Hello friends! Just a quick post to share my current giddiness. My novella, 'Elinora the Great' has just shot up to #43 on the strong-heroine list. Although this doesn't compare to many novels who have topped several charts, for me it is a personal achievement as it is being recognised for the theme that has always been the central force in my composition of this book- strong women, kickass women, women who are powerful enough to hold their own, but make no mistake- they are by no means perfect. They've tumbled their way through the 'hecticisms' that life throws at them, they've gone through dread, self-doubt, hopelessness, yet they fought on, and hence have come out braver, more unassailable people. Whether they've necessarily changed for the 'better' is something I myself will never try to place a label on, as everyone has different definitions of what is 'good.' Maybe they've grown to be smarter yet less trusting. Maybe they've learnt to open up to others at the risk of being hurt. And please, make no mistake, I am not trying to say that males do not go through the above, because without a doubt they do- it is part of the human experience for all of us- male, female, indeterminate, intersex, or unspecified- we all do. However, this book was borne out of my frustration at the overrepresentation of one-dimensional female leads in fiction- the romance novels that pretend to be the story of how a no-name female 'blossoms' into a 'stunner' yet if you dig deeper you realise that her personality has developed very little and all she has really done is earn somehow earn the affections of a handsome, rich and powerful male. And hence the strong-heroine we have today was born :-)
