The Many Sides of the Strong Female Character

I heard something in my writing group the other day that made me want to write this.

Cinderella is a weak female stereotype.

She lives with her evil stepmother and is rescued by her fairy godmother. She’s dressed up in fine clothes, given everything she needs for one dreamy night, goes to a ball, and falls in love with a prince. She’s beautiful and mysterious and the prince can’t help but fall in love with her. So he searches until he finds her, and makes her his bride. They have their happily ever after.

We all know the story. It’s supposed to be a magical fairytale about true love. But because Cinderella is beautiful and rescued by a prince, she’s considered a silly weak girl. How dare she be a role model for young girls to look up to.

How about this? Cinderella was abused for many years, dressed in rags, insulted, worn down, belittled by her family, and forced into slavery. Through all this physical and emotional pain, she’s able to rise above and find a way out of her cruel predicament.

Kinda changes the perspective, right?

These days there is a large focus on strong female characters. They should be physically strong, emotionally stable, and able to kick butt. They don’t need to rely on a man to keep them safe, but it’s okay to find a bit of love while they’re out saving the world. They have to be strong willed, but heaven forbid they like the color pink. They need to be smart, sassy, not too bitchy, but have attitude.

Whew. That’s a lot of heavy load to carry.

So why does Cinderella get such a bad rap? Is it really so bad that maybe her goal in life was to find love, settle down and have a family? Isn’t it great that she was able to overcome her horrible past? Why can’t she get help from a man?

I love the strong female character. I really do. I write about her all the time. I agree that there needs to be more. But I think that strength comes in all shapes and forms. Why can’t a girl love pink and still kick ass? Why can’t a girl rely on (heaven forbid) someone else to help her in times of need?

So who are your favorite strong female characters and why?

A funny thing happened on the way to Ontario...

So I just got back from a lovely holiday that involved a lot of driving.

My mother remarried a few years ago and has since moved near Windsor, Ontario. So I got this great idea that I'd drive across Canada to visit her with my puppy. We'd camp along the way, take the American route back, and have a great time.

So pack up the car. Check. Camping gear. Clothes. Cooler with lots of good food. Grab puppy. All those great times awaiting.

 It was lovely in Vancouver the morning I left. By the time I got to Hope, BC, it was raining.

First stop: Salmon Arm. A good friend of mine I've known since I was four is there on holidays with her family. I decided to check into a hotel because there are supposed to be thundershowers.

                                                        Margaret Falls - Salmon Arm

Sure enough, it rains.

And then it rained in Drumheller, Alberta. And then in Saskatoon while I visited friends for a few days. It rained on the way to Winnipeg.

It wasn't until I got to Ontario that it finally stopped raining. But it was cold. Freezing!

                                           Cute cabin at Batchawana Bay. And it had heat!

                                                       Livy at a Rest Stop in Ontario


So, by the time I got to my Mom's place, I hadn't camped once.

But it gets better. While at my Mom's, my six month old puppy went into her first heat. It's rare for a puppy to go into heat that young, but she did.

                                                                       In Windsor

On the way back, I was determined to camp. And I finally did. In Madison, Wisconsin. And I discovered two things.

1. My air mattress had a leak.
2. Camping by yourself is the most boring thing in the world.

It rained again at Rapid Falls. But not before I got to see Mount Rushmore.

By then, Livy was in full blown 'tart' mode and I thought it was a bad idea to continue camping. Yellowstone Park was our next stop, and the last thing I wanted was to find a bear banging down the tent door in the middle of the night because my puppy smelled like chocolate cake.

                                                                       Old Faithful!

So overall, it was a great holiday, even with all that rain and lack of camping. The hotels had great breakfasts!

And yes, glad to be back home. Now it's back to work! 

Hey folks,
I've got some ARC's of The Bodies We Wear to give away on Goodreads. Good luck to all who enter!

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/85393-the-bodies-we-wear

My thoughts on bookstores and why I'll always shop there first.

You know what I love? Book stores. Libraries. Coffee shops that have books.

There is something powerful that overcomes me when I walk into bookstores. The rows upon rows of stories to be read. The smell of paper and ink. The excitement when I know a new book is out from an author I enjoy. And that exact moment when I get home, sit down with the cat, and crack open that new book, it's just pure bliss.

