Fiction’s Females

Hello, friends.  Today, we’ll be talking about female characters in modern literature.

As a female myself, I identify with several aspects of several female characters.  For example, Cath Avery from Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl.  Like Cath, I spent a great deal of my time absorbed in fictional worlds.  Books are just so much safer than reality.  Or maybe Hermione Granger.  I wasn’t quite the know-it-all she was, but I was definitely teacher’s pet.  I also had the outrageous, uncontrollable curly hair.  Or what about Katniss Everdeen, perhaps my favorite modern literary heroine?  I would go to any lengths to protect my little sister.  I would rather die than let any harm come to her.  That’s what big sisters do, and Katniss is just… wow.  I love her.

Of course, all these characters have their flaws, too.  Cath is timid and antisocial.  Hermione is stubborn.  Katniss is cold and hardened after the loss of her father and having to become the primary caregiver and supplier for her entire family.

There is a big push today for writers – of books as well as movies – to create what is known as the STRONG female character.  We’re not talking about a damsel-in-distress whose one goal in life is to meet Prince Charming, fall in love, and live happily ever after.  Although I have to say, I have friends who want just that and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it.  Who doesn’t want to find companionship?  It’s a basic human need.

But you know what I’m talking about.  The swooning schoolgirl just isn’t “in” right now.  And that’s fine also!  I love female characters who are intelligent, ambitious, witty, independent, talented, powerful, etc…  What I don’t like is female characters who come off as rude, ungrateful, sarcastic, and pretentious.

Why do I bring this up?  Because I’m reading a book with exactly that type of “strong” female character right now.  Or should I say I WAS reading the book.  To be totally honest with you, I hate this girl so much that I probably won’t make it much farther.  Disappointing too, because this is a book I really thought I was going to like.  I downloaded it on Kindle on a total whim.  It wasn’t one I had planned on reading.  Now it’s on that I don’t plan on finishing.

I know what the author is trying to do.  She’s trying to make her female protagonist “different.”  She’s super smart, totally focused on her studies and her budding career (more power to her for that), but she’s totally aloof, unimpressed with anything the other girls find interesting.  That’s fine, you don’t have to fawn over Harry Styles if everyone else does, but don’t look down on them for doing so.  This girl acts so snobby and above-it-all that I can’t imagine why she has any friends in the first place!  She’s so completely rude and unappreciative to everyone she meets, even when they treat her with nothing but courtesy and respect because she’s so smart and special… It just drives me crazy!  Of course *spoiler alert* she gets the guy in the end, the one that she scoffed at all the other girls for swooning over.

I try to take a whole different approach to the STRONG female character in my books.  I like my heroines to be independent and smart and witty… but I also like the to be genuine.  I like them to be honest, to struggle over what’s right and wrong, to enjoy what they enjoy, and to not be ashamed of being themselves and loving what they love.

Take Mel in Boy Band.  She’s not particularly intelligent or ambitious, but she’s loyal and she’s a hard worker and in this new book, boy does she struggle with what’s right and what’s wrong.  She’s a good friend and she’s so completely in love with Sam, but that doesn’t make her weak or anti-feminist.  It makes her her.

Kate in Cemetery Tours is a bit different.  She’s older, more ambitious, more intelligent, and she doesn’t let anyone tell her what to do.  She’s brave and adventurous, but she also loves nothing more than sitting around in her pajamas and marathoning her favorite television show.

I love my female characters.  I wouldn’t enjoy writing them if I didn’t.  And I don’t love them because they’re STRONG.  I love them simply because they’re them.  They’re real to me.  That’s what I’ve always tried to achieve with all my characters.  I want them to feel like real, fleshed out people.  Not a jumble of characteristics on a page with a name attached to them.

It’s important for women to be strong, but it’s just as important for us to be real, to be genuine, and to be happy and proud of who we are no matter what.  We’re all different.  And there’s nothing wrong with that.  Nothing at all.

Title and Cover Reveal

Hi, friends!  You’ve all been asking, and I finally have an answer!

BACKSTAGE, the sequel to BOY BAND, will be released on December 8, 2015!!!

