 | 11 Mar 10 |
Rocki’s post on Tuesday asking if there was a double-standard in romance elicited a groundswell of responses from MSW readers. Some of the comments were particularly noteworthy, so I’d suggest if you haven’t read the blog you do so.
The primary theme of the blog was whether readers had a double standard in romance vis-a-vis the hero and heroine. That heroines are held to a higher standard than heroes. We forgive heroes for sleeping around, playing the field, having oodles of sexual experience–but if the heroine has more than one or two lovers (and they should be steady lovers, perhaps even a fiance thrown in there, because that would make having sex more acceptable for our heroines) then readers turn on her. That slut.
Heroines can be brave, but they can’t be proactive in a dangerous situation otherwise they are deemed TSTL. A hero, on the other hand, who runs into a burning building to save a child is, well, a hero.
The comments to Rocki’s post were also interesting, highlighting how women treat women. The cattiness. The backstabbing. The backhanded compliments (that Lori discussed yesterday.) I did remember a slight that had been irritating me–but it was directed at my oldest daughter. Katie is an athlete. She has a great body, is physically fit, has defined muscles, and has practice or works out daily. One of her closest friends is always making comments about Katie’s weight, either implying or outright stating that she’s “fat” or “chunky.” WTF? Fortunately, my daughter is far too confident and grounded to believe it, but it irritates her.
And I can’t help wonder why this non-violent aggression by women to women exists. I could cite examples, but we all have them, don’t we? Times where we’ve given, times where we’ve received. There were several comments that struck home to me:
AMALIA: I would suggest that it is perhaps instinctive for women to appreciate the Alpha male. Also, by that same logic, perhaps the problem we have with strong Heroines is that they are Competition for the best protection/food supply. If they simper, we know we can elbow them out of the way and take over!
ALY: I can only echo what so many have already said about women being the worst critics of other women. Think about the constant argument of Working vs. SAH moms. These arguments get so vicious! And instead of just agreeing to disagree or finding some common ground, the women have to beat each other down. Unfortunately, I think because women have had to fight for so much for so long, that we no longer see other women as comrades in our fight but as enemies that are in our way. And in my opinion, this fracture has helped perpetuate the double standard.
LORI: Women. NEVER men. Let me repeat that. I’ve NEVER had a man approach me and say, “Gee, I really liked the book, but I wish your character wouldn’t swear so much. Or drink so much. Or pistol whip people so much.”
I also found it interesting that Rocki, and most of the commenters who write, have a harder time with their heroine than their heroes (those who write romances.) I don’t. My heroines are so much easier for me. So I started thinking about why that was.
Sophie and Lori both write a series with a strong female lead. These aren’t romances, though there may be a romantic interest. And even they are getting flak for their straight-shooting, foul-mouthed, violent females. But probably not as much as a romance writer. I haven’t gotten much flak, either–and I finally figured out why. My heroines are in professions the average reader already equates as a “male profession” (I say this very loosely!) like cops, FBI agents, private investigators. A heroine who is a cop can get away with more than a heroine who is, for example, a museum curator.
My heroes and heroines are a TEAM. From day one. Men and women have strengths and weaknesses, and they can compliment each other when they work as a TEAM. That became so clear to me writing my Seven Deadly Sins series because Rafe and Moira must work together to defeat the demon–neither is stronger than the other. I use “stronger” to mean all-around stronger, not just brute strength. The average man has a greater capacity to gain physical strength than the average woman–but in the brain department, we all have the same potential.
My big pet peeve is alpha heroes. I know, I’m going to be kicked out of the romance community! It’s not the cops or military guys, but the brutes. I’ve skimmed some message boards that have me scratching my head at readers who forgive a hero for manhandling the heroine, or think the heroine is an idiot because she’s not caving to the hero’s will. I don’t get it. I just don’t get the allure of assholes. (Yes, I know that one woman’s asshole is another woman’s alpha . . . )
The hardest heroines for me to write are those NOT in law enforcement or a similar profession. Though Julia Chandler in SEE NO EVIL was my first “other” heroine, she was still a prosecutor who is still connected. It was really Robin McKenna in KILLING FEAR who was the biggest challenge for me. A former stripper who now owns a nightclub. How could I make her a strong heroine? I struggled with her greatly.
