PHANTASM FRIDAY

Paranormal Bad Boys…

Do you love them? Hate them? Or have a love/hate relationship for them? I'm not talking about the "good" bad boys that are the heroes in romance books or movies. I'm talking about the real bad boys of those books or movies. I'm referring to the antagonist that brings the hero and heroine so much angst. The ones you love to hate, but are so sensual, sexy and irresistible, you find yourself cheering for them when you know they're evil! Some memorable evil bad boys for me are:

David in The Lost Boys, who was played by Keifer Sutherland, was a particularly bad boy vampire. I loved him! I wasn't into the "bad boy" hero, Michael, because he was really a "good boy" wanting to be a "bad boy". He lacked conviction and any heartfelt desire to want to be a bad boy. And he was only rebelling because he was upset his mother had relocated them from their friends. I've loved Keifer Sutherland ever since this part. David was sexy, evil, manipulative and, but oh, so easy on the eyes. And I was heartbroken when he was killed…*whimpers* Further complicating my devastation was that his death was unnecessary because he wasn't the master vampire!

Other "bad boys" I loved are Gary Oldman as Count Dracula in the 1992 version of Dracula. Step aside Jonathan Harker and hello, Dracula! Yum! I wanted Count Dracula to win in this movie too!

Another that must receive a mention is Lestat in Queen of the Damned. I read Anne Rice's vampire series and fell in love with Lestat. Lestat was moody, angsty, misunderstood, selfish and immature and I loved all of these flaws. Stuart Townsend did an admirable job—in my opinion anyway—of the character Anne Rice painted on the page.

I can't forget Damon from The Vampire Diaries either. I wouldn't even be watching that show without Damon. He's fun and quirky, brings a level of spice and entertainment to the show. He likes being a vampire and isn't angsty and whining about being one. Seriously, why do the chicks adore a whiny vampire? Who would want to listen to that for an eternity? Ugh! I love a vampire that embraces his/her inner darkness and enjoys being what they've become. So, quit whining already!!!!!!

My final love would be Nikolas, my heroine's ex-husband in Pandora's Box. Pandora's Box is the first book in my The Road to Hell Series that was just contracted with Decadent Publishing. Nikolas is a really evil bad boy and he makes no apologies for his demonic character. In fact, he has reasons for his attitude and he feels they're valid reasons. Nikolas makes demons look like puppy dog kisses and long walks on the beach. And I am so in love with him I don't want to get rid of him. Any girl would be crazy to love Nikolas once he shows his true colors, but he could charm the pants off anyone when he's not showing his inner demon.

So, that leaves me wondering why do I love Nikolas so much and why do I love bad boys in general? Is it because they bring an element of fun to the book or big screen? They keep things spicy? Maybe I love the bad boys because they make our heroes and heroines show their own "inner demon" in order to overcome whatever the bad boy is throwing at them. With Nikolas I can let boundaries drop when I'm writing and he can do anything and get away with it because he's the bad boy. That doesn't mean he gets the girl in the end…or maybe he will. That book is yet to be written…

So, who are some of the "bad boys" you loved, or loved to hate?

A special thanks to Rie McGaha for giving me the idea for this blog today!