This is two title/cover reveals in the past month, I know, but I’m so, so, so excited about both of these books!  I can’t wait to share them with you!

Please don’t forget to enter my #BecomeACharacter Raffle!  It’s so easy!  All you have to do is like my Facebook page and follow me on Twitter!  Read more about it here: https://jackiesmith114.wordpress.com/2015/06/15/becomeacharacter/

Love to all!

#BecomeACharacter

Yesterday as I was driving home from the grocery store, I found myself, as I often do, thinking about my next books.  The next Boy Band is going to be a LOT of fun and I can’t wait to really get started on it.  There are going to be new characters, new songs, and a whole lot of new drama.  That being said, I want this book to be special to my readers.  I want ALL my books to be special to my readers, but the first Boy Band has done so well that I really wanted to find a way to make this one as much my readers’ as it is mine.  Thus the #BecomeACharacter Raffle was born.

Here’s the deal.  I want YOU to become a character in the sequel to Boy Band.  There are three names available.

1) A friend of the band from high school.

2) A singer in the guys’ opening band.

3) A full length song titled your name (I.E. “Diana” by One Direction or “Hey There Delilah” by Plain White Ts).

Of course, these don’t have to be your names.  You can name these characters for someone you love or make up a name (Nothing silly though, please.  I will not name my character Macaroni.  I don’t think this will happen, but still, I feel it needs to be said).  These three winners will also receive personalized signed copies of the first Boy Band.

How do you enter?  It’s quite easy!

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/5d8f214e1/

The site also made me write out some Terms and Conditions, so this is what I came up with.

1. Please be a real human being. Please do not be a robot.

2. If you win, please be willing to provide your email address so that I may contact you about where to send your book.

3. There are three names up for grabs in the sequel to Boy Band: A new friend of the guys’ from high school, a singer in The Kind of September’s opening act, and a full length song written about . If you win this raffle, you get to submit a name (either yours or one of your choosing… You can name characters for friends if you’d like!).

4. Please help spread the word! If you’d like to read the first book before entering, it is available on Nook, Kindle, Amazon.com, and BarnesAndNoble.com! Reviews are appreciated, but not required for entry into this raffle.  🙂

5. Winners will be selected randomly by Rafflecopter.

6. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me on Twitter (@JackieSmith114), here, or at info@WindTrailPublishing.com.

So there you have it!  I think this will be a fun things, and it’s open all summer!  I think it ends the last day of August.  Have a good Monday, y’all!  I’m off to see some dinosaurs.

Character Interview: Eugene Brinkley AKA Brink

Okay, this is the interview that everyone has been waiting for.  The interview conducted by everyone’s favorite character.

Brink.

I had a lot of fun with Luke Rainer’s interview a few weeks ago (https://jackiesmith114.wordpress.com/2015/04/09/character-interview-luke-rainer/) but I think everyone (myself included) has really been looking forward to this one.

So, without further ado, here we go.

Jackie Smith (JS):  Hi, Brink!

Eugene Brinkley (EB):  Hi, person who controls my entire life.  Or should I say death.

JS:  Yeah, sorry about that.

EB:  It’s okay. I’m kind of used to it by now. Though I do wish I could change clothes. I’ve been stuck in the same outfit since 1992.

JS:  Again, sorry about that.  But if it makes you feel better, I think you look pretty snazzy.

EB:  Oh, there’s no question.  I’m just not really a one-outfit kind of guy.  I like to change things up.  I’m a fan of self-expression.

JS:  That’s something I love about you.

EB:  Me too.

JS:  So what questions do you have for me?

EB:  I guess for starters, why am I so 1990s?  I mean, I’m not complaining.  But I feel like you made me out to be the ghostly embodiment of 90s pop culture.

JS:  That’s because the 90s were the best time to be alive!

EB:  … And I was dead for most of them.

JS:  Oh right.  Oops.

EB:  That’s okay.  Being everyone’s favorite makes up for it.  Plus I can walk through walls.

JS:  That’s another reason I like you.  You have such a positive outlook on everything.

