Evil has to exist along with good, in order that moral choice may operate. Anthony Burgess (1917 - 1993)

No matter your religious beliefs or culture, there is that one concept that Burgess touches upon, namely, that for good to exist, so must evil.  And if evil exists, it is up to the hero to make the moral choice in order to do good.

When I started writing FURY CALLS, I also knew something else about the juxtaposition of good and evil – to show the incredible goodness of heroes like Blake and Meghan, I had to have a particularly heinous villain.

Now that might sound easy, but for those of you following The Calling series, you’ve met Blake before and you know he isn’t necessarily all goodness and light.  He’s had his bad moments, like killing Meghan and making her a vampire.  And in the world of The Calling, Blake has always been an outsider, living on the fringes of the more heroic vampires and humans.  Naysaying all the goodness that he sees in them because he is uncertain of whether it exists in him.

For me as a writer, that just makes Blake a more delicious character!  Especially when Blake must confront not only the most blood-chilling bad guy you’ll see in quite a while, but also Meghan who has not yet forgiven him for stealing her life several years earlier.

But I digress – the villain in FURY CALLS, Sun-Tze Lee, is the ultimate baddie.  He does some pretty vile things to those around him.  In fact, Lee has been demonizing Foley, one of The Calling’s nastier vampires, for some time.  But Lee’s depravity was necessary for a number of reasons.

The actions of Lee mirror some of the hurt that Blake has suffered in his past life.  Because of that, we see a side of Blake that we kind of knew existed, but now is confirmed for us – that Blake sacrificed himself in the past for his loved ones.  And since we see that side of Blake, we come to hope that in this life, he will be able to tap the hero and goodness Blake has kept buried for so long in order to admit his love for Meghan.

Lee’s actions also allow us to see another side of Foley and realize the why of his existence.  And with that realization, Blake will come to Foley’s aid because he understands what has happened and can show compassion toward the other vampire.  Blake is able to be a better man and befriend Foley in the hopes of relieving some of Foley’s burden.

Lee’s evil also helps shine a light on the goodness of which Blake is capable.  When that goodness is illuminated, it is impossible for Meghan to ignore it.  To not respond to the caring and compassion which she is now able to see in Blake.  As love develops, it drives away the fury which Meghan feels towards Blake at being turned.  And as the story unfolds, we see that Meghan is a strong woman made even stronger by what has happened to her.

You know the old saying – What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.   Although Meghan was killed, what she has faced in her undead life has made her more sure of herself, more resolute and surprisingly, happier.  It is that happiness that mitigates some of Meghan’s anger toward Blake.  It is Blake’s love and honor which drive away the last of her fury so that they two of them can come together to not only love, but battle the ultimate baddie.

Incredible goodness overcoming inexorable evil.  It’s what makes FURY CALLS one of my all-time favorites and I hope you’ll feel the same way.

Wishing you all the best and happy reading!

Caridad Pineiro

www.caridad.com

www.thecallingvampirenovels.com

Caridad Piñeiro
NY Times and USA TODAY Bestseller
STRONGER THAN SIN, October 2010, Forever from Grand Central Publishing
SINS OF THE FLESH, October 27 2009, Forever from Grand Central Publishing
AWAKENING THE BEAST featuring HONOR CALLS, October 2009,