Female cops aren’t generally in the TSTL category because they are trained to face hostile situations. Strippers, on the other hand, have a much higher threshold. And now I realize why–I am as guilty as everyone else. I struggle to create a strong, believable heroine who doesn’t have the automatic authority to BE a strong heroine. Because I know that if she steps off the reservation and is too bold or too independent or too strong-willed, readers will hate her.
This is why I write romantic suspense with a strong emphasis on law enforcement. Maybe it’s just a little bit easier because I can create a strong heroine who isn’t going to be called a bitch by readers. And ultimately, that’s where we are. Reader expectations, which are drawn on reader lives and values–which mirror ours because writers are readers too. We’re all guilty of double-standards. And I don’t know how to fix it, no matter how unfair it is. It starts young. Drama in school starts the day the kids cross into the classroom–and it doesn’t end when we graduate.
What do you think? Are law enforcement heroines cut more slack? Who is one of your favorite non-law enforcement (i.e. “regular, everyday profession) heroine? Why?
New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award winning author Allison Brennan has published fourteen romantic thrillers with Ballantine, plus a novella and four short stories. She lives near Sacramento, California with her husband and five children. Recently, RT Book Reviews said, “A master of suspense, Brennan does another outstanding job uniting horrifying action, procedural drama and the birth of a romance — a prime example of why she’s tops in the genre.” For fun Allison enjoys wine tasting, swimming, playing video games, and—of course–reading. Her most recent release is CARNAL SIN, the second book in the Seven Deadly Sins supernatural romantic suspense series. Her Lucy Kincaid series will launch in January, 2011 with LOVE ME TO DEATH.
Subscribe to Posts 
In a word, yes. The strongest heroine I’ve ever written was Lucy Sharpe, the head of the Bullet Catchers team. She never got a single complaint (except for some readers believed she picked the wrong hero in a built-up love triangle), even though I put her into the same tight spots I put every other heroine. But… every other heroine didn’t have a CIA background and a Glock. The investment banker, the anthropologist, the bar owner, the trophy widow, even the journalist…all get the occasional ding for taking a chance in the name of courage. To be fair, they received more praise for being gutsy and good heroines, but there’s always that reviewer who has to question an action of the heroines. Sometimes I wonder why they read romantic suspense if they always want the heroine to be safe – safety ain’t the name of the game.
Thanks for the nod to my blog, the reactions have been fascinating and I suspect today’s comments will be just as lively.
by Roxanne St. Claire March 11th, 2010 at 7:06 amI love Lucy
But again, I’m drawn to strong heroines in law enforcement. I think I wanted to be a cop in a previous life . . .
by Allison Brennan March 11th, 2010 at 9:48 amLucy is great and I love her. But my favorite heroine from Rocki is Miranda, the professor
by Barbie March 11th, 2010 at 2:23 pmMaybe that’s why I don’t struggle w/heroines so much-I write them as a team-to work together…yeah, makes sense.
)
One thing I personally don’t have a problem with, in life, is just being outspoken in general, or honest, or…well, if the situation calls for it, I can even be a bitch. Maybe that makes it easier to have it come through in the writing, and I can relate to the outspoken female characters.
What I often lack, though, is diplomacy. A friend used to call me ‘brutally’ blunt. Which is why I’ve developed the habit since I started writing and doing the online bit of making sure I think-LONG AND HARD-before I speak. Maybe that’s how why some people get the idea that I’m shy. o_O
Some of my favorite non-law enforcement female characters…hmmmm.
