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My favorite Strong heroines by Suzanne McLeod + Giveaway
Filed in 1000 follower celebration , Giveaways , Suzanne McLeod Posted on October 10, 2011 @ 10:00 am
52 comments
It’s with a lot of pleasure that we welcome (again *g*) Suzanne McLeod on Book Lovers Inc. I’m a total fan-girl when it comes to her books but more than that Suzanne is one of the most amazing and interesting persons I’ve had the pleasure to get in contact with. Today Suzanne shares with us some of her favorite strong heroines. Just so you know, I’ve seen the Angélique movies about a hundred times since I was a kid *g* (Well I’m French what did you expect? *wink*). Let’s give a warm welcome to Suzanne! Did I mention you could win one of her books AND be entered in the BIG giveaway? Well now you know *g*
Hello Dear Readers, and thank you to the fabulous Book Lovers for having me back to guest for their Big 1000 Follower Giveaway! The Book Lovers were super kind and organised, and gave my over-taxed writerly brain a list of great book’ish topics to blog about . . . so, of course, my brain decided to come up with something sort of on topic . . . /has shifty eyes/ 😀
I’ve always loved strong women characters in books, and it’s one of the reasons I love reading, and writing, urban fantasy so much. Sadly, it’s not always so easy to find as many strong female characters, who have their own agency, in other genres, particularly when I think back to my earlier reading life. But there are a couple of wonderful ones that I remember.
One of my earliest favourites is Angélique, the main character in the historical, romantic adventure books by Sergeanne Golan (translated from their original French). I discovered the Angélique books at the library (I heart libraries!), probably when I was about twelve. As soon as I read them I knew I had to get my own copies – they were keepers.
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| ‘My poor abused books’ |
The books are set in the 17th Century and follow Angélique’s ups and downs in life from when she’s a young girl (one of a large brood of very impoverished French aristocrats), through her schooling, arranged marriage and subsequent widowhood and destitution, to being a mistress of Louis XIV, then captured by pirates, imprisoned in a sultan’s harem and escaping, only to lead her province in revolt against the French king, which ends with her fleeing into exile to the Americas and setting up a new life there. As if all those adventures aren’t enough, Angélique also has various relationships – romantic and otherwise – and children along the way. All of which lead to lots of heart-wrenching moments for the poor woman.
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| ‘Angélique, marquise des anges – Film’ |
But even more than Angélique’s fantastic adventures, what I love about her is how, no matter what mistakes she makes (she does make some terrible ones) and no matter what horrible, tortuous circumstances she finds herself in (a lot! But then main characters should be tortured for the good of the story . . . *evil author cackle*), Angélique always pulls herself up by her bootstraps and uses her intelligence and whatever else is necessary to get herself and others out of lots of pretty desperate situations. And she never allows anyone to dictate to her (even though the era the books are set in, women don’t have the same rights as men – which is a whole other can or worms :- )) and always makes her own decisions about her life.
Another strong female character I love is Modesty Blaise. Originally a comic strip* character written by Peter O’Donnell, she was later made into films and then books. Modesty started life as an orphan in post-World War II era, who grows up to become a criminal gang boss in Tangier, Morocco, makes her fortune and ‘retires’ to England at the never-changing age of 25’ish. Then due to boredom, Modesty and Willie Garvin, her (faithful, platonic) sidekick, go to work for the British Secret Service, which is the time when most of her adventures are set. During her adventures, she and Willie fight using various weapons from guns, swords, kongos and a whole range of martial arts, but a lot of their success still comes from using their brains rather than their brawn.
