Monthly Archives: October 2011

What Makes A Kick-Ass Heroine Tick

by Beth Barany Posted on October 19, 2011
Midnight at Spanish Gardens by Alma Alexander

Welcome to our weekly guest post on what makes a kick ass heroine tick in science fiction and fantasy. This week’s author Alma Alexander highlights what really makes a kick-ass heroine tick…

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It is perhaps unfortunate – at least from where I am sitting – that the trend for books featuring the textbook definition of “kick-ass heroines” tend to come packaged with the Headless Cover Trope. You know – THOSE covers – the women shown with their rears  encased in tight leather, the briefest possible excuse for a top which serves to showcase, er, curves, as well as a wealth of “ink” in the shape of tattoos which wind around taut biceps, wrists which look entirely too fragile to carry (never mind point, shoot, or cope with the kick of) the kind of firepower that they are depicted as toting in the cover image, or fetchingly situated in the hollow of the lower back, just above the point where those tight leather trousers cling to hips seemingly by the power of invisible skin Velcro (because there’s nothing ELSE obvious that’s holding them up…)

I say unfortunate because I think the best attribute of a kick-ass heroine is actually what’s between her ears. Yes, she can excel at karate, and hunting vampires with a crossbow armed with silver bolts, and unerring and precise target shooting with a sniper rifle – all of that, and more. (Well, perhaps not at the same time. Let’s give the poor girl SOME space.) But the most important thing of all is that she needs to be able to THINK.

One of the poster girls for kick-ass heroines, albeit in movies rather than books, is Alien’s Ripley. There’s very little about her that is soft or gentle. But she has a mind, and a spirit, and her most memorable moment was the Giant Waldo Suit scene and her fierce protection of that little girl. Motivation. There is a reason for the violence. Another iconic kick-ass heroine is Whedon’s Buffy (I never really glommed onto the whole series but I do remember one line, uttered with complete seriousness, which made ME take it seriously and believe the whole conceit: “They have no clue what a slayer is.” There is a world of hurt and potential in those few words. A world of confidence (born not of hubris but of a simple knowledge of what one is capable of). And yet… there have been entire episodes of Buffy where the heroine exhibits… actual… VULNERABILITY. Hey, kick-ass heroines can get hurt, just like the rest of us. That’s a revelation, to some.

Getting in the head of a strong woman like this can be tough, no less for female writers than for the guys. Because, well, in a kick-ass heroine the fact that she can DO pertinent and successful violence is a given. It’s very easy to stop there, and have her wreak havoc for the couple of hundred pages of your book, and never get beyond just that. But what makes it for me, is WHY.

An unlikely literary kick-ass heroine, for me, despite the fact that she never wielded a sword, is Dianora from Tigana – because she is steely inside, where it matters. And because she finds herself unexpectedly betrayed by her emotions, in the end, in a manner that was a crushing weight on her. And because she still makes her own choices, her own decisions, in the end. A kick-ass heroine isn’t one who whacks everything standing until she is the last one left on her feet. A kick-ass heroine is the woman who faces her troubles, can deal with them physically if she needs to, but who can also deal with them in more difficult and more subtle ways. A kick-ass heroine, in other words, is a well-rounded character with strength and convictions, somebody willing and able to stand up for her ideas and for the things that she holds dear, whether wielding a sword or her tongue or her intelligence.

Perhaps this is not the classical definition of what a “kick-ass” heroine is, or does. I wrote one, myself, in the person of Xaforn from “The Secrets of Jin Shei.” I don’t think anybody who has ever read that book, met that woman, could have any doubts whatsoever that she was amongst the most kick-ass of the kick-ass. But her strength, for me, wasn’t in that she could beat down a baker’s dozen of trained warriors and make enough of a dent, enough damage, to make her presence felt. Her strength was steel core of her honor.

A kick-ass heroine should be more than a female thug. In other words… the “kick-ass” is secondary to “HEROINE.”

Author, Alma Alexander

About the Author: Alma Alexander is an internationally published novelist whose work, from YA fantasy to far more “grown-up” books, appears in 14 languages worldwide. She is currently at work on more books featuring the strong female protagonists for which she has become known. Alma Alexander lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two cats.

Where to buy her books:
Amazon Bookstore
Kindle store
Smashwords page
Sky Warrior Books Amazon Store

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Post-Apocalyptic Strong Heroine Fights for Freedom

by Beth Barany Posted on October 12, 2011

Welcome to our weekly guest post on what makes a kick ass heroine in science fiction and fantasy. This week’s author Cynthia Echterling shares about a complex heroine in a scary time when mutants and outlaws raid the frontier. Her heroine is smart and tough and must face the ultimate sacrifice. Read on!

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Catherine Fuller is the female lead character of an ensemble cast in the post-apocalyptic novel, Scavengers. In the novel, the world is beginning to recover from a cataclysmic event that depopulated most of North America. Catherine grew up on an agricultural co-op on the North Georgia frontier where life was hard and settlers were forced to fight off raids from mutants and outlaws in order to hang onto what little they had. The intelligent and strong willed Catherine wanted more. She moved to the northern-most city-state, worked her way through college and became a professor of anthropology at the small university, working in agricultural archeology. Her and her team of graduate students work discovering long forgotten crops and farm equipment to improve life on the frontier. She is responsible for rediscovering the crowder pea and its nitrogen fixing properties and is now working on redesigning a horse drawn combine harvester from studying artifacts found in the ruins.