Hard question-for some reason, maybe because YOU SAID non-law, LMAO, all I’m thinking of is law enforcement-hey, what about a lawyer? Lawyers aren’t cops-that work? I love the female leads in Julie James’ books.
by Shiloh Walker March 11th, 2010 at 8:13 amHi Shiloh! You’re right–and I also didn’t mean to imply that non-law enforcement heroines can’t be a team with their hero (they obvious SHOULD be in my opinion) but that they aren’t EXPECTED to. If a female cop couldn’t hold her own in a gun fight or car chase, readers would wonder how the hell she became a cop in the first place.
by Allison Brennan March 11th, 2010 at 9:51 amOh, you didn’t… lol. I had -lack of coffee- brain, plus was rushing. ;o)
I think, all around, looking at the characters as a team just seems to make it work better, ya know?
And hell, no, if a female cop can’t hold her own, she needs to find a less dangerous job… O_O
by Shiloh Walker March 11th, 2010 at 10:11 pmGreat post, Allison! My favorite real life heroines are my best bud attorney Maureen Cooper (everyone calls her Mike) and my superwoman CPA, Candice Theis. Both are strong, confident women who say what they think and do what they say with the greatest of eloquence! These two ladies have kindly offered to do a workshop with me at RWA in Nashville!
by Debra webb March 11th, 2010 at 8:27 amCan’t wait for that workshop Deb!
by Allison Brennan March 11th, 2010 at 9:51 amHi Allison,
Interesting that you focus on their profession. I never thought about it in that light. One of the strongest heroines I ever wrote was a hair stylist (Whisper of Warning) falsely accused of murder. I like to put women in tough situations, especially if they’re not trained for it, because it’s fun to see them get resourceful to find a way out.
As for the looks thing, I so enjoy stories where the hero appreciates the heroine for who she is naturally… those unique traits that are all hers, not the Hollywood standard of beauty. I agree that women are very much to blame for promoting those crazy standards because we go out and try to make ourselves look that way.
Having daughters, like you do, this issue really bugs me because I want my girls to be proud of who they are, not obsessed with who they aren’t.
by Laura Griffin March 11th, 2010 at 9:10 amLAURA! You hit it.
First, I think it might just be *me* who has the problem with many non-law enforcement heroines. I’ve written three out of 14 books. (Moira is a trained demon hunter, so that’s *like* being a cop
. . .
Those three were the hardest heroines for *me* to write. Another author may not have that problem.
(FWIW, my mom doesn’t care one way or the other as long as she can buy into the story and the heroine is smart.)
But the thing about our DAUGHTERS. I always tell my girls that they can’t do EVERYTHING (from experience–working full-time, writing every night, trying to be a good wife and mother–damn hard.) BUT they can do ANYTHING they set their mind to. They have to want it, be willing to sacrifice for it, but they can do anything–from being a hair dresser or a teacher or a cop or an FBI Agent or even go into the military. I hate the double standard for girls that, even though we SAY that girls can do anything, they are often frowned on for attempting to do something that isn’t considered a “girl job” or activity.
by Allison Brennan March 11th, 2010 at 9:56 amOh, thanks!! I am going to remember that quote to tell my girls: you can’t do EVERYthing, but you can do ANYthing you set your mind to. Love that!
by Laura Griffin March 11th, 2010 at 10:09 amI caught Rocki’s blog way too late at night to comment (great blog, Rocki) and I’ve been thinking about this a lot.
As someone who wrote a really strong character who is not in law enforcement, I’m kinda… surprised… really, at the vehemence that has turned up against strong women characters who’ve slept with a lot of guys. I haven’t gotten that response for Bobbie Faye at all. In fact, the opposite is true: she’s been resoundingly praised for her strength.
