Conrad (Rad) Sanders
Demands Respect
Rad
is the villain of my thriller TALION, but like most psychopaths he sees himself
as the only one who matters. In the interview that follows, he takes issue with
my decision to cut some of his story. Neither the interview nor the omitted
scenes contain violence or extremely harsh language, but the novel does. It
will scare and perhaps disturb you.
MARY: Thanks for agreeing to come, Rad.
RAD: I agree to nothing. I’m here to set
the record straight. And tell the world what an underhanded liar you are.
MARY: Why the hostility? Talion is published. People will read
about you now.
RAD: Okay, we’ll begin with the title since
you brought it up. The book used to be Rad’s
Kiss. You waste-canned a sexy title like Rad’s Kiss and replaced it with Talion.
Sounds like the title of a trashy fantasy novel. But maybe that’s fitting. Lu
is trash, and angel boy is her screwed-up fantasy.
MARY: Well, from a marketing perspective,
you could be right.
RAD: You finally worked that out? I’m the
only interesting character in the story. Look at your parade of losers–that
slut Norlene and her moron husband, humdrum hotel owners, insipid teenagers.
MARY: That’s unfair. Maybe Hank and Debbie
have humdrum lives, but they’re far from boring. And Lu and Lisa are anything
but insipid.
RAD: I’ll tell you what’s unfair, the
twisted fate that cast me into your imagination and left me at the mercy of
your idiotic decisions.
MARY: Come on, what’s really bothering you?
RAD: You cut my seduction of Andrea Altman.
MARY: You’re angry about that? I thought you
wouldn’t mind. You hate everything about Andrea, even her perfume. Remember?
The scent of tuber roses reminds you of your mother.
RAD:
My scenes with Andrea are among the best in the novel, right up there with me
doing the girl with cinnamon hair.
MARY: Those scenes slowed down the action.
RAD: I bang her. Isn’t that enough action? Did
you want me to kill her too? Believe me, I’ve dreamed of dragging her to my farmhouse
in the country and tying her down in the basement, where she could scream to my
heart’s content.
MARY: Your interlude with Andrea had no
effect on the story’s outcome. Its only purpose was to reveal the depravity of
your character, which was already obvious.
RAD: That’s hardly the only purpose of my
“interlude,” as you call it. Everything else in your novel gives the impression
I’m a loser who gets off on torturing women to punish them for my inadequacy.
But I seduce Andrea on our second date. And I don’t have a problem getting it
up.
MARY: I’m surprised you care what readers
think.
RAD: I don’t. This is about you and me.
It’s about respect. A woman’s got no business telling my story anyway, but it
wasn’t like anyone gave me a choice. You have an obligation to me.
MARY: I have larger obligation to the story
and my readers. Look, I didn’t mean any disrespect. It was an editorial
decision. I can’t put your scenes with Andrea back in the book, but I can post
them online.
RAD: What kind of sorry consolation prize
is that?
MARY: It’s the best I can do.
RAD: The best you can do isn’t much, as
usual. Okay. I’ll be checking to make sure my scenes are up there. Another
thing–you better watch your back when you’re dreaming. I can still get inside
your head any time I want.
Read about Rad’s seduction of Andrea at http://www.ancientchildren.com/?page_id=874
Amazon link to TALION: http://www.amazon.com/Talion-ebook/dp/B007Q4LNNG/
Mary Maddox’s web site: http://www.marymaddox.com
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It definitely sounds like Rad is a tad upset there, but you made the right choice, Mary. Have to do what's best in the reader's interest, instead of the villain's. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting, Cherie. The reader should come first. Unfortunately it's easier to say no to the villain than it is to my own ego :)
Deletebone-chilling. I wouldn't want to meet with this guy Rad and am glad he's only in your imagination. ha, ha, bet that would p*** him off.
ReplyDeleteIt would tick him off, Rachelle. But he's welcome hardly anywhere. I'm relieved that he's mostly gone from my imagination. Thank you for hosting me here.
DeleteI love these character interviews. It's one way for me to read your writing, Mary. I admit I can't read the novel - I'd never get him out of my head. He's already threatened you! I'd be easy pickings.
ReplyDeleteCarol, The novel is not for everyone. People who are sensitive to depictions of violence won't enjoy the story. I kind of regret making my protagonist a teenager since some readers have thought TALION is YA, and it definitely is not.
ReplyDelete