STRONG HEROINES: Don't Hate Me Cuz I'll Kick Your Butt!By Tawny Stokes The following article first appeared in the April 2006 issue of the Writer's Saddle, the Calgary Association of RWA (CaRWA) newsletter. Permission to publish with proper credit is granted to sister chapters. Excerpt from Hell Kat by Vivi Anna He felt her body stiffen, and he smiled to himself. The woman was just as responsive to him as he was to her. Soon, this foolish business would be concluded, and they could start other interactions. Kat took a deep breath. She stepped back and jammed the heel of her boot into his shin. With her other hand, she reached up over his head and grabbed him around the neck. She pushed back, then bent forward. I should've seen it coming, he thought as he felt himself being flipped over her body onto his back. He should've known she would not succumb so easily. Wishful thinking on his part. Kat didn't know if the move would work; but he had his height against him. All she had to do was set it in motion. As she looked down at him, sprawled out on the hard tavern floor, she thought the pain in her back was well worth it. She slung the sawed-off shotgun hung inconspicuously around her shoulder forward. She cocked it and pointed at Hades' shocked face. "Are we done?" They're strong, independent, sassy, often jaded, and can kick serious butt. They're not your girl next door or your TSTL heroine of yesterday, but a leaner, meaner, and sexier side of the feminine role model. A leading lady of a new generation of strong no-nonsense heroines. You can find them in such mainstream best sellers as Laurell K Hamilton's Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series, Kelley Armstrong's Woman of the Otherworld, Stephanie Plum from Janet Evanovich's funny books, Rachel Morgan from Dead Witch Walking, by Kim Harrison, and one of my favorites Mia Snow, from Gena Showalter's Alien Huntress books. And of course from my new release Hell Kat. You can also find them dominating the alternative scene in books, especially ebooks, like my own Blood Red, Carys Weldon's Wanton Werewolf Series, and Rowena Cherry's fierce lady from Forced Mate. What's the appeal? Claudia McCray, an avid reader, reviewer, and a big fan of kick-butt heroines says this. "A kick-butt heroine knows what she wants and goes after it. Once she sets her sights on a goal, she allows absolutely nothing to stand in her way. She has a soft side that must be nurtured. For the right person, she'll allow him to enter her life and become her other half. Once the trust is established, she'll allow him to ease her pain, love her and share her life. She'll take no crap, but she'll love in return." Claudia McCray So what makes a kick-butt heroine? 1. She doesn't have to be beautiful, but she sure is sexy. Maybe she wears all leather, or has tattoos in obscure places, or can run five miles in stiletto heals 2. She needs to be physically tough, have a black belt in karate, knife handling skills, hand to hand combat. Maybe she's an FBI agent, a bounty hunter in the future, or a warrior from some fantasy world 3. She has to be independent, likes to be on her own, even thrives on it, she doesn't have too many friends, and maybe none at all. That way she's got no one to worry about 4. Most times she has scars outside and in her troubled past has molded her into the jaded woman she is today 5. She's not afraid to take what she wants be it that tough dangerous assignment, or sex with a complete stranger. She's in touch with her baser animal nature, it's what drives her 6. She often fights with the hero, sometimes physically; always mentally. He threatens her solitary existence, makes her feel real emotions she's got no business feeling 7. She's the woman that we secretly envy (or not so secretly) the one great movie heroine's are made of.. like Xena Princess Warrior, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (okay, those are just my envious favorites, but it's my article!) Kick-Butt heroines, are they here to stay? Damn straight they are. You know you can't beat them, they're much too tough, so you might as well join them. Because if you don't… that's right. They'll kick your butt! Tawny Stokes is a member of the Calgary Association of the RWA (CaRWA), writing under the pen name of Vivi Anna.
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