Part of the reason I think this is acceptable to readers is that it’s clear from the set up that Bobbie Faye has had to be the strong one in her family. She’s the one who constantly has to step up to the challenges because nobody else is going to do it. She’s trying to keep her family together, keep them from shooting themselves in the feet (figuratively), and keep them aimed at goals that will improve their lives. When her brother is kidnapped and his life is threatened, she’s furious. She doesn’t want to have to save him. She’d rather call the police, but there’s no real time to contemplate doing that and he could easily be killed if she does so. (She’s shown an example of someone who is dead, who is a relative, who did not cooperate already with the villain.)
She’s a complex woman–she takes absolutely no crap off anyone, and yet, she’s vulnerable and lonely, and you see it, I think. That, to me, was the key. I think a lot of times when writers write “strong” women, they make them strong across the board: there are no doubts, there’s no vulnerability, no sense of wishfulness that they didn’t always have to be the super strong one, and I think this is because writers mistakenly believe that to expose those fears undermines the strength. I honestly think it’s the opposite: strength in the face of doubts shows true strength and courage, and we need to see those cracks in the armor to be able to relate to the woman.
Now, granted, I gave Bobbie Faye a job that allowed her to be very very good at handling guns. (She’s the clerk at a store where she mans the gun counter and she teaches gun safety classes and marksman classes.) But coupled with that is a checkered past where a lot of things did not go as planned despite her strength and best efforts. Plus, she’s got a checkered past of men she’s dated… there’s a running joke in book 1 about how many men she’s pissed off in the state (almost all of them) and it’s implied that she’s had a lot of boyfriends. (She hasn’t had many, actually, but the general perception is that she has.)
She’s paired with a guy early on in the book who’s alpha, but he’s not an ass. (She’s not sure what he is, because she sort of kidnapped him.) He’s strong, but he asks her opinion. He listens to her and when she’s got a good idea, implements it with her. Her ex (who’s a cop, chasing her), is also strong, but doesn’t respect that strength.
Not that I’m holding up Bobbie Faye as the perfect strong heroine, and not that there was never, ever, anyone who complained. I occasionally had a woman write that she didn’t like the language and there are a couple of Amazon reviews to that effect. I shrug that off. Bobbie Faye is angry at the world, angry for having to be the one who’s life is always put on hold for her siblings, angry at her parents abandonment, and it comes out in her way of kicking at the world, through language. As the books progress and she starts finding love, the need to lash out using curse words diminishes.
The key, maybe, to writing strong women is to quit worrying about whether they’re bitches or not, or whether people are going to freak out over them being strong. I think if we show their strength and their vulnerability, we don’t strip their feminine side from them. And if someone still complains about that, then they need to check out the fact that this is 2010 and women can kick asses just as much as men can.
/rant
by toni mcgee causey March 11th, 2010 at 9:42 amAmen, Toni.
I also think Bobbie Faye was widely accepted because it wasn’t marketed as a romance. IMO. But also, because you are a damn good writer!
by Allison Brennan March 11th, 2010 at 9:59 amAw, thanks, Allison.
by toni mcgee causey March 11th, 2010 at 11:57 pmBobbie Faye rocks. I also kind of wonder if she is a “safe” character for women to consider that side of themselves…? I mean she’s already the character who says and does a lot of the things we dream about doing but are too wimpy. So if she gets to be exhuberant in other ways too, maybe that is more “okay” than if a more typical series heroine goes and gits ‘er some.
Don’t know, just musing away here..
by sophie littlefield March 11th, 2010 at 10:08 amThanks, Sophie. I think one of the things that helped that perception is the quotes at the top of the chapter, where everyone sort of made fun of BF–quotes from her world, where they were gobsmacked by her exuberance, if you will. I think it told the reader, “yeah, she’s over the top, and we know it and we’re sort of flummoxed, too, how she keeps surviving,” which puts the reader in the shoes of the observers and allays some of their concerns about her being over-the-top or using rough language.
by toni mcgee causey March 11th, 2010 at 11:59 pmWell said, Toni.