I love all sorts of entertainment. Music. Movies. TV. Theatre. But there's just something about a book that really beats it all.

It makes me sad when small bookstores close. It makes me sad when big bookstores close.

I don't buy a lot of books online. My rule is, if I can't find it at the bookstore, only then I'll shop online. I feel this way mostly because going to the bookstore is almost as much fun as reading the book. And trust me, I'm someone who hates shopping!!!!

 I also don't have an e-reader yet. I'm not against them, in fact, I wish I'd had one when I lived in South Korea. I think I re-read Cormac McCarthy's, The Road, about a dozen times. It was very hard finding English bookstores there. Hmmm....maybe that's how I was truly inspired to write Dark Inside.

As I said, I'm not against e-readers. I think they're a great idea. And I've looked at them in bookstores. But I can't find myself to buy one just yet. Because as wonderful as they are, they just can't compare to the touch, feel, and smell of a book.

So that's my thoughts. What's yours?

Bad Blogger

Yeah, that's me. Bad blogger to the extreme. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's talk about writing. 

One of the biggest questions I get from aspiring authors is "What advice would you give?"

1. Write every day. Now that might feel like a 'duh' comment but its true. Ok, so none of us is actually going to write "every" day. That's kinda impossible. Even I get my days off. But the point is to write as much as possible. Even if it's just a sentence a day, it's still better than nothing. No single author ever just picked up a pen (or computer) and wrote a perfect novel. Writing is like any other vocation. You have to learn the craft. 

2. Love what you do but don't wait for inspiration. If we waited till we were inspired, authors would write maybe once a year. Some days come easier than others. 

3. Learn to love criticism. It's a funny word - criticism. It sounds so negative but it's not. As writers, we get so close to our characters and our ideas. We often don't notice our mistakes. Having someone go over our work and point them out can be the most helpful thing in the world. It's also great to help critique other people's work. By leaning to spot errors, it helps us from making the same mistakes in our own work. 

 Ok, so you've gotten that far. You've got your novel and you're ready to send it out to agents and publishers. Now what?

1. Expect rejection. Every single author gets rejected. All. Of. Us. It's a normal part of the process. It doesn't mean your work sucks and you should give up. Agents reject for numerous reasons, many of which have nothing to do with your story. Just because one agent says its not right for them doesn't mean it's not right for another. 

2. Don't dwell on rejection. The first novel I wrote got about seventy rejections. Finally I put it in my desk and wrote another novel. Now when I look back at my book, I see the errors and I understand why it was rejected. It was very good for a first attempt but not publishable by any means. One day I do plan to go back and rewrite it. 

Did you know that the average author writes between four and six books before they get published? Think of it as a learning experience. And you can always go back to them later. No work is useless. Everything you do puts you one step closer to getting better. 

3. And I stress this as being the most important tip in the world. LEARN THE BUSINESS. There are a lot of scammers out there willing to take advantage on new authors. Don't get suckered in. Agents do not charge fees up front. NEVER. Any agency who asks for money is not going to get you a book deal. The same goes for publishers. A legit publishing company will never ask for money up front. Real publishing companies pay advances and give royalties. 

Publishers and agencies are dying to discover new authors. They want new talent! 

There are great websites out there that can help aspiring authors. Agent Query is one. Absolute Write is another. They have tons of expert advice to help new authors.

Good luck and keep writing!

Good news!

I've signed a two book deal with Knopf Books.

The Bodies We Wear will be released in the fall of 2014. So far off! But hopefully it'll be worth the wait.

Pitched as Kill Bill meets The Lovely Bones (I love this. Such an interesting combination), The Bodies We Wear is the story of Faye, a girl hellbent on getting revenge against the men who stole her life and murdered the boy she loved.

People say when you take Heam, the body momentarily dies and you catch a glimpse of Heaven.

I was only nine-years-old.

I saw something else.

I saw Hell. 

Set in a world where a drug called Heam causes worldwide addiction and death, 17-year-old Faye is training so she can be strong enough to seek revenge. Eight years ago, Heam was forced on her and her best friend, Christian. She survived. Christian didn't.

But life never goes according to plan. A mysterious young man named Chael has shown up and suddenly her life has become a lot more complicated. He seems to know everything about her, including her terrible past. As she gets drawn into his world, she starts to realise that things aren't as black and white as she first thought. But too many secrets start tearing her world down. Trouble at school, with the police, and the people she thought might be her friends--even Gazer, her guardian, fears she's become too obsessed with destruction.

Love and death. Will Faye overcome her desires or will revenge destroy her?





And my apologies for my crappy blurb. I suck at these things. haha

The Darkest Hour is just before dawn.

I'd like to take a moment and talk about something that's been really bothering me the past few days. 

Bullying. 

As many already know, Amanda Todd took her own life a few days ago. She was a girl who after making a mistake, ended up with years of stalking, bullying, and harassment. She posted a Youtube video a month before her death that spoke of her problems and how they affected her. 

It would be an understatement to say that being a teenager is hard. Being a teenager in today's day is even harder. I was bullied as a teen. But I can honestly say, things are worse now. Back in my day, there were no cell phones, internet, etc.  When a kid wanted to be mean to you, they had to do it to your face.  Today, kids can bully and torment without even having to say who they are. The anonymity of the internet has given them a chance to behave much worse.  They now have a doorway to where there are no actions for their consequences. 

But of course that's not true. 

Amanda showed us that there are consequences. 

What makes a teenage girl believe that there are no other options than death? 

Amanda made a mistake when she was 14. Guess what? I made a mistake too. When I was 17, I drunkenly allowed a boy to take advantage of me at a drive in. I didn't know it, but people saw everything. Now I'm going to say I'm thankful that there were no cell phone cameras in my day and age because I can only imagine how much worse things could have been for me. 

People make mistakes. 

But no one deserves the kind of harassment this girl received for making a bad judgment call.  This girl did not deserve to be a victim. 

I had actually met Amanda. She was in competitive swimming with my second cousin. She was a polite, friendly, intelligent, and pretty teenager.  But as we know, being all those things doesn't mean that they can't have problems. It annoys me now when I see people making comments like 'But she was so beautiful'. There seems to be this misconception that being beautiful means you can't have any problems. Being beautiful should solve everything. Guess what? It doesn't work that way. 

To the teenagers that worked so hard to make her life the living hell it was. You should be ashamed of yourself. You should sit in your bedrooms and think about how lucky you are that it's not you. Read the comments written online.  Understand that life can change in a heartbeat and that you can be bullied yourself. The odds are good that you probably are. 

And to the people who are making comments about how no one cared about Amanda until she was dead. Guess what? People did care for her. She had a mother who loved her (and still does) very much. She had a father. She had a family. 

And don't go blaming the parents either. Sadly, parents only know as much as their teenagers are willing to tell them. They are not mind readers. And sometimes, even the most careful parents still find out the hard way that they didn't have a clue to everything that was going on in their teenagers life. 

And last, to the teens out there who are being bullied. You are not alone. Talk to someone. If you can't talk to your parents, find someone online to talk to. There are chatrooms set up to help teens cope with abuse. Talk to whoever is willing to listen. Talk to your cat or dog. Talk to the wall. Just get the words out of your head. 

And remember, you are not alone. It gets better. 

Character Profiles

A while back Macmillan came to me and asked me if I wanted to do character profiles for Mason, Aries, Clementine, and Michael. They were sent out to four different blogs. 

So here they are. There's a great little story for each character and a good profile. 

I will admit to one error. I said Mason has brown eyes and I was wrong. His eyes are blue. Whoops. 

 Mason

Aries

 Michael

Clementine

And also, the imaginary cast list. Actors I think would be great for Dark Inside--the hopeful, future movie. 

Dream Cast

Tour dates

I'm going on tour with Jonathan Maberry. Yep, you heard me. (Insert fan girl scream) I'm very excited. It's one thing to go on an author tour, it's another to go with an author whose books I absolutely adore. 

So here are the dates. Hope to see some of you. 

