Writing Strong Women
I think we can all agree
that the era of the too-stupid-to-live heroine is over, or should be. Nothing
drives me crazy more than a heroine who spends her time making stupid decisions
and waiting for a man to rescue her. So when I write, I like to write about
strong women.
My heroine Astri and her
best friend and teammate Lise are two such women. While, as trollhunters, they
work closely with men, they don't rely on men - except in the same way that the
men in the team rely on them. They deal with men as equals, on their own terms.
They're physically and mentally strong, and as a result they were great fun to
write.
The friendship bond is also
something I think is important in romance novels. When I first began writing
romance, I hadn't read much in the genre, so I picked up two novels to see how
they worked. One had a brilliant heroine with an equally great best friend,
supportive and fun while also smart and sexy. The other had a ditzy,
shoe-obsessed, helpless heroine with a best friend who staggered around in the
countryside in stilettoes and a minidress. I nearly threw that one out the
window.
The only snag with writing
Astri as such a physical, independent woman was drawing her relationship with
my hero, Kai. Kai is a researcher, not a very physical job. Can we handle a
hero potentially less strong than the heroine?
Well, we'll just have to
see...
In the Halls of the Mountain Troll
Tanith Davenport
Genre: Erotic romance
Publisher: Totally Bound
Date of Publication: 29 May 2015
ISBN: 9781784305741
Number of pages: 62
Word Count: 15188
Cover Artist: Posh Gosh
Book Description:
Astri Ingebrigtsen has no time for romance. A member of an elite team of trollhunters, tasked with controlling and concealing the troll population, her days are too full to focus on anything else, so filled with nightmarish brutality that her nights have become dreamless. So when hot researcher Kai joins the crew to help them in their latest job, hunting a mountain troll, Astri ignores the chemistry between them—something her jealous teammate Micke fails to do.
Astri knew Micke was a jerk, but even she never expected him to send Kai up into the mountains alone to face the troll, unaware that she was asleep in the trailer. Now, trapped in the mountains with a destroyed car, she and Kai need to work together to confront the creature, and their bond grows—but even if they get out alive, can Astri trust Kai with her heart?
Excerpt:
Rain spattered
the windows of the café, mist making the sunlight bleak. At a table by the wall
a man was sitting with a breakfast tray, a small stack of paper on the seat
beside him, oblivious to the sideways glances given by the other customers. His
messy beard, tousled brown hair and heavy duffel coat gave him the appearance
of a slightly cleaned-up vagrant.
“This place is
too expensive.” Astri Ingebrigtsen dropped her food on the table and sat down
across from him, throwing her dark hair back out of her face. “At this price
these eggs should be gold-plated.”
“Get Micke to
pay.” Otto grunted, looking down as he dug through his paperwork. “He wanted to
stop here.”
“I did. He
moaned.”
Otto rolled his
eyes just as Micke appeared beside him, breakfast in hand. Without a word Micke
picked up the papers then dumped them unceremoniously on Otto’s tray before
sitting down with his own.
“Paying for
Lise’s too?” Astri asked casually.
“Get lost,”
Micke snapped.
As Lise joined
them with her own food, Astri turned her attention to her breakfast, smiling to
herself. Micke was so easy to wind up.
But God, it had
been a miserable week. She cast a rueful glance out of the window to where
their trailers sat in the car park, each attached to a Jeep. They were a
necessity when they were on a job that required travel, but try as they might,
it was impossible to keep them properly warm inside, even with the help of
space heaters and extra blankets.
And this had
been a long job. Traveling every day, out hunting every damned night. She was
beginning to think it would never be over.
Otto was
spreading a map out on the windowsill, eating his svele one-handed as he ran a
finger along the road markings. The shrill ring of a mobile phone cut through
the air and he cursed, dropping his fork and burrowing his hand into his coat
pocket.
“Otto here.” He
paused. “Not yet. We left Trondheim this morning.”
Astri exchanged
glances with Lise. This sounded important.
“We should get
there around two. We’ve booked ahead. Tell him to wait in our cabin.” Otto hung
up the phone and eyed Astri and Lise, who looked back at him innocently.
“That was
Gunther. Our new addition will be meeting us in Orkanger.”
“What did you
say his name was?” Lise asked through a mouthful of bread.
“Kai. Kai
Amundsen.” Otto glared at Micke, who had let out a dismissive snort. “Enough,
Micke.”
“We don’t need
more people.” Micke twisted in his seat to face Otto, his mouth twisted in
disgust. “Too many of us attracts attention. And we don’t need a greenhorn
holding us back.”
“We’ve been over
this. We need his research to capture it.” Otto held up a hand to forestall any
further response. “This is not negotiable. Eat.”
“He’s right,
Micke,” Lise cut in. “We’ve been chasing it for weeks. This could mean we
finally catch it.”
Micke slammed
his fist on the table, making the cutlery jump. “I do not need some college
student to tell me how to do my job. When he’s never in his life caught a tr—”
“Micke!”
About to snap
back at Astri, Micke caught her eye and shut his mouth. Astri hastily scanned
the room to see if anyone had overheard.
It didn’t seem
like it. A few heads had turned at his outburst, but apparently nobody had
picked up on that last dangerous word.
About the Author:
Tanith Davenport began writing erotica at the age of 27 by way of the Romantic Novelists' Association New Writers' Scheme. Her debut novel "The Hand He Dealt" was released by Total-e-Bound in June 2011 and was shortlisted for the Joan Hessayon Award for 2012.
Tanith has had short stories published by Naughty Nights Press and House of Erotica. She loves to travel and dreams of one day taking a driving tour of the United States, preferably in a classic 1950s pink Cadillac Eldorado.
Tanith's idea of heaven is an Indian head massage with a Mojito at her side.
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Thanks for having me on here!
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