by Laura Griffin March 11th, 2010 at 10:11 amthanks, Laura!
by toni mcgee causey March 11th, 2010 at 11:59 pmToni, with Bobbie Faye I was left with the feeling that she didn’t have lots of boyfriends because she was promiscuious, but because she was looking for Mr. Right. If she had found Mr. Right, right off the bat that would have been the end of her dating days, and I think any woman whose had to date for any length of time can relate to that.
by Jill James March 11th, 2010 at 2:39 pmJill, you’re right–if she’d found what she was instinctively looking for earlier, she would have been done.
by toni mcgee causey March 11th, 2010 at 11:57 pmWhat a great ongoing discussion this week!
I always say this, but one of my favorite women characters is Barbara Havers in Elizabeth George’s novels. Yes, they are crime, so as you say Allison the standard may be different. One of the things I love about her in addition to her basic tactlessness is that she is plain. That may be one of my hot buttons, though probably for another day.
The censure of the “slutty” character has always fascinated me. We all obviously think about sex a lot – those of us who read spicy plots anyway – so what’s with this demand for demure heroines when it comes to experience? I guess it must bother me a lot, because I’ve made my secondary character – stella’s 30-ish sidekick – very experienced. She gets around with verve and gusto and I’m careful not to let her consider herself any less for it.
One of the things i love the very most about writing is that I get to play with stereotypes, turn them on their heads and make a better world.
Also, Allison, love the alpha male discussion you have started here and hope we get to continue that one too.
by sophie littlefield March 11th, 2010 at 10:06 amOoh, I get to explore my love of alpha males writing as Lorelei James. And yes, sometimes, I let them be an ass, but they’re not ever…mean. They’re a force to be reckoned with.
Because I switch back and forth between genres, and first person POV – singular, where I’m ONLY in Mercy’s head for the entire book, and in erotic romance I write from both male and female POV in third person, it’s hard not to make every female character tough as hell. I like those characters, I understand them.
In my book Shoulda Been A Cowboy, the hero is an injured Iraq war vet and the heroine I paired him with is…soft. Or appears soft at first. She was very hard for me to write…but I stuck with my gut feeling with her character and she’s become one of my favorites
by Lori G. Armstrong March 11th, 2010 at 11:24 amYou nailed it, Lori–your alpha males aren’t mean (I had to pick up one of your Lorelei James books . . . couldn’t help myself!) I can handle arrogant if there’s a cause (and cops can be arrogant) and I can handle hard-nosed, but I don’t like blatant chauvinists and I hate mean. I don’t think that people can be changed–their core, inner self. They can change bad habits, they can become better people, but that’s because at their core they are good people. Cruelty is unacceptable, and I really can’t stand heroines who think that they can change the hero and make him nicer, or who “understands” when he’s an ass because of his mean father, and justifies it! Cry me a river and grow up.
by Allison Brennan March 11th, 2010 at 1:45 pmAllison, wow. So much to think about among your post, Lori’s and Rocki’s. Let me digress a bit into my background before I get to the meat of your discussion. I was lucky. My dad raised me just like he raised my brother. I’ve lived a long life with a lot of different careers, most of them in what many would consider traditional male roles–firefighting, law enforcement, court adminsitration, and ranching. I’ve handled weapons all my life (got my first .410 shotgun at 8 for hunting). I’ve had to prove to some of the men working beside me that I was better at my job because being just as good didn’t cut it. Realize, I came of age at the dawn of women’s lib, and I may step on some toes here but I believe it was because of that movement that I had to work twice as hard.
Romance novels of old were all about the bodice ripping, IMO. I hated them. Most of the so-called seductions were thinly-veiled rapes because gollygeewilligers, a woman couldn’t WANT sex, could she? Authors put the heroines into ridiculous situations just so the hero could rescue her. Bah on that!