Modesty Blaise, along with Angélique are for me, two of the archetypal kick-ass heroines in fiction. Both of whom have had an influence* on Genevieve (Genny) Taylor, the main character in my Spellcrackers books. /insert obligatory self-promotional plug/ *g*
For a chance to win your choice of one of my books: Who are your favourite strong female characters? Double entry if you make an author very happy and say ‘Genny Taylor’ . . . err, sorry, just kidding *g*
*Sadly only 10 of the 13 books written have been translated into English from their original French, and are out of print for now, though hopefully they’ll be re-printed again soon, as I lost some my copies due to a never-to-be-forgotten-incident of a tap not being turned off and a plug left in a sink . . . the Hound was not impressed at having to paddle through the pond that had appeared overnight in her home. *looks shamefaced*
*Modesty Blaise is being re-released in graphic novel format right now! Yay!
*Character Trivia: Genny started out being called Angélique – until I decided calling her ‘Angel’ for short was maybe a bit too cheesy :-D. Not to mention Buffy’s Angel!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~*~*Giveaway*~*~
Suzanne is offering a book from her Spellcrackers series to a lucky commenter! (Winner’s choice)
You’re also getting an extra entry for the main giveaway if you entered our Big 1000 Followers Giveaway here.
All you have to do is answer Suzanne’s question or leave a comment about her post
(You can read our full giveaway policy here)
Please leave us a way to contact you.
(Email or twitter name – no way to contact you – no entry).
This giveaway is open worldwide! (anywhere the Book Depository ships to)
Giveaway ends on 22 October and we will announce the winner on Sunday.
Good luck!
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Of course Genny Ta … uhm, ok, let's get a little bit more creative here 😉 !
From recent books I love Katniss Everdeen and an "older" book (one of my favs) would be Theodora of Pyrene from Doris Egans Ivory Trilogy.
I entered the BIG 1000 Giveaway :-)!
GFC follower
danaan at gmx dot at
Argh… there are so many cool, strong heroines. I'll go for the first I encountered and still love, although unfortunately enough the book she is from is Dutch and not translated to English as far as I know:
Hasse Simonsdochter (also the name of the book which is by Thea Beckman)
She's a young woman who marries the leader of a band of mercenaries (15th century) to save him from being executed and she accompanies her husband on raids and such.
It's my favorite book for teens to this day.
Great interview! I haven't read the Spellcrackers books, but I've been wanting to.
I agree with Birgit that Katniss Everdeen is one of my favorite strong heroines. I also love Merit from the Chicagoland Vampires series and Jace Valckeck from The Bloodhound Files (a seriously underrated series if you ask me!)
Thanks for the giveaway!
drakeLa90 at aol dot com
I haven't read the Spellcrackers series yet.But I'm sure Genny is a strong character.
Some favorites are Riley Jensen from Riley Jensen series,Cat from Night Huntress series
Rachel Morgan from the Hollows series.
Rose Hathaway from Vampire academy series.
elaing8(at)netscape(dot)net
Thanks for the interview!:)
My favorite strong heroine would be Kat from The Night Huntress Series by Jeaniene Frost.She is a strong heroine who is not afraid to say whats on her mind and she can kick ass!
I also entered for the BIG 1000 giveaway!
Janhvi
justjanhvi at gmail dot com
i have never heard of those two heroines before, however they sound kick-ass ^^
sadly the only heroines i have read until now aren't too strong. sadly it's always the same pattern. there is a heroine that is tough and all and then cue the hero and she goes all mush and doesn't care anymore about her own choices. it's rather stupid. if my hormones ever do that to me just kill me 😉
witchvela at web dot de
Can I list two? Hermione Granger, from HP of course, and Elena from Kelly Armstrong's Women of the Underworld series.
I'd love to list your's, maybe after I get to read it (after I win?)…
thanks!
Great post, thanks for sharing it! Usually I pay more attention to hero than heroine. Maybe I just haven't found my perfect heroine yet 🙂 I definitely don't like kickass heroines. I prefer the smart ones.
natalija (dot) shkomare (at) gmail (dot) com
P.S. I entered the big 1000 giveaway, too.
My brother had all the Modesty Blaise books and I used to sneak them out to read!
One of my favourite heroines at the moment is Kate Daniels.
irgl7(at)bonzo15(dot)plus(dot)com
My favorites are Rachel Morgan from the Hollows series, Joanne Walker from the Walker Papers series, and Eve Dallas from the In Death series.
Skk25@aol.com
My very first strong female heroine will always have a special place in my heart….
Laura Ingalls.
But once I discovered the joys of speculative fiction, Laura got her butt kicked by…
Kel – the Protector of the Small.
Who has since been dethroned by every single council member in Sheri Tepper's The Gate to Women's Country. Those women are hardcore.
cas at sigmadog dot com
O what a great blogpost! I still have the entire Angelique series in my attic, both hardcover and paperback, which covers are scenes from the movies. Le sigh …
My all time favourite strong heroine is Skye O'Malley by Bertrice Small. You could certainly compare her to Angelique. And there are so many great characters out there nowadays. Rachel Morgan by Kim Harrison, Mercy by Patricia Briggs.
I'd love to win your book, am curious about it.
I have entered the 1000 followers give away ladies.
auriansbooks at gmail dot com
Yay, I've come over from Suzanne's blog 😀
Umm Ooo, I would have to pick Sabina Kane
And if I won (slim chance LMAO) I would like The Bitter Seed of Magic 😀
Faith_isola@hotmail.com
Genny of course 🙂 There is a reason why I read all the books 😉
But ok instead of sucking up here too much I will also mention Mercy Thompson
Wonderful post! Some great strong women there. 🙂 And I'm glad women have come so far and can kick some serious arse. ;D
I am in need of the second book with Ginny, as she is one strong main character to enjoy! 😉
But other strong females… I have to say I love Sabina from Jaye Wells books. And Zara from Skyla Dawn Cameron's series. Oh, there are a few strong females I do enjoy reading. Thank you for the great post! 🙂 Best to you.
MyWorldinwordsandpage(at)gmail(dot)com
I have to say Savannah from Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld series – even as a teenager she was kick-ass! 🙂
Mel S
notanotherbookblog(at)hotmail(dot)co(dot)uk
I have to agree with Katniss Everdeen. She is an amazingly strong heroine. I have also entered the 1000 followers give away. thanks again for another great giveaway!
BookcaseTanya@gmail.com
In books, my favorite strong female characters are Jennifer Estep's Gin Blanco, Keri Arthur's Riley Jensen, Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock and Jeaniene Frost's Cat Crawfield. (And of course Genny Taylor.) 😀
Barbed1951 at aol dot com
Eve Dallas from JD Robb's In Death books.
kissinoak at frontier dot com
The first names to spring to mind were: Kate Daniels (Ilona Andrews), Rachel Morgan (Kim Harrison), Honor Harrington (David Weber), and Eve Dallas (JD Robb), but there are (oh!) so many… 🙂
And I've never heard of the Angelique books. Wonder if they're available for ereaders?
rissatoo (ATgmail DOTcom)
Hmm, just wrote a long comment rhapsodizing over my love of the Angelique books, but it looks like it's been eaten by the blogger gods. Oh well. Anyway, I adore Angelique. I can only hope that someday that series is released in ebook format.
As for current kick-ass heroine favorites, I love Kate Daniels, Mercy Thompson, Cat Crawfield, Riley Jensen and many others. I'm looking forward to reading Suzanne's books. If Genny was inspired by Angelique, then I'm sure I'll love her.
jen at delux dot com
It's been a long time since I read an Angélique book.
I'm reading MOCKINGJAY right now, so Katniss.
I entered the Big 1000 Followers Giveaway.
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
The two that immediatley come to mind are Eve Dallas fromthe In Death series by JD Robb. The second was already mentioned as has Eve is Skye Omalley from Bertrice Small's books. Two great kick ass Heroines.
