Today romantic suspense author Joyce Lamb is here talking about one of my favorite things – Fearless Heroines. Joyce’s latest novel, True Colors, is available now from Berkley.  


______________________

Hi, Book Binge! Thanks so much for letting me hang out with you today!

A lot of romance writers talk about their favorite heroes, and I definitely have mine. Dennis Quaid in The Big Easy. Kevin Costner in Bull Durham. Jason Statham in The Transporter. Eddie Cibrian in Invasion. Timothy Olyphant in Justified. Gilles Marini just standing there. Ashton Kutcher in anything. I could go on, but I want to mix things up a bit. Seeing as how you’re all fearless women, I’d like to talk about my favorite fearless heroines, as well as the ones who’ve inspired my own characters.

— Molly Millions: Back in the late ’80s, I read my very first sci-fi novel: Neuromancer by William Gibson. The novel was pretty cool to begin with, what with the dawning Internet playing a huge role, but what has stuck with me most over the years is the character of Molly Millions. See, Molly was hero Case’s bodyguard, and seeing as how this was the future, she had jacked-up reflexes and razor blades imbedded under her fingernails — which retracted and everything — that were her weapons of choice. What I liked best about Molly was that she was a no-nonsense woman in a strong role. Which was a little unusual back in the ’80s, with the possible exception of Sarah Connor in The Terminator. (I’m sure there were others – they just weren’t on my radar.) When The Matrix came out many years later, I was certain that the leather-clad Trinity had been inspired by Molly Millions. (Side note: I named one of my cats after the cat-like Molly.)

— Sarah Connor: Speaking of The Terminator … What I loved about this character was the fact that Sarah spent very little time crying and whining about how her life just got blown apart. She steps up to the plate and fights for all she’s worth. She’s tough and resourceful yet feminine enough to have a quick fling with the very hot Kyle Reese, played by the very hot Michael Biehn. The Sarah Connor of Terminator 2 was very different — tough to the core, ripped and not a feminine bone left in her body. That made perfect sense to me, though. I mean, who wouldn’t lose it a little if she knew what Sarah knew about the future of the world? I drew on this character for my own heroine in one of my earlier titles, Found Wanting. Alaina, like Sarah, is laser-focused on protecting her son. No one and nothing can keep her down. She’s like the Energizer Bunny, popping back up every time you think she’s reached her limit.   

— Aeryn Sun: I found the sci-fi TV show Farscape after it had concluded, and I know lots of people have never even heard of it. A friend kept telling me I should check it out, especially because I’m a romance writer. I finally did, and once I got past some of the silliness in the first season, I was riveted. The character of Aeryn was brilliant: tough, competent and, at first, emotionless. She was bred to be a soldier and, therefore, never fall in love. Sex was recreation, period. John Crichton changed her world. Funny, tender and naïve about the brutality of the universe, he taught her about love and hope. I drew on this character for the heroine in my upcoming True Shot (formerly True Calling), the third in the True trilogy (coming December 2011). Sam is also tough and competent, more inclined to settle things with a gun rather than waste time with words. Her hero, Mac Hunter, is her perfect foil: funny, warm and convinced he can talk his way out of any situation, no matter how dire. Mac’s relative innocence frustrates the hell out of Sam, just as Crichton’s frustrated Aeryn in Farscape. At one point in the series, Aeryn tells John, “I don’t have time for your emotions.” But she ends up making time for them big-time, just like Sam does with Mac.

— Samantha Carter: It took me awhile to get into Stargate SG-1. (Yes, it’s another sci-fi show — sorry!) I’d watched a few episodes and wasn’t impressed, even though Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks were both worth tuning in if only to get in a little drooling. But a fellow writer friend insisted I keep watching, so I did. Turns out, the subtle romance between Jack O’Neill and Sam Carter is actually very well done. What I like about Sam: As an Air Force officer, she does her job and does it well — often the only one with the smarts to save the world time and again (hey, it’s fiction!). Surprisingly, her role isn’t to be the eye candy or the damsel in distress. Maybe she has to be rescued a few times, but the show aired for 10 seasons, so that seems acceptable. Sam also was ethical to the core. She had strong feelings for her commanding officer but never acted on those feelings because of military regulations — unless there were extenuating circumstances, such as being taken over by an alien entity (yes, it sounds stupid, but it worked). So even while the romance was never overt, the signs were subtle. This character, in part, inspired the heroine in my first True book, True Vision. Charlie is ethical to the core, too, and the one time she breaks the rules, the consequences are huge.

So I guess it looks as though I’m a real sci-fi nerd. Kinda, a little, especially when it comes to strong heroines. But I’m also a romance nerd, and the second of my True trilogy, TRUE COLORS, came out in January (it follows TRUE VISION). I hope Alex Trudeau, the heroine in TRUE COLORS, inspires someone somewhere. See, Alex picked up an intense, but sometimes awesome, psychic ability when she was shot after being mistaken for her sister in TRUE VISION. If Alex touches someone, her psychic ability sends her careening into a traumatic event from that person’s past, where she feels and sees everything the person felt and saw at the time of the event as if it actually happened to her. Not fun. Her ability has a major impact on her budding relationship with police detective John Logan, who’s haunted by a tragedy from his past. That tragedy is related to a serial killer who wants revenge. Unfortunately, said serial killer focuses on Alex as a way to make Logan pay, and when the killer kidnaps her, her psychic ability shows her the things in his past that made him a madman. So not only are Logan and Alex racing against time to stop a killer, but they’re also faced with the challenge of preserving Alex’s sanity. Luckily, there’s some sizzling romance along the way – with an added psychic touch to their lovemaking that’s pretty hot.

If you want to read an excerