Am I the only one who’s tired of reading books about women who let rich guys beat the crap out of them, or lust after blood-sucking mythological creatures, or lead a revolution–reluctantly?
Look at the 3 best-selling literary heroines of the last 5 years: Anastasia Steele, Bella Swan, and Katniss Everdeen. Where did they get these women, and why can’t they make a simple decision? A decision to walk out BEFORE he grabs the whip. A decision to say NO to a life-sucking vampire. (I know, he went Vegan … Right.) A decision to have BOTH boyfriends if she can’t choose one.
Past the Anastasia/Bella/Katniss triad, there’s a good crop of ass-kicking women leading mysteries and thrillers these days. But are they realistic? A five-foot-two, one hundred pound fashion model-turned loner who can slam a six-foot-four, steroid-pumped, two hundred forty pound goon to the ground? Yeah. Sure. Claressa “T-Rex” Shields, gold medalist in women’s boxing, could do it, but she’s 5’8” and packs over 165 pounds of muscle. And she has a right cross that could make a grown man cry, after the smelling salts bring him around.
So I wrote a book with a new kind of heroine. With your help, she’ll be on bookshelves this fall. And she will kick Katniss’ ass.
Because you deserve better. Want proof?
- Decisions, decisions. Pia Sabel can pick a boyfriend. And keep him from straying … with a Glock.
- Do the right thing. Pia Sabel doesn’t hesitate to take control when the cause is so obvious even your grandmother is chucking Molotovs. She rallies her people and leads the charge. If the president acts badly, Pia wouldn’t kill her. She’d throw a choke collar on her, grab the leash and say heel. As we all know, politicians thrive under someone’s thumb.
- Speed Saves. Where did Katniss learn to run faster than a rabid zombie-dog? By creeping around the woods, half-starved, sneaking up on squirrels? Pia Sabel spent twenty years on soccer fields, out-running the fastest athletes in the world. If she decides to take off, no one can catch her.
- Choose your weapons. Archery is nice if you have the luxury of distance. And calm winds. And solid footing. Pia studied boxing to keep fit in the off-season, hand-to-hand fighting is not a problem. But when that doesn’t work, she keeps a Glock 33 within easy reach. For greater distances, she delegates. (See #5.)
- Pick your friends wisely. Pia Sabel’s sidekick, Tania, couldn’t bake a cookie if she had to. When Tania turned eighteen, she ran straight into the Army’s sniper school and landed in the Korengal Valley, popping Al Qaeda snipers before they popped her. Katniss went after heavily armed Peacekeepers with … A BAKER? Really. Dude, nice loaf.
Our nearly forgotten friend, Bella Swan, is no better. I’ve heard of women falling for bad boys, but hot for a vampire? Is “certified psycho” part of the role-model chic these days?
Or Anastasia, college graduate and virgin. Reality check right there. Oh, what the heck. Let’s roll with it. She catches the eye of a billionaire. Not even the most aggressive gold digger is going to stoop to whips and chains. C’mon. Even tramps have boundaries.
Are you ready for a heroine who doesn’t have something to prove because she already proved it? Are you ready for a confident, borderline arrogant protagonist—with gold medals to back up her arrogance? Are you ready for someone decisive enough to run a global company with 2,000 employees—give or take an ex-boyfriend? Someone built more like T-Rex than Twiggy?
If this sounds like the kind of heroine you’re looking for, join the cause. Back the Pia Sabel project: A Heroine for Our Time. Be one of the few wearing the special edition t-shirt or reading the Kickstart-only ebook. Click here to watch the video.
…Or wait until kink-crazed publishers have Christian Grey steal Bella from Edward and cuff her to Anastasia. Maybe Katniss will show up, and still can’t choose. You know someone’s working on that version right now.
Peace, Seeley