Carol L
Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com
I think Buffy from Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a very strong character. Please enter me in contest. I would love to read this series. Tore923@aol.com
I love mac from the fever series. It was great watching her grow into her own as a strong character! Plus genny Taylor 😉 lol
KirstenF
Cowgurlz_14@hotmail.com
You are actually a new author for me 🙂 but not for long…My pick for stong heroines would be Anita Blake from the Vapire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton. I love her character and she can kick some a$$.
miztik_rose@yahoo.com
I'm afraid I haven't read your books yet, sorry!!! But I really want to, and I will definitely rectify that situation very soon 🙂
My favorite strong heroine is Merit from the Chicagoland Vampires! And of course, Katniss from The Hunger Games, too!!
jwitt33 at live dot com
Thanks for this great giveaway ! I think my favorite strong heroine is Kate Daniel from the Kate Daniel series by Ilona Andrews. I just love her !
ellana_(at)hotmail(dot)fr
Some of my favorite strong females are werewolf Elena Michaels (Kelley Armstrong,) retired assassin Gin Blanco (Jennifer Estep,) reverend/army reserve pilot Clare Ferguson (Julia Spencer-Fleming,) and police detective D.D. Warren (Lisa Gardner.)
Thanks for a fun post, Suzanne. I’d never heard of Angelique.
Mochfly(at)swbell(dot)com
Oh my gosh – I loved the Angelique series. I had them all and read them over and over again. They were stored in a box when we moved and unfortunately the critters got into it and I lost the entire series. Thank you for reminding me of that bit of wonderfulness I enjoyed so very much. I too love strong female characters that get out there and get the job done. I have not read your Spellcrackers books, but would absolutely love to and will be checking the out as soon as I am done here. Thank you for sharing with us today and for the lovely giveaway opportunity.
dz59001[at]gmail[dot]com
I know I'm a broken record because I use the same series/characters to answer soooo many questions. My answer to your heroine question? Phedre no Delauney de Montrieve from the Kushiel series by Jacqueline Carey. Phedre is amazing in every way. Thanks for the giveaway.
jepebATverizonDOTnet
Some strong female characters that come to mind are Rachel from Kim Harrison's Hollow series, Kate from Ilona Andrew's Kate Daniel series, Jane from Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock series and Merit from Chloe Neill's Chicagoland Vampires series.
LadyVampire2u AT gmail DOT com
Yay! Wonderful to see some other Angelique fans out there – such a shame the books are out of print (though it's been a while since I last read them, so a bit of me is scared they might not live up to my memories on a re-read . . . nah, I'm sure they will :-))
And lots of my other fav heroines showing up, and some new ones I haven't heard of *makes notes*. Will look them up! Thanks everyone, so far, for your great comments, glad you're all enjoying, and Good Luck in the Giveaways!
My very first strong female heroine is Elizabeth Bennet by Pride and Prejudice and Buffy who kicks ass and looks great doing it.
Thanks for the giveaway!
artgiote at gmail dot com
ahem.. ‘Genny Taylor’.. lol
i love newer ones.. Anita Blake from Laurell k hamiltons series, EVe Dallas from JD Robbs In death.. pretty much any of Amanda QUicks characters..
(thanks for the awesome giveaway!!
alainala AT hotmail DOT ca
Great post! I hadn't heard about your strong female characters but one of my faves is Gin Blanco in Jennifer Estep's UF series. She's an assassin who kicks butt (but only against the bad guys) and always fights for the little guy 🙂
smaccall AT comcast.net
Hi Suzanne! Nancy Drew is a strong heroine who I admire and wanted to be like. She is strong, rsourceful and intelligent. Pretty handy for solving mysteries and taking readers along on an adventure.
Cambonified (at) yahoo (dot) com
Awesome giveaway! I like Rose from Vampire Academy, any of Kelley Armstrong's female characters (though I have a particular love for Nadia Stafford), Cat from Night Huntress, and Yelena from the study series by Maria V. Snyder. Okay so maybe those are just some of my favourite books, but they do have some pretty kickass chicks in them. Thanks for the giveaway!
jessicamariesutton(at)msn(dot)com
Haha! I'm sure I'd like Genny as well if she's anything like your other favourite female characters.
