Strong But Believable Heroines
Strong but Believable Heroines
Hello All!
Today is the release day of the fantastic second book in the Robyn Silver series by Paula Harrison and to celebrate I have a wonderful guest post from Paula about Strong but believable heroines!
About the Book
The boldest, brightest new heroine is back: and Robyn Silver’s life hasn’t got any quieter since defeating the evil vampire Pearl in The Midnight Chimes. She’s now a fully fledged Chime Child and monster-hunter-in-training alongside best friends Aiden and Nora. The three suddenly start seeing nightmares – in the form of black beetles – appear around town. Who wants the people of Grimdean to be losing sleep – and why?Goodreads. Amazon. Waterstones.
Strong but believable heroines
by Paula Harrison
The strong heroine can be a bit of a trope and when a heroine is nothing but strong that doesn’t make for a well-rounded or believable character. In Robyn Silver, I wanted to create a girl who is often strong but has weaknesses too. She doubts herself, especially when challenged by her older siblings. Her efforts to be strong sometimes mask an impetuous side which lands her in hot water! Many stories and characters helped to inspire Robyn Silver but I have to mention:
Jo March in Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
If ever there was a strong-minded and impetuous character it’s Jo March. She frequently rushes in and regrets what she’s done afterwards. Jo also has a lot of friction with her siblings and Robyn experiences this too as she has four brothers and sisters.
Sophie in Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Sophie doesn’t realise the full extent of her own abilities. She accepts difficult situations and just gets on with things – even when a spell turns her from a girl into an old woman. It’s her stamina and her unwillingness to give up that really see her through.
Lyra in His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
As soon as we meet Lyra in Northern Lights we realise that this is a girl with boundless curiosity and nerve. Lyra is also good at forging alliances with others from witches to Texan aeronauts to armoured bears and this gives her a great advantage.
About the Author
Who are your favourite strong believable heroines?
