201d he said, seasoning the salad and the tomatoes with a pinch more of salt. \u201cWhat\u2019s yours?\u201d FROM HIS MIDNIGHT SUN<\/strong> Fire. First of all, thank you for having me, Kate! It\u2019s the first time I talk about my villains, so I\u2019ll tell you a bit about all the ones in my series Crescent Creek. In All Those Miles I Walked, we have a classic case of a politician gone bad (I mean, very bad). Frances Hailey…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2103,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[319,318,120],"class_list":["post-2104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guestposts","tag-crescent-creek","tag-featuread","tag-villains"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kate-hill.com\/compellingbeastsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/vivimcrescentcreek.jpg?fit=540%2C360&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6kq3e-xW","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/compellingbeastsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2104","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/compellingbeastsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/compellingbeastsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/compellingbeastsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/compellingbeastsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2104"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/compellingbeastsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2104\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2105,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/compellingbeastsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2104\/revisions\/2105"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/compellingbeastsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/compellingbeastsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/compellingbeastsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/compellingbeastsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nAt eighteen, DJ made a choice\u2013her heart or her dreams. Neither was wrong, yet either would break her heart. She chose the world. Over a decade later, she returns to Crescent Creek and to the one regret she’s ever had\u2013Scott.
\nScott\u2019s always been steady as a rocky reef. He\u2019d loved once and when she\u2019d left, his strong heart had crumbled like a sandcastle. Now DJ is back, and Scott wants nothing to do with her. If only Eva, his and DJ\u2019s old friend, didn\u2019t need their help. Because of her, he\u2019s stuck with DJ and he\u2019d be damned, she still gets under his skin.
\nDJ is a free spirit who needs the road under her feet. Scott is a family man who wants to groom his roots. With danger on their doorstep and a baby to keep safe, how much are they willing to compromise for love?<\/p>\n
\nThou shalt not steal.
\nOh, but Florence had, and\u00a0would do so\u00a0one last time. Ten pieces her grandfather painted for her because he loved her. Ten pieces her mother lost, along with anything else,\u00a0for loving the wrong man. She couldn\u2019t get back everything he\u2019d wasted away,\u00a0but\u00a0she\u2019d be damned if she\u2019d give up those paintings.
\nEasy and genuine, Rhett loves his life\u2013his family, his market, his town. Until he meets\u00a0a\u00a0British woman with grey eyes and a cute little smile.\u00a0The woman he\u2019s been waiting for. The thing is, to love her is easy, but can he trust her?
\nWhen Rhett pushes to uncover her agenda, Flo knows she will lose something\u2013the man she loves or what she\u2019d been fighting for years. Which road will she choose?<\/p>\n
\nTormented, fierce, and broken, sculptor Aidan Murphy has judged himself guilty. He yearns for love but pushes everyone away. He longs for acceptance but has lost the key to open his heart. Until he meets Summer Williams. Beautiful and smart, Dr. Williams promises haven for a man who believes he deserves none. All he has to do is let her in and risk his heart and soul.
\nSummer\u2019s managed to keep her inner light alive, even through tragedy. She\u2019s created a new life for herself and her daughter in Crescent Creek with loving, caring and fun friends\u2013well, except brooding, breathtaking Aidan. She\u2019s used to keeping away from his type, though.\u00a0All she has to do is ignore the pull of a man who\u2019s turning up to be much more than snarls and storms. Will her compassion and medical instincts let her?
\nLove can heal a broken soul and shake up a timid heart. Or it can unleash devastation and revenge.
\nWill Aidan and Summer survive the hurricane?<\/p>\n
\nAmazon<\/a>
\nFree with KU<\/p>\n
\nBeach bum and country music addicted, Viviana lives in a small Floridian town with her husband and her son, her die-hard fans and personal cheer squad. She spends her days between typing on her beloved keyboard, playing in the pool with her boy, and eating whatever her husband puts on her plate (the guy is that good, and she really loves eating). Besides beaching, she enjoys long walks, horse-riding, hiking, and pretty much whatever she can do outside with her family.<\/p>\n
\nThe best way to know me is through my website (and the books I host): http:\/\/www.viviana-mackade.blog\/<\/a>
\nThe best way to see what I\u2019m up to is through my Instagram<\/a> account.
