Good morning! This is my first time on the CTR blog so I’d better introduce myself. I’m Mina Carter, and I write…well, just about anything as long as it has a romance. Seriously, I’m very equal opportunities about sub-genre.
One thing they all have in common though, is a strong heroine. I hate, loathe and detest TSTL heroines. You know the kind. They’re the ones you’re yelling by page three to slap the a**hole hero across the face and walk out, retaining some feminine pride along the way.Or the ones that seem swayed by everything the hero says.
Him: This couch looks cool in black…what do you think?
Her: I agree, very nice.
Him: But what about red, or pink spots?
Her: You know, I preferred that from the start.
ARRRRGGGGH! Someone shoot me now! Okay, maybe they’re not as bad as that example but they’re out there and they drive me BATTY!
I write kick-ass heroines in defense. Even if my gal’s not a lethal, battle-honed mercenary from the inhospitable outer rings of Kevas Seven (or some other location), she’s feisty and more than a match for the (poor) hero.
In Vixen (recently released from Summerhouse publishing, click here for more information…see how smooth that link was there? Like a bull in a china shop 😉 ) my kick ass heroine is (unsurprisingly) the title character. In the kyn world warriors are born, not made, and Vixen is lucky (or unlucky) enough to be the only warrioress in existence.
Tough, naturally given at hand to hand combat and with a sassy tongue to book, you’d think she has it all. But her ‘bite me’ attitude hides a surprisingly soft centre. Abandoned by her father, teased as a child for the marks on her skin, Vixen has an outer shell any crab would envy and keeps her emotions locked deep inside.
Then her nightmare comes to fruition. The rough, tough warrioress is called into service…as a bridesmaid. When I was writing Vixen I couldn’t think of a more unlikely scenario and it still makes me smile. The idea of a woman born and trained for combat in pink silk (which she hates) and carrying a bouquet rather than a blade. The whole situation terrifies her more than facing down a horde of rogue vampires.
And that’s not the worst of it. She knows she has to face the rest of the warriors, men who are used to seeing her in leathers and covered in blood…in a dress.
So…tell me, what are your thoughts on heroines? What sort of women do you like to see in books…battle hardened warrior types or stay at home mom’s and the whole range in between?
I’m here all day, so feel free to join in the chat!
Mina xx
@minacarter
Hmm. I like seeing heroines in every shape and style; the whole range you described. I don't want to be pigeon-holed by reading the same type of heroine all the time. I think there's a bit of heroine in each of us and just need the right circumstances to bring it out.
Hi Karen! I totally agree with you. With what most woman consider a normal day (kids, housework, work, everything else)…we should all be hailed as superheroes!
The meek, mild tempered "Yes dear, whatever you say, dear" woman gives me fits…unless she's doing it to buy time and is secretly planning either her escape or revenge. Hehehe!
I like strong heroines that are strong enough to not need anyone, but wise enough to know when it's time to give in. Being strong can be lonely, so why not turn to someone to share the burden with? Especially if he's got two strong arms in which to hold her with and a broad pair of well-muscled shoulders to lay her head upon…though it's nice, too, if he needs to lean on her and she's there for him just as much.
Isn't that how real women are? Don't we have to be there for our men as well? So I second what Karen said. We all have a little hero (or heroine) in us. 😉
Variety is the spice of life. Heroines can be anything they want to be or what life has shaped them into. Great blog, Mina!