Tuesday Sept 11th

6:30PM

                Signing and presentation at RJ Julia Booksellers

                768 Boston Post Road

                Madison, CT 06443

                Contact: Karen Rosenthal

                Phone: 203-245-3959

Wednesday, September 12

6:00PM

                Signing and presentation at Barnes & Noble

                470 Universal Drive North

                North Haven, CT 06473

                Phone: 203-234-1805

Thursday, September 13

7:00PM

                Signing and presentation at Barnes & Noble

                3535 US Route 1

                Princeton, NJ 08540

Friday, September 14

7:00PM

                Signing and presentation at Towne Book Center

                220 Plaza Drive, Suite B3

                Collegeville, PA 19426

                Phone: 609-897-9250

Sunday, September 16

7:00PM

                Signing and presentation at Books & Books

                265 Aragon Avenue

                Coral Gables, FL 33134

                Phone: 305-442-4408

Wednesday, September 19

7:00PM

                Signing and presentation at Left Bank Books

                399 North Euclid Avenue

                St. Louis, MO 63108

Thursday, September 20

7:00PM

                Signing and presentation at Joseph-Beth Booksellers

                2785 Dixie Highway

                Crestview Hills, KY 41017

                Phone: 859-912-7860

Happy Book Birthday

It's official. Rage Within is out in North America. 

I can't begin to say how happy I am about this. I'm really pleased with the way Rage Within turned out and I sure hope the readers feel the same way. 

So far the reviews have been quite positive. I want to thank everyone who went out of their way to write such kind words.

Here's hoping for a great year!

Brand new contest!

 

Ok, peeps, here it is.

In celebration of our new forum, YABookClub, we're going to be giving away some really cool goodies.

http://memebee.com/yabookclub/index.php 

Susan Dennard has agreed to give away some signed copies of her new novel, "Something Strange and Deadly." She's also got some "Aim for the Knees" shirts!!!!  

Jill Hathaway is going to be giving away some signed copies of her fantastic novel "Slide". 

I've got some autographed copies of both Dark Inside and Rage Within to give away.

We still have to hear back from a few more authors so there may end up being a lot more goodies to give away too! 

So here are the rules. 

1. Join our community and start posting. Every time you post, you get an entry. But posting has to be reasonable. We will not accept one word posts or spamming the board about nothing. 

2.  Post as often as you like. The more you post, the more entries you get. 

3. Be respectful. This isn't a competition...well...ok, it is. But that doesn't mean you can't have a great time doing it!

Contest ends Sept 15th.  

Friends rock.

So there are going to be some neat new changes to my website in the next little bit. 

I'm going to be adding a forum. A place for YA Readers and Writers to get together and discuss everything they love!

There will be a Share Your Work area where people can get feedback from other friends. A book and movie section to discuss things you love. A place to hang out and even an ask Jeyn area for all things Dark Inside. 

Right now I'm looking for suggestions and ideas to make this forum great. Any feedback or ideas are appreciated!

 

Dark Inside Artwork

I've been very fortunate to come across some really cool Dark Inside artwork over the past little while. I can't begin to tell people how amazing it feels to see others bring my characters to life.

The first two drawings are from Sydney Harrison. The last one is from Avery-Sara Burrows.

If anyone else wants to add their artwork, let me know!

When did it stop being about the books?

I've been watching all the goodreads drama unfold over the past several weeks and all I can say is it makes me sad.

When did it stop being about the books?

Now we've got people being called with threatening messages in the middle of the night, people being outted with pictures and addresses, authors declaring war on bloggers, reviewers declaring war on authors, authors declaring war on other authors...why is any of this happening?

When did it stop being about the books?

I love reading. I love books. I want to read books and enjoy them. This is why I first joined Goodreads, back in the day before I even was an author.

It kills me to see everyone forgetting why they first joined this site. Isn't it about the love of reading?

Who cares about reviews. Really. Is a bad review really going to change everything in your world? Is it going to destroy your career? Good lord, no. I read books with bad reviews all the time. Some of my favorite books have received horrid reviews.

Hell, I've received horrid reviews. So what? I didn't venture into writing thinking that everyone would love everything I write. I'm not a God. I do tend to write shit from time to time. I accept that not everyone is going to love what I do and I'm not going to try and change their minds.

So can't we all just try and return back to a certain center of normalcy and remember why we're here? We love to read. We love to write. We love to share our opinions...good or bad.