Today, I’m happy to have Erica Hayes here to talk about how she picks her heroines. Erica Hayes is the author of the dark and sensual Shadowfae Chronicles. Shadowfae, the first book, is now available and you can read my review here. Next in the series Shadowglass will be releasing this coming March, and is a book I’m very much looking forward to.
Erica has generously offered to giveaway one of her books, the details are at the end.
Howdy Erica!
How do you pick a heroine?
Urban fantasy heroines are special ladies. Not just any kick-ass paranormal chick will do. She has to be resourceful enough to survive in a magical world where all hell could break loose at any moment. She has to have goals, even if she doesn't quite know it yet, and she has to want them badly enough to persist through hellish adversity. But she needs to be vulnerable somehow, too, or she won't be very interesting – where's the fun in a heroine who takes everything in her stride? Especially when it comes to romance.
It's difficult to take those elements — strength, determination and vulnerability — and combine them into a realistic and sympathetic character. Readers have to like her. It's a fine line between sassy and bitchy, kick-ass and uber-violent, determined and annoyingly hard-headed. How many times have you put down a book or a series, not because the story was boring, but because you just didn't like the heroine? Happens to me a lot. I'm picky :)
Gosh. So many factors to consider. Luckily for me, the heroine for Shadowfae popped into my head pretty much fully formed. She's a succubus, I thought. She uses her hellish powers of seduction to entrap men and send their souls to hell. But she can't be a demon, because that'd be too easy for her… no conflict. Hmm. I know! She's a human, in thrall to a demon for a thousand years. But she's over it, see, and she's longing to escape and lead a normal life. And there's this once-off magical-sexy-ritual-thingy that will set her free, only there's this guy who wants to do it too, cause he's an incubus, and… oh, look, the hero. {fans self} I am so writing this story right now…
But even though she's just an ordinary girl, Ice doesn't shrink away from the chaos she's made. She steps up. She faces her mistakes. She deals.
And that, for me, is the key to a great UF heroine. When the grunge hits the fan, she doesn't stand around wringing her hands and crying 'woe is me'. She summons all her resources—whether they're physical, intellectual, emotional or magical— and fights back.
Some heroines seek out bad guys to hunt. Others need to be dragged into the action kicking and screaming. But in the end, it's what they make of their troubles that counts.
So who's your favourite UF heroine? Mercy Thompson? Sookie Stackhouse? Riley Jenson? Do you like it when she's a human with paranormal powers? Or do you prefer your heroines to be vamps, fairies, werecats or wolves?
Places you can find Erica Hayes: Web Site | Blog | Twitter
Shadowfae Chronicles:
- Hellcursed – Free Prequel
- Shadowfae
Steal souls. Live in hell. Never die.
In a city infested with psychotic fairies and run by sadistic vampire mafiosi, life as a soul-sucking succubus rarely involves lacy lingerie, hot guys or great sex.
Enslaved by a demon lord, Jade must spend her nights seducing vampire gangsters and shapeshifting thugs. After two hundred years as a succubus, she burns for freedom and longs to escape her brutal life as a trophy girl for hell's minions.
Then, she meets Rajah, an incubus who touches her heart and intoxicates her senses. Rajah shares the same bleak fate as she, and yearns just as desperately for freedom. But the only way for Jade to break her bonds is to betray Rajah—and doom the only man she's ever loved to a lifetime in hell. - Shadowglass - March 2, 2010
A seductive magic mirror, deep in a demon's lair.
A simple warning: don't stare at the glass.
A light-fingered fairy who can't resist.
For Ice, a compulsive fairy thief, life is a wild party of magical confidence scams. She's never cared for rules, so when she filches a demon's beguiling magic mirror, she can't resist a peek.
Malicious magic strikes, and Ice can no longer tell a lie. If she can't undo the spell, she'll have to turn respectable.
Two words: no way.
Erica, thank you for guest posting and sharing your thoughts on what makes a great heroine.
Giveaway:
Thanks to Erica’s generosity one lucky commenter will win a copy of Shadowfae*. But if the winner already has this book, Erica will pre-order a copy of Shadowglass instead. Here’s how to enter:
- Answer one of Erica’s questions at the end of her post in the comments.
- For an extra entry, spread the word about this giveaway: Blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc. - leave a link in the comments.
- Leave your email with your comment ONLY IF it is NOT part of your profile.
- This giveaway is open to Everyone.
- Giveaway ends on Wednesday, January 27th at 8PM CST.
*I had Shadowfever listed here but it should have been Shadowfae. Sorry for the typo.
Good Luck!