My all-time favourite female character is Nancy Drew (I wanted to be her when I grew up), Roald Dahl's Mathilda, Sophie Mercer from Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins and Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games.
These chicks kick butt and are instantly likeable:)
Thanks for the giveaway!
Sarah Bibi Setar
sarah DOT setar AT gmail DOT com
My all time favorite heroine would be Cat from Night Huntress,and not just because she has Bones…,though that is definitely working in her advance!
Thanks for the giveaway!I have also entered the 1000 followers.
anniech85(at)gmail(dot)com
Those Angelique books have great covers! I do love the classics- and she has an impressive set of erm, guns lol
As for my favorite strong heroine, it would be Diana Gabaldon's Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser to name but one. A more recent read for me but from a not so new book is Charity Duncan from Balogh's 'The Temporary Wife' and Rowan Mayfair from Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches/Vampire Chronicle series.
midnite dot fantasy at gmail dot com
Hello,
I haven't read any of your books yet but would love to discover your world.
As for my strong heroïne i would say kate Daniels from Ilona Andrews or mercy thompson from Patricia Briggs… beacuse reading about them really helped me cope with my father's illness ( and death) i drew courage from them so i can't choose between the two
thansk you for the giveaway
i entered the big giveaway
isabelle(dot)frisch(at)gmail(dot)com
One of my favorite strong heroines is Elizabeth Bennett. I,also, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Wonder Woman.
Of the books I've recently read I'd say my fave strong female characters are Anita Blake, Georgina Kincaid, Merry Gentry, and Rose Hathaway. =)
Valerie Long (Scorpio1974 on GFC)
just.val.1974@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/just.val.1974
Jewelry Creations by V.S. Long – https://www.facebook.com/vsl1974
Thanks for a lovely post! I just got the first two books in the spellcrackers series and I can't wait to start them!
I'd have to say that my fav strong female characters would be Dante Valentine or Jill Kismit from Lilith Saintcrow. They kick some serious bootay and yet they learn to love and be loved.
Thanks again!
efender1(at)gmail(dot)com
Glad I checked…I swear I already posted a comment hear…
Couple of my favorites are Cat from Night Huntress and Eve Dallas from In Death series!
mmafsmith at gmail dot com
Great post! And great question! I'm not sure I have an absolute favorite but a few that came to mind were Cordelia Naismith from Bujold's Vorkosagan saga, Phedre from Jaqueline Carey's Kushiel series (best in Kushiel's Dart) and Ferro Maljinn from Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy.
Thank you for the giveaway!
ssosborn at gmail dot com
My favorite strong female character is Elena Michaels from Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld series. She's not only physically strong (being a werewolf and all) but she is also emotionally strong (you'd have to be with an Alpha wolf like Clay)!
whitewolfreads AT gmail DOT com
OMG. There are so many, but I'll go with an all time favourite and say – Jane Eyre.
Ok – this time with email: hrududu AT hotmail DE
One of my new kick ass heroines is Riley Poe from the Dark Ink Chronicles by Elle Jasper…awesome read…if you haven't read it you have to check it out.
I'm so excited about this giveaway…I own The Sweet Scent of Blood and The Cold Kiss of Death. Need to get my hands on The Bitter Seed of Magic. So, I'm glad I got this entry in on time.
Thanks Guys;
Cindy
ctrim@wi.rr.com
My favorite strong heroines are Kate Daniels & Eve Dallas.
spav05(at)gmail(dot)com
There are a lot of strong female characters these days and I for one find that a good thing 🙂 But it also makes it hard to choose…but since you mentioned her I'd like to agree with you and definitely say Modesty Blaise!(to whom I was introduced by my parents, and especially my mother who always loved her adventures:))
thanks!
vinsarama[at]gmail[dot]com