As a reader, I want a strong heroine and I’m drawn to the writers here for that reason. I don’t care if she has brass balls and shows the world. She might be a bitch but she’s my kind of bitch. I hate simpering females in real life so why the hell would I read about them for fun?
As a mother, I’ve raised my daughter just like my dad raised me. She’s an athlete, a scholar, and can take care of herself (and her fiance, too!). As a woman, I’ve tried to support other women though truthfully? I can count my close women friends on one hand. Why? I’d need to write a psychology paper to explain. I think Amalia may be on to something. Are we truly “hard-wired” to elbow perceived competition out of the way in order to snag the Alpha male? Has anyone watched THE BACHELOR lately? Just sayin’…
Okay. Tirade over. My favorite female character ever is Eve Dallas. Yes, she’s a cop, but she’s also so vulnerable she’s thrown up thick walls to hide behind. My favorite non-cop-etc. heroine? Off the top of my head, I’d have to say Toni’s Bobbie Faye. That woman manages to keep it together against all the odds!
Great series of posts this week, ladies! (And I mean that term in all due respect. One of the strongest women I ever met was also one of the most gracious ladies–the wife of a military judge. She was truly amazing!)
I’m crawling back into my cave now. I have a female FBI agent who cusses like a sailor waiting to interview a vampire college professor quoting Shakespeare. Later, gators!
by Silver James March 11th, 2010 at 11:54 amYES TO EVE DALLAS! She’s exactly the type of strong heroine I love. Great example, Silver!
And I agree with everything else you said, too
Male competition is different than female competition. I’m sure there are oodles of books out there on the psychology of this, but I think it comes down to values. Men (in general) value results. Therefore, they can have a free throw competition in basketball and high five the winner and go out for beers afterward, and the next morning they’re going to be practicing so they get the free round next time. Women will be critical of HOW the free throw is made. “Well, she won, but she had poor form.” We focus more on image and the overall picture and all the gray areas–said and unsaid–and men tend to be black and white. I don’t think this is a bad thing about women in general, because I think we see the world more richly because of all the shades of gray, but it does make us more hyper-critical of other women.
by Allison Brennan March 11th, 2010 at 1:41 pmThere’s a really terrific book called, “You Just Don’t Understand,” which is a documentation of how children grow up to communicate the way they do. Fascinating stuff there, because the author observed how little girls, whether they were left to their own devices or exposed to older girls, all socialized in the same way, and that is to bring other women around them into a level playing field. If one girl had something a whole lot better than the rest of the group, outside of the acceptable range of +/-, then the group tended to cut her down to bring her down to their level. On the other hand, if a girl was below the level of the group and could be “saved,” then she was brought up to the level of the group with advice, insistence on doing things the way the group did them, etc. If a girl was perceived as too high or too low and therefore could not average into the group without showing everyone else up, she was cut from the group and ignored or ridiculed.
Boys, however, formed a one-up/one-down culture, where there wasn’t a “group” mentality. They simply measured how they did amongst their peers and tried to do better than the guy nearest them, and not be in the back of the pack. The true alpha males not only exceeded the standards of the pack, but it became his duty to take care of the stragglers and see to the needs of the group as their de-facto natural leader.
[Which is why, when you think of it, you absolutely never ever see these kinds of discussions on other genre discussion groups about whether or not a male should be softened or not, by the men who write them.]
by toni mcgee causey March 11th, 2010 at 4:06 pmI can’t stand wimpy women. In real life or in the books I read. And I’d say probably 99% of the books I have and have read, the heroine WASN’T a complete idiot. And I want to say 99% of the heros in the books I’ve read have been a good balance of alpha agressiveness with a brain and a conscience. Some women in novels though … ugh .. ya just wanna scream “GROW A FUCKING SPINE”. Those writer’s don’t generally get my repeat business though.
But I was raised and surrounded by strong women, so maybe that is why the simpering female just drives me batty.
