Guest Post and Giveaway: Fraud Twice Felt by J.T. Hall

Please join us in welcoming author J.T. Hall to TNA today on the tour for her new novel, Fraud Twice Felt. She’s talking villains today, and there’s also a great giveaway courtesy of Riptide Publishing, so be sure to check out the entry details below.

Welcome, J.T.!

The Making of a Great Villain 

To me, a great villain is one that makes you say, “Ooh, he (or she) is evil. And cool.” Great villains tend to ooze confidence and revel in their power. They don’t care about others’ interests—only their own. They’re smart, persuasive, and they may share many of the same qualities as the heroes, but twisted in some way. They represent the perversion of strength (and I don’t mean that in the sexual way, though that works too.)

Most of all, a great villain should test the heroes to the very limits of their abilities.

Some of my favorite villains of all time include Darth Vader (the original, not the Hayden Christensen version), Javert from Les Miserables, Magneto from the X-men comics, and Delores Umbridge from the Harry Potter series. Other than Umbridge, what these villains share is a past that helps to explain their current obsessions and twisted views. As for Umbridge, I simply love her because she’s the perfect dichotomy between a benign outward appearance and her malevolent internal traits. She’s just so freaking evil!

Romance doesn’t typically have as many villains because often the enemy is within—the couple must conquer their own issues in order to have their romantic happy ending. However, in romantic suspense and paranormal romance, there’s typically a subplot where there’s either a situation or an enemy to defeat.

In my book Murder Once Seen, I introduce Elliot Leed’s personal nemesis, the Tatsu gang leader and occasional client Roy Yoshiro. In the second Oddities book, Fraud Twice Felt, Roy returns as a continued threat to Elliot’s safety and happiness.

Roy is cruel, ruthless, and demanding. He grew up in a wealthy crime family—his father leads the gang back in Japan—and this has led to Roy’s high ambitions to make the gang even more powerful. In his dealings with others, Roy presents himself as intelligent and cultured, but he has a brutal temper that appears whenever his desires are thwarted. Then he’s more like a vicious monster.

Another good thing for villains to have is a secret or two, something that the villain or villainess can unleash on the hero at the worst possible moment. Does Roy have such a secret? Oh yes. And I hope readers will enjoy this villain and the struggles that Elliot and his partner Derwin face in confronting him.

It’s going to be quite a ride.

About the Book

Three weeks after solving his old boyfriend’s murder, bounty hunter Derwin Bryant is trying to let go of the past and embrace his new life with Elliot Leed, a former rentboy and fellow Oddity. Elliot, meanwhile, is trying to adjust to working at Bob’s Bail Bonds and having a real relationship despite his strange power of Object Reading. Hanging over the couple is the fear that Roy Yoshiro, notorious gang lord, will make good on his threats to claim Elliot. If that happens, not even Derwin’s superhuman strength will be enough to protect the man he loves.

Their concerns are overshadowed when Derwin’s friend asks for help finding her missing son. It’s not long before the case takes Derwin and Elliot back to the crime-ridden underbelly of the city and straight into Yoshiro’s clutches. Two gangs are vying for power, and Derwin and Elliot get caught in the middle of their very public fight.

Derwin and Elliot must find a way to thwart both gangs’ plans and escape alive. This time, one misstep could spell disaster for all the inhabitants of Nis.

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About The Oddities Series

The government wants to control Oddities. Regular people condemn them. And the corporations want to study their DNA . . .

Derwin Bryant is a bounty hunter, a demon hunter, and has an Oddity that allows him to feed on pain to increase his strength and speed. Elliot Leed is a rent boy turned private investigator with a rare Oddity of his own—the ability to read objects with strong emotional imprints. Together they take on cases that no one else can, in a city full of corruption, crime, and the forgotten poor.

It’s a tough place for two men in love to make a difference.

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About the Author

J.T. Hall has been writing for many years under this name and others, and has appeared in magazines, anthologies, and online books. She earned her BA in creative writing from the University of Arizona, her Master’s in education from Argosy University, and works as an independent technical writer for state and federal programs. In her free time, she volunteers for the LGBT community and is active in the leather scene. She has a teenage daughter and a partner of over ten years. They live in sunny Arizona with three adorably cute dogs, three black cats, and a hamster who loves peanuts.

Connect with J.T.: Blog || Twitter: @JTHall7 || Tumblr || GoodReads

The Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Fraud Twice Felt, one lucky winner will receive a $20 Riptide credit and an ebook from J.T.’s backlist! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on June 3, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!