BFS Online: Crafting Characters – Heroes and Villains

Grab your ticket here

Heroes & Villains: Stories are driven by conflict, by the battle between good and evil, and fought in the morally grey. How do you strike a balance between your hero and your villain? What makes them perfect adversaries?

Join moderator Lauren McMenemy in conversation with Cameron Johnston, Anna Stephens, and Andrea Stewart to discuss crafting leading characters. Find out more about our panel below.

Cameron Johnston (he/him): Cameron Johnston is a Scottish writer of fantasy and lives in the city of Glasgow. He is a student of Historical European Martial Arts, loves archaeology, history, folklore and mythology, exploring ancient sites and spooky places, and camping out under the stars with a roaring fire. You can find out more about Cameron on his website. Or follow him on Bluesky, Facebook or Twitter. Get Cameron’s books here.

Anna Stephens (she/her/they/them): Anna Stephens is the author of the epic fantasy Godblind and Songs of the Drowned trilogies through HarperVoyager, and also writes for Black Library in their Age of Sigmar and Warhammer Horror imprints, and for Marvel Comics through their tie-in publisher, Aconyte Books. As a black belt in Shotokan Karate and a once upon a time historical fencer, Anna’s no stranger to the feeling of being hit in the face, which is more help than you would expect when writing fight scenes. Follow Anna on Bluesky or Facebook. Or check out their website. You can get Anna’s books here.

Andrea Stewart (she/her): Andrea Stewart is the daughter of immigrants, and was raised in a number of places across the United States. Stewart is a Sunday Times Bestselling author whose short stories can be found in such venues as Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Daily Science Fiction, Galaxy’s Edge, and others. Her debut epic fantasy novel, The Bone Shard Daughter, was a finalist for the Locus Award for Best First Novel, the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel, the Goodreads Choice Award for Fantasy and Debut Novel, and the BookNest Award for Best Traditionally Published Novel. She now lives in sunny California, and in addition to writing, can be found herding cats, looking at birds, and falling down research rabbit holes. Find out more about Andrea on her website. She also has all the socials: Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, Threads. You’ll find Andrea’s books here.

Lauren (LJ) McMenemy (she/her): Lauren McMenemy wears many hats: Editor-in-Chief at Trembling With Fear for horrortree.com; PR and marketing for the British Fantasy Society; founder of the Society of Ink Slingers; curator of the Writing the Occult virtual events. With 25+ years as a professional writer across journalism, marketing, and communications, Lauren also works as a coach and mentor to writers looking to achieve goals, get accountability, or get support with their marketing efforts. She writes gothic and folk horror stories for her own amusement, and is currently working on a novel set in the world of the Victorian occult. You’ll find Lauren haunting south London, where she lives with her Doctor Who-obsessed husband, the ghost of their aged black house rabbit, and the entity that lives in the walls. Learn more about Lauren on her website. Or this website. She’s also a social media queen. Find her on Twitter, Instagram, Instagram (Society of Ink Slingers), Bluesky, Threads or Mastodon. Whatever your social media pleasure, Lauren has you covered.