EB:  What can I say?  I’m an optimist.  But I do want to know, are we every going to find out more about me?  You know, other than the fact that I was a dumb kid who went skateboarding without a helmet?

JS:  You’ll have to read the third book!

EB:  Great.  When’s that coming out?

JS:  Uhh…

EB:  Okay, fine, you don’t have to answer.  But you’ve at least finished writing it, right?

JS:  Uhh…

EB:  Are you kidding?  How long are you going to make the world wait before you bless them with more Brink?

JS:  Hey!  I’ve been busy!

EB:  Too busy for ME?

JS:  Never!  I’m just spreading my wings a little, you know?  I still love you the best.

EB:  Promise?

JS:  I promise.

EB:  One last question. I know that I’m everyone’s favorite… I mean why wouldn’t I be?

JS:  So humble.

EB:  What’s that?

JS:  Nothing.

EB:  Anyway, fans are usually super devastated when their favorite character dies, but I’m already dead, right?

JS:  Yeah.

EB:  You’re not going to have me like, move on or anything, are you?

JS:  Why?  Do you want to move on?

EB:  Not really.  It kind of freaks me out.

JS:  I know.  And that’s why you’re sticking around.  For a while, anyway.

EB:  What does THAT mean?!

JS:  Don’t worry.  You’re going to be fine.  No matter what.

EB:  Oh man, you’re going to send me away, aren’t you?

JS:  Brink.  You’re everyone’s favorite.  Do you really think I’d get rid of you?

EB:  I hope not!  But JK Rowling got rid of all your favorite characters!  You complain about it ALL THE TIME.

JS:  And because I know how emotionally scarring that can be, I won’t do it to my readers.  Probably.

EB:  Okay, now you’re just being mean.  You’re teasing me, right?  I know you’re teasing.

JS:  Brink, I promise you, you have nothing to worry about.  I have at least three more books planned.

EB:  And I’m around for all of them, right?

JS:  It wouldn’t be Cemetery Tours without you.

Character Interview: Kate Avery

Continuing on with my character interviews in which my characters interview me, I’d like to welcome Kate Avery to the blog!

If you missed my first interview with Kate’s darling and haunted beau, Michael Sinclair, you can check it out here: https://jackiesmith114.wordpress.com/2015/03/23/character-interview-michael-sinclair/

Jackie Smith (JS):  So Kate, what questions do you have for me?

Kate Avery (KA):  I don’t know.  I’m actually pretty happy with my life.  Although, I am curious.  What’s up with the Color Anomia?  Like, is it actually a real thing?

JS:  Yep.  I looked it up on the internet, and as everyone knows, that means it is definitely a real thing.  However, the site I found said it’s more common in men than in women, but I figured a little artistic license never hurt anyone.

KA:  Interesting.  So, am I gonna have this thing for the rest of my life?

JS:  Yeah.  Sorry.

KA:  That’s okay.  It could be worse.  Though I’ve got to tell you, I am kind of ticked off that you erased all my memories of Europe.

JS:  Again, sorry. But if you wait another book or so, I might make it up to you.

KA:  Is that a spoiler alert?

JS:  Think of it more like a teaser.  Gotta keep readers interested.

KA:  Ah.  Gotcha.  Okay, so tell me more about my background.  Like, why am I the way that I am?

JS:  I really didn’t want you to be a typical damsel in distress heroine, but I also didn’t want you to be the melancholy, special-snowflake girl either.  I wanted you to be a bit of a silly fangirl, but also someone who is strong and independent.  I hope I succeeded.

KA:  I like to think you did.  Those are all good things.

JS:  Thank you.  You’re much more appreciative than your boyfriend.

KA:  Yeah.  He’s really sweet most of the time, but he can also be a bit of a smart aleck.  He’s got a really dry sense of humor.

JS:  I know.  I thought I liked that about him.

KA:  So, can you tell me anything about what’s in store for us in the next book?

JS:  It’s going to be a bit different from the first two books.  It’s less of an adventure and more of what it’s like for the two of you living day-to-day as a couple that is constantly surrounded by ghosts.

KA:  But it’s not going to be boring, right?

