I have kind of a love/hate relationship with the “strong female character” trope. Today, with author Rhonda Mason, I talk about the ways the main character of my series falls into this particular urban fantasy stereotype — and how I break the stereotype. A quick look:
I’ve only been participating in programming at conventions for a handful of years, but I’ve already lost track of how many times I’ve been asked to be on the “Strong Female Characters” panel. I guess the theory is that, as a female urban fantasy author who writes female protagonists, I can easily contribute to the discussion. Though not every hero of urban fantasy stories is female, it’s interesting how they’re automatically assumed to be part of that trope.
Male heroes, I guess, are supposed to be strong as a given.
Mason also writes amazing female characters, and you should absolutely check out the first two books of her space opera trilogy to meet Kayla! I’m not sure Victory and Kayla would become best friends, but they’d certainly have a hell of a lot of respect for each other.
Tomorrow, the Tower of the Archmage interviews me about how my gaming history influences my writing, and vice versa!