Strong, Smart and Not Ordinary

Here’s to strong smart women. Especially those who fly
under the radar.

Amateur sleuths, particularly women amateur sleuths, often
don’t seem all that strong or all that smart at first blush. But they are,
aren’t they? Whether they have ordinary jobs like small-town librarian, preschool
teachers, haunted bed and breakfast owner or for that matter they may be like, pet
therapist, Caro Lamont and pet boutique owner, Melinda Langston, in our Pampered Pets mystery series.

Whatever their regular, everyday job…these women are
strong. They are smart.

They may seem ordinary, but they’re definitely not.

We love writing (and reading) these seemingly ordinary women
because they’re often underestimated, and even at times, overlooked. These
ladies can take care of themselves and anyone else who needs it.

Writing a strong heroine can be tricky. It’s a balancing
act. You see, a strong woman isn’t just a guy named Lance who’s been given some
curves and renamed Linda. A strong
heroine is a multi-faceted person with feelings and flaws. She understands her
weaknesses, learns from her mistakes and draws on her strengths to face what
she needs to face. She’s loyal and fierce and believes in fighting the good
fight, not only for herself but for others who can’t fight. She may get
knocked down, but she always gets up, ready to try again.

Joss
Wheldon, of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame, says he writes strong
women because of his mother was a cool, sexy, funny, woman. And because of his
father and step-father prized wit and resolve above all things.

We believe part of the fascination with strong, smart women
who fly under the radar is that they are going along, leading ordinary lives,
and suddenly they must rise to the occasion when faced with extraordinary
circumstances. In our books, it’s almost always a murder. But the murder isn’t
really the call to action for Caro and Mel. It’s the injustice. Someone is
falsely accused. Someone is in danger. Someone has been wronged or someone bad
will get away doing something bad.

And don’t we all hope that if we were placed in a situation
that called for it, that we’d put on our big girl capes and perform
extraordinary feats.

So here’s to us – the daughters, mothers, grandmothers,
sisters, and friends who fight the good fight. Even if, sometimes, we have to
save the world between grocery shopping, special events, and nonstop meetings.

Here’s to you – may your battles be small and your
superpowers sufficient to the challenge before you.

What
makes a great strong female character for you?

Sparkle
Abbey is actually two people, Mary Lee Woods aka Mary Lee Ashford and Anita
Carter, who write the national best-selling Pampered Pets cozy mystery series.
They are friends as well as neighbors so they often get together and plot ways
to commit murder. (But don’t tell the neighbors.) They love to hear from
readers and can be found on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, their favorite
social media sites.

Their
most recent book is The Dogfather, the tenth book in the Pampered Pets series.

Also,
if you want to make sure you get updates, sign up for their newsletter via the
SparkleAbbey.com website.