\nOn FB<\/a>
\nOn Twitter<\/a>
\nAmazon Author page<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\u201cDo you miss it?\u201d DJ asked. No need to be more specific. Eva knew what she was talking about, just like she always had.
\n“Sometimes.” She fidgeted with a clean wipe. “I had an offer from someone up in New York.”
\n“Shut up!”
\n“True story. I don’t think I’ll take it, though.” Eva shook her head with a sweet little smile. \u201cI saw enough of the world and how bad it can be, I don’t think I need the Big Apple’s nonsense. Never thought it could happen, but I\u2019m happy here.\u201d
\n\u201cInvestigative Reporter for the Crescent Creek News. Sounds good.\u201d
\n\u201cIt\u2019s what I did before, only on a smaller, way smaller, scale.\u201d Eva took a gurgling Henry in her arms. \u201cAt the end of the day, it\u2019s what I love.\u201d
\n\u201cLooking for crap?\u201d
\n\u201cSure.\u201d
\n\u201cFound any?\u201d
\n\u201cMaybe.\u201d A shadow crossed Eva\u2019s eyes and disappeared. \u201cI\u2019m waiting on a couple of emails. You know Frances Bailey?\u201d
\n\u201cI remember my dad saying something about the guy, isn\u2019t he a commissioner for some district? Just got elected?\u201d
\n\u201cYep. His family has a dairy farm south of Tampa, he moved here when he got married. Something weird is happening up there.\u201d
\n\u201cTampa is not local.\u201d
\n\u201cBut Bailey is.\u201d Henry started to fuss, and Eva rocked him. \u201cHand me the pacifier, please?\u201d she asked DJ. \u201cTalking about local,\u201d she whispered when the boy quieted, well on his way to falling asleep. \u201cWant to tell me about you and Scott?\u201d
\n\u201cIt happened this morning\u2026 How\u2026\u201d
\n\u201cLet\u2019s see.\u201d With her hands full of baby boy, Eva raised her eyes as she retraced the acquisition of the news. \u201cI needed potatoes for Henry and went to Beckett\u2019s Market where, of course, I said hi to Rhett. He\u2019d gone for breakfast at the May’s bakery and spoke with Adam May, the baker. He’s Delilah\u2019s brother, and\u2013\u201d
\n\u201cDelilah heard the whole thing, told her brother, who told Rhett before he could even talk with Scott.\u201d
\n\u201cWell, she stood right in front of you guys, hard not to hear.\u201d
\n\u201cMan, that was fast, anyway.\u201d
\n\u201cUm, have you ever lived here? I was surprised I didn\u2019t hear about it as it was happening.\u201d
\n\u201cTrue,\u201d DJ conceded. \u201cIt\u2019s so nice you guys are still friends.\u201d
\n\u201cRhett, Scott, and I? Of course, we are. But for as much as I like Rhett, we\u2019re not talking about young Beckett.\u201d
\nDJ took a long breath. \u201cI thought\u2026 hoped, actually, that after all this time Scott would be, I don\u2019t know. Easier.\u201d
\n\u201cYeah, because he\u2019s the forgive and forget kind of dude.\u201d
\n\u201cHe could at least listen to my side of the story before going\u2013What?\u201d she asked when Eva made a face.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve known you for how long, twenty years?\u201d
\n\u201cAnd?\u201d
\n“You were the only one who understood my career choice, like I understand yours.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd?\u201d
\n\u201cAnd you disappeared on him, DJ. Like poof,\u201d she said, trying to click her fingers with a now sleeping boy in her arms. \u201cYou had your reasons, I know, but you haven\u2019t said any of them to him.\u201d Her tone softened. \u201cHe loved you.\u201d
\nDJ closed her eyes for a moment to keep the idea of the pain she\u2019d caused him from getting too deep into her. “I loved him, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nEverything went very quiet and cold inside Florence. Well, I\u2019m about to steal from your friend, and I\u2019m using you to accomplish the crime.
