Cowgirl Contemporary Fantasy

Hi, folks! I have good news and bad news.  The good news is my blog is picking up a lot more traffic.  The bad news is that, since some of the new readers know me personally, I had to delete a very popular post called, "The Real Horror Story Behind My Character's Motivations." The children involved in that years-long ordeal are not yet safe, and I'm terrified word will get back to the psycho they have for a mother that I posted their story.  She holds the upper hand because the law will not step in, even though her abuse has been reported.  I fear what she will do if she is angered. I took great pains to disguise the kids' identities, but one reader recognized enough details to know who they were.  It's not her fault.  It was mine.  I had hoped by posting it I could show people how kids fall through the cracks, but it's too risky.

Tweet The Popularity of the Psychopathic Character The psychopath is a perennial favorite character-type amongst authors in every genre, though they are most often used in mysteries and thrillers.  Often authors get the very nature of the psychopath incorrect.  I'm not a criminology expert, but I've studied them extensively, both on my own and through my sociology coursework, and seeing a story with an unrealistic psychopath is an instant turn-off for me. I've long wanted to do more than screech incoherently at the television or book that portrays them as the product of abuse or other fallacies, but the topic is quite large and I've been hesitant to broach the subject.  Tonight, I'm fueled by enough caffeine to wire a moose and I'm trapped inside by yet another winter storm.  I've decided to do a series of blog posts based around the characteristics of a psychopath, and how we authors often get them wrong.  Myths about Psychopaths Wiktionary define...