SYDNEY, March 11 /O'Neal Media Group/ -- It takes literary skill to bring out the humanity of an evil protagonist. "This is always a challenge. Take Hannibal Lecter. If Hopkins had not given him a fierce intelligence and a grizzly pitch black sense of humor, no one would have liked him," says Shane Briant, author of thriller, Worst Nightmares (Vanguard Press). ISBN 978-1-59315-514-8
"He was, after all, almost an insane beast at times. Yet somehow the writing made the audience want him to escape. So, for me, I imbue my darkest characters with a sense of humor maybe, or give them one facet of their soul, albeit a very small one, where they love or care for someone or something living, be it a human, animal or an orchid," Briant adds.
What is it precisely about the dark side of human nature that makes perfect raw material for compelling stories?
Briant says, "People like to know they are safe, that those they love are safe. That they will never die. But they love to be thrilled by watching others tread the tightrope of life. It's fun to see James Bond fight it out because they can live out their personal fantasies. They love seeing Hannibal Lecter eat body parts of living people because it makes the hairs stand up on the backs of their necks. After all, they are safe. And they know it's a story. But I'd go further. People are drawn to terrible disasters and accidents where REAL people are dying because it's not them! It's someone else. It thrills some deep dark part of their psyche!"
Worst Nightmares tells the story of successful writer, Dermot Nolan, the writer's block that plagues him, the temptation to plagiarize an unsolicited manuscript that unexpectedly falls into his lap, and the horrific episodes that ensue.
Through his research, Briant delved into Internet addiction and the dangers of hooking up on the Internet with cyber strangers. According to a Stanford University School of Medicine study, one out of eight Americans exhibited at least one possible sign of problematic Internet use.
Briant will be in the U.S. on tour from April 6 - May 24, 2010 and available for media interviews.
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Shane Briant
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