Guest Post: Kelley York
I am so excited to welcome Kelley York, the author of Hushed, to the nest today. Be sure to check out my review of the book.
Antiheros by Kelley York
Once upon a time, stories had Good Guys, and they had Bad Guys. Protagonists and Antagonists. Heroes and Villains.
These days, the lines of good versus evil start to blur.
When I reflect back on my favorite characters in literature, I think I’ve always had a soft-spot for the antihero. The characters who are skewed morally, who aren’t necessarily out to be evil, but aren’t on the side of good, either.
Howl from HOWL’S MOVINGCASTLE. Will, from BROTHER/SISTER. Cole, from the SHIVER series. R, from WARM BODIES. All of these are some of my favorite characters in YA novels, and all of them are—in some form or another—antiheroes.
And as I was working my way through HUSHED, I developed a newfound respect for authors who so brilliantly write antiheros. It takes more than a character with loose morals or who does things against the grain to make an antihero, after all, and I struggled with that while writing for Archer.
You can take a character like Will from Sean Olin’s BROTHER/SISTER...someone who murders (innocent!) people in cold blood. What makes Will an antihero as opposed to an antagonist-as-a-narrator is that he’s a boy we can sympathize with. Will does what he does with a reason. Maybe we don’t agree with that reason, but we can see it. We can understand it. It’s human psychology; we’re more willing to forgive atrocious acts and character flaws when we can somehow connect and relate to someone.
I love antiheroes more than any other character type in YA novels, because a good antihero will be so well thought out and so deep, that I can respect what they’re doing while hating it all in the same breath. These are the characters that make us question what we would do if faced with a similar situation. These are the characters we love even if we don’t want to.
An antihero might be indecisive, short-tempered, rude, cowardly, passive, pessimistic, overbearing, selfish, or any number of other things. They might do good deeds, but hurt people or break the law by doing it. Alternatively, they might do bad deeds, but have the best of intentions at heart. They might do absolutely nothing unless forced into action by an outside force.
Above all, antiheroes are controversial and deeply flawed. It’s a writer’s job to make readers love them regardless.
For some more in-depth and helpful info about antiheroes, check out this article on Writer’s Digest.
seat waiting to see what would happen next! Bottom line, this was
unputdownable!!!' --- YA Fantasy Guide ---
Author Bio:
Kelley was born and raised in central California, where she still resides
with her lovely wife, daughter, and an abundance of pets. (Although she
does fantasize about moving across the globe to Ireland.) She has a
fascination with bells, adores all things furry - be them squeaky, barky
or meow-y - is a lover of video games, manga and anime, and likes to
pretend she's a decent photographer. Her life goal is to find a real
unicorn. Or maybe a mermaid.
Within young adult, she enjoys writing and reading a variety of genres
from contemporary with a unique twist, psychological thrillers,
paranormal/urban fantasy and horror. She loves stories where character
development takes center stage.
Kelley's website: http://www.kelley-york.com/
Hushed - Synopsis:
He's saved her. He's loved her. He's killed for her.
Eighteen-year-old Archer couldn't protect his best friend, Vivian, from
what happened when they were kids, so he's never stopped trying to protect
her from everything else. It doesn't matter that Vivian only uses him when
hopping from one toxic relationship to another - Archer is always there,
waiting to be noticed.
Then along comes Evan, the only person who's ever cared about Archer
without a single string attached. The harder he falls for Evan, the more
Archer sees Vivian for the manipulative hot-mess she really is.
But Viv has her hooks in deep, and when she finds out about the murders
Archer's committed and his relationship with Evan, she threatens to turn
him in if she doesn't get what she wants...And what she wants is Evan's
death, and for Archer to forfeit his last chance at redemption.
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Hushed-
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/
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