When her former lover, fellow anthropologist, Thomas Martin, is accused of treason and escapes into the ruins which are inhabited by savages that the government has classified as subhuman, Catherine leads the effort to learn the truth and find Martin — if he has survived. What she and her co-conspirators discover is that not only is Martin’s theory that the savages, known as dregs, are equally human correct, but that a conspiracy within the government is planning a final solution to the dreg problem. She has to find Martin and save a people that she herself was taught to hate.

Catherine is driven by her desire to improve her own life and the hard scrabble lives of the people trying to restart a civilization. She has not only the strength of her convictions, but the survival skills she learned on the frontier and through her archeological and agricultural research. She is also motivated by guilt. If she had backed up Martin’s theories, he might never have lost his position. If she had not convinced her latest love interest, reporter Mike Alvares, to take part in her investigations, he might still be alive. Can she risk getting herself or anyone else killed? Catherine admits her mistakes, learns from them and moves on, always striving to make things right.

She is a no-nonsense person, driven to succeed and able to convince others through her force of will even when the fighting gets physical. Deep down though, Catherine is still motivated by the fear of a little girl growing up in the wilds and finds it hard to risk the position and life she worked so hard to obtain. She learns to give up her own safety to fight for the safety and freedom of all, including those disgusting savages who eat their own dead.

Author, Cynthia Echterling

About the Author
Cynthia Echterling, grew up and currently lives in Northwest Indiana, but has also lived in Georgia where this story takes place. She studied experimental psychology and has had a long time interest in anthropology ever since reading William Golding’s books, Lord of the Flies and The Inheritors as a child. She is also an Army veteran. Her fondest childhood memories were of spending time on her relatives’ farms and still has an interest in organic agriculture. She is also an artist who dabbles in animation, voice over and sound effects. She designed the cover for this book. Besides Scavengers, she is the author of the Help Wanted, Human series, written under the name Stephen Wytrysowski and published by Whiskey Creek Press.

You can learn more about her and her work at her website. www.welikehumans.com

Scavengers is available in all e-book formats at:

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/76885

Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Scavengers-ebook/dp/B005H3LC48/

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Female Leaders: What if Real People Inspired the Greek Myths?

by Beth Barany Posted on October 5, 2011
Mythikas Island Book Three - Aphrodite (Volume 3) by Diana Hurwitz

Welcome to our weekly guest post on what makes a kick ass heroine in science fiction and fantasy. This week’s author Diana Hurwitz shares about the teen heroines featured in her series, Mythikas Island, an interesting take on the Greek myths. Thanks Diana!

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Mythikas Island is a book series that follows four kick-ass heroines as they undergo a survival exercise on a deserted island to earn a seat on the ruling council of Mt. Olympus.

As a reader, I love strong female characters. As a writer, I wanted to tell a story about females raised with the expectation that they would be leaders. My fascination with Greek myths and female deities made me wonder how women lost their power.

While reading about ancient Sparta, where they trained boys and girls to advance to the elite class, the seed for Mythikas was sewn. I believe that in every myth there is a kernel of truth. I asked, “What if real people inspired the Greek myths?”

I realized I wanted to write about humans rather than goddesses. Magic and immortality didn’t work for the story I wanted to tell. The story idea flourished and four protagonists emerged. Each book covers a week in the challenge from a different character’s point of view.

My protagonists are tested, far from home, under the most extreme circumstances. They learn important lessons about themselves, each other and the world they live in. The four girls start the journey primed by their personal losses.

They have each been trained: Athena (successfully) and Diana (unsuccessfully) as warriors. Athena excels at hand to hand combat, chariot racing and bending people to her will. As Zeus’s favorite daughter, she expects to have her way. Her personal challenge is to influence the others rather than bully them.

Diana is a competent student, but her solitary nature works against her. She has never respected authority or Athena. She is an expert archer reluctant to kill. Diana’s personal challenge is to learn to work within a group and utilize her skills when required.

Aphrodite is trained as a seer. The others mock her intuitive powers but learn how critical they can be. Aphrodite forces them to question what they think they know. Her personal challenge is to master her emotions so the others will take her seriously.

Persephone is trained as a healer. She is the voice of reason as panic and mutual suspicion set in. Without her knowledge of plants and medicine, they would all die. Her personal challenge is to overcome her clinical detachment to care for the others, even if she would not have chosen them as friends.

The girls must band together and defeat deadly predators, a self-destructing island and ghosts from their past if they ever want to see home again.

I loved writing the characters. Over the course of five years, they took on a life of their own. As they grew throughout the challenge, I grew as a writer. They challenged and frustrated me, often taking detours I didn’t plan. They made me laugh and cry. I hope they do the same for my readers.

Author, Diana Hurwitz

About the Author
Diana Hurwitz spent her childhood near Cincinnati daydreaming during school, voraciously reading books and writing poetry. She currently resides in Indianapolis with her husband, teen daughter and two cats. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Writers and Illustrators, ALAN and the Mystery Writers of America. She enjoys writing full time and is part of the Ladyscribes critique group.

“Children are the future leaders of our societies, families and governments; we should cultivate them wisely.”

The first three books in the Mythikas Island series are available in print and Kindle http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B002BOC3HQ, print and Nook http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/diana-hurwitz?store=ebook and by request through local booksellers. Mythikas Island Book Four: Athena will be released November 2011. For more information visit www.dianahurwitz.com.

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