DC Juris talks about BETRAYED

Why So Serious?

I’ve been asked several times why I “felt the need” to make Meldrick and Faldor’s story in “Betrayed” so dark.

The short answer, and the answer I always give to questions of this sort, is “the characters dictate the story, not me.”

The long answer, I suppose, is because I’m probably more comfortable with darker emotions than I am with lighter ones. Anger, pain, betrayal, rage, jealousy - these are all emotions I became closely acquainted with growing up. There wasn’t a lot of joy in my childhood. So things feelings like love, kindness, compassion – those all came to me later in life. They were all things I had to learn to negotiate, and some of them I’m still learning.

So when one of my characters does something that other authors, or even my beta readers, frown upon, I’m usually sitting there nodding, thinking, “yeah, but I’m totally on board with that mindset.” I “get” tortured, dark characters far easier than happy, healthy ones.

The other answer is probably that there’s a bit of self-mirroring in those characters. Take Meldrick, for example. He has a history – he’s done things that most people wouldn’t be able to relate to. Yet there’s something about him…some redeeming quality that keeps a person latched to him. Keeps them from throwing up their hands and walking away. His outer shell is hard, his inner core is bruised and battered, but what makes him who he is – his soul – is still there, underneath everything. And he’s still beautiful for it. He’s still worthy. And that’s kind of how I see myself, at the expense of sounding vain. 

Underneath all the pain, I’m still the person I’ve always been, and that keeps people from walking away.

I received an e-mail from a reader a couple weeks ago. It was just two lines: “Goddamn you for making me like Meldrick. Bravo.” And I realized – that’s my talent. That’s the message behind my stories – flawed or not, my characters are worthy of your time. 

That is all for now,

DC Juris

DC Juris, Author of GLBTQ & Het Romance
"Love is a Many - Flavored Thing"
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