JS:  I hope not.

KA:  Well, if it starts going stale, you could always throw in some zombies or aliens.  You could write a new character that looks like Norman Reedus.

JS:  I think you and I have both been watching too much Walking Dead on Netflix.

KA:  Yeah, probably.  But what else have I got to do while you take your time getting this next book out?

JS:  Touche.

Character Interview: Michael Sinclair

Back when I first started writing, to get to know my characters, I would interview them.  I’d make up questions, kind of like a survey, and I’d write out responses as those characters.  This is kind of the same idea, except I thought I’d give my characters a chance to interview me for a change.  Up first, the serie’s underdog hero and reluctant medium, Michael Sinclair.

Note: This shouldn’t contain too many spoilers, but if it does, I apologize.

Michael Sinclair (MS):  This is kind of weird.

Jackie Smith (JS):  Yeah, I know. Just go with it.

MS:  Okay. Well, I guess I’d have to start this interview off by asking… Why me?

JS:  What do you mean?

MS:  Why won’t you let me catch a break?  Why do you like to torture me?

JS:  I don’t torture you.  You’ve actually got it pretty good compared to a lot of fictional guys out there.

MS:  I see ghosts, I can’t find a job, I get kidnapped, I get tortured, my girlfriend is always ending up in the hospital…  Why can’t you write a book about me where I win the lottery or I take a romantic, ghost-free getaway with Kate to a tropical island?

JS:  Because you don’t play the lottery and neither of you could afford that. Neither could I, for that mat ter.

MS:  Am I ever going to find another job?  Let’s face it, I’m not going to be able to pay rent much longer.

JS:  I have an idea for you.  I think Luke is really going to like it.

MS:  Oh, great. Of course Luke is going to like it.  You like him so much better than me.

JS:  Not true.  If I did, then he would have ended up with Kate.

MS:  Okay then, here’s a real question.  How come I can see ghosts?

JS:  It was a story I always wanted to write, especially after I experienced a loss myself.  I didn’t really know how to characterize you, however, until I started watching Criminal Minds and discovered Matthew Gray Gubler as Spencer Reid.  You know that’s who you’re based off of, right?

MS:  Yeah, you remind me all the time.  I think you like him better than me, too.

JS:  Wait a minute, I thought you were supposed to be this super sweet, nerd of my dreams kind of guy. Where is all this sass coming from?

MS:  Don’t ask me.  You wrote me like this.  Speaking of which, did you mean to make me so two-dimensional or is that just part of the protagonist’s curse?

JS:  Why do you think you’re two-dimensional?  You’re not two-dimensional.

MS:  All anyone knows about me is that I see ghosts and I feel sorry for myself.  A lot.  Why didn’t you give me more depth?

JS:  I totally gave you depth.  Your problem is that once you discovered you were the only one seeing these spirits, your entire life began to revolve around making sure no one else figured it out.  It didn’t give you a whole lot of room to branch out, and for that, I’m sorry.

MS:  So, while you were thinking up ways to ruin my life, you never thought to maybe make my power a little more, oh, I don’t know, cool?

JS:  What does that mean?

MS:  I mean, you read all these books and watch these TV shows about mediums who can not only see dead people, but predict the future, time travel, read minds, all that stuff.  How come I can’t do that?  How come I only get the ghosts?

JS:  Because all of that would make these books a lot more complicated.

MS:  Oh, okay.  As long as it makes everything easier for you.

JS:  Seriously, are you always this snarky when I write you?  I thought I gave you a pretty good life.  Cool ghost best friend, cute girlfriend, and at least you’re not like Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense.  You don’t see hanging people or kids with their brains blown out.

MS:  I guess I should be thanking you for that.

JS:  You’re welcome.

MS:  I’m still not particularly thrilled with you, though.

JS:  Yeah, I’m sensing that.

MS:  So tell me, are good things ever going to happen to me?

JS:  You are far too melodramatic, you know that?  And I’m not going to tell you if good things will happen or not.  You know I can’t make you any promises.  But if it all works out the way I think it will…  You’ll just have to wait and see.