The reason’s for the double standard and the problem some women have with other strong women is as varied and deep as women themselves
I do think part of it is the hard wired need to procreate with the best possible option, and to take out any competition that gets in our way.
I also think it’s a societal thing, that women are supposed to be soft and kind and sweet and nurturing and all that “sugar and spice and everything nice” kind of thing.
And I definitely think our own sense of self worth comes into play BIG time. The more confident we are in who we are and our abilities the less we focus on what others say or think.
And in my opinion (and it’s the most important one LOL) there are two kinds of bitches. Good bitches and bad bitches.
A good bitch is the woman who gets called a bitch because she’s not a doormat, stands up for herself and those she loves, has confidence, is intelligent, and isn’t affraid to persue the things that make her happy. (Well if that makes me a bitch .. then Yes I am, thank you very much).
A bad bitch is a woman who is unhappy with her own life and wants to make others unhappy too just cause she can.
by Angi C March 11th, 2010 at 2:00 pmSo astute Angi!!!
Karin is a good bitch
I love her.
We all know bad bitches. They’ll remain nameless.
by Allison Brennan March 11th, 2010 at 2:31 pmAww, thank you , Allison!
by Karin Tabke March 11th, 2010 at 3:22 pmNow that you mentioned it, Allison, I realized I like your law enforcement heroines considerably more than the non-law enforcement ones.
Being law enforcement is not a requirement for me to like them, though. In general, I really like doctors or therapists that find their ways into the cases. And, of course, professors. Generally, I like professors. I guess I just like heroines with brains in addition to guts, and that don’t feel sorry for themselves. I don’t care thatmuch what they do.
Favorite non-law enforcement heroine ever??? If you can include prosecutors and MEs, then it’s Karen Rose’s ASA Kristen Mayhew and Karin Slaughter’s Dr. Sara Linton. I looooooove them!!!
by Barbie March 11th, 2010 at 2:40 pmAs I said before, I have trouble writing strong heroines. They always come off as bitchy. One heroine is only better now because an editor helped me see where I needed to soften her. But I would bet money that no author is told to soften a hero. (pun intended)
by Jill James March 11th, 2010 at 2:43 pm(psssst, Jill. I was told at one point to soften Trevor)
I didn’t ignore the note, but it made me realize that I had not shown his vulnerable side or his sense of humor, yet, so that note alerted me to that need.
by toni mcgee causey March 11th, 2010 at 3:59 pmI think law enforcement heroines are cut more slack but i also think writers who write or attempt to write strong heroines and have difficulty making her heroic w/o making her appear characterish haven’t gone deep enough. to me the most heroic women in the word are mothers. it doesn’t matter whether they are doormats in their regular life, because when they have to, they will morph into medusa and fight to the death to protect their babies. period. i mean, think about it, to protect our young we will do tstl things, we will go way out of our comfort zone. we will leap tall buildings in a single bound. we will get in the big bad mo’ fo’ bad guy’s face and rip him a new one to protect our children. these reasons to be heroic are organically built into to our dna, so much so, that just about every women and man on the planet can relate. if you instill that type of belief system, for whatever her cause, into a heroine, regardless of occupation, we the reader will buy it.
by Karin Tabke March 11th, 2010 at 3:17 pmWow. You’re amazing (have I told you that often enough? Your kids better know it!)
You make me want to create just such a heroine . . . but you’re right, it’s tough and risky and hard to pull off.
by Allison Brennan March 11th, 2010 at 3:19 pmyou are amazing as well. i’m still recuperating from spending the night at your place. i still don’t know how you do it all.
by Karin Tabke March 11th, 2010 at 3:25 pmI had to think about this, because, umm, I’m not reading those weak heroines. But I’m guessing that’s because a lot of my romance reading is in paranormal? Just a guess.
You make a valid point about an expectation that heroines in law enforcement will have more aggressive characteristics.
by Jen Lyon March 11th, 2010 at 3:32 pm