Take a look at what's selling on bookshelves these days and you'll see a plethora of heroines that are gutsy, determined, fierce, and a lot of other adjectives. Basically, heroines today are strong—stronger than their male counterparts. To quote one author friend, "It's time heroines stood their ground, kicked some ass, and aren't TSTL." (aka Too Stupid To Live).
While I applaud the disappearance of the insipid and TSTL heroines, I think many of the tough kick-ass heroines of today lack an emotional depth and maturity, as if they skipped some developmental process along the way. They are larger than life, perhaps too large, because they all read as the same. Just the names changed to protect the not-so-innocent.
Don't get me wrong, I love the hybrid creation of fantasy and paranormal that spawned the urban fantasy genre, but I miss the clever ingenue—the ingenuity of a common woman with her foibles and klutzy physicality.
Must every heroine now be a kung fu and a weapons expert? Deadly with swords or teeth and claws? Does her lover have to be a world-weary, centuries old, lonely vampire?
Is there anything new under the sun—or the moon and stars, which adds depth and personality to the heroine, the story, and the genre?
Let me know with a shout out, and I'll try to get the author to guest blog here.
Until Next time...
~ Cass
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