\nGod, what was she doing? She patted the paper towel on dry lips. She’d never let this happen, it had never happened. Kisses, allusions, promises, but she\u2019d never slept with someone to get to the target. Neither she had this time. She sat, naked and satisfied, on that bed because she\u2019d wanted him.
\nSo confusing, and wrong. It would have been ugly enough if she\u2019d slept with him, a decent, caring man, only for the job. Ugly turned into horrific knowing if she had to use him for the job, the job was not the reason why she was naked in bed with him. She would have wanted him, anyway, craved for him anyway but with all the rest of her life in the background? A full-blown disaster.
\nTo make everything worse, his hand touched to reassure as genuine concern darkened his face. \u201cHey, everything okay?\u201d
\nOf course, he\u2019d read her so well. Swallowing a ball of panic and hurt the size of a basketball, she cleared her voice. \u201cI have one secret,\u201d she whispered.
\n\u201cFlorence, I was kidding. We\u2019re starting to know each other and\u2013\u201d
\n\u201cI tampered with the garbage disposal,\u201d she blurted out.
\nHe tipped the head sideways, his eyebrows shot up in surprise. \u201cYou did what?\u201d
\nGreat, Flo. Add more to the pile of shit. But now, after the way she\u2019d reacted to a simple, careless question, he might sense something hid behind the surface and she had to come up with a reasonable secret.
\n\u201cI, ah, I wanted an excuse to call you, and,\u201d she swatted the air with her hand, sighed. \u201cThe only thing I could tamper with was the garbage disposal.\u201d
\nRhett scratched his cheek. Run a hand over his mouth. Then laughed, hard and long, doubled over on the table.<\/p>\n
\nProlog<\/p>\n
\nFire would eat all.
\nThe simple, brown casket entered the cremation chamber accompanied by the soft crying of the mourners.
\nA sister. So-called friends. No mother or father in the crowd\u2013a small blessing, as no parent should live to see a son\u2019s death. Even more so when he\u2019d committed suicide. Grabbed a gun, let the black hole of desperation drench his mind and pulled the trigger. The maid said he\u2019d cursed one name right before he ended all: Summer.
\nPain and anger rattled through Lilith Chapman. Along with Stephen\u2019s brain, her heart had shattered that day.
\nLilith had known she could save him, had always known. With time, she\u2019d have made him forget he\u2019d ever loved anybody but her.
\nHe didn\u2019t give her time.
\nHis sister had pressed him to visit doctors. Depression, she\u2019d called it.
\nBullshit.
\nLove killed Stephen.
\nSweet Stephen. A gentle, caring soul who only wanted affection and care. No harsh word ever left his mouth; his hands knew no fists.
\nWith him, Lilith never had to face fear. She knew all about it thanks to her father first, and her deceased husband later. Not with Stephen. Never with him. For the first time in her life, she\u2019d been the strong one, the one leading. Day after day she\u2019d listened to him, to the winnings and the losses of a man who possessed everything. Money, power, a place in society. Not someone to share it with,\u00a0though. Until, silly man, he\u2019d believed he\u2019d found The One: Doctor Summer Williams. A woman who had left him with a few words and no remorse.
\nLilith had heard his heart shatter with a singing soul. With patience, had watched Stephen spiraling down and downer in a place always darker and more desperate. She only had to wait. Once he hit the bottom, he\u2019d realize Summer was not worth it. Stephen would finally open his eyes and see her, Lilith.
\nAt the bottom though, he\u2019d found a gun.
\nAnd now she had nothing.
\nSure, he\u2019d left money to her, a lot of it, enough she didn\u2019t have to worry about working or anything else anymore. Too bad she didn\u2019t care for it.
\nShe wanted Stephen, but Summer Williams had taken him away forever.
\nAnd for that, Lilith would bring tears and blood.
\nSummer\u2019s tears and blood.
\nShe, Lilith, was going to own his final words of hate, carry on his vengeance and make sure Summer Williams witnessed the crumbling of her world. Everyone she held dear would perish in front of her eyes. And then Lilith could go to him where they would be together. Forever.
\n\u201cI promise you,\u201d she whispered to the burning casket. \u201cI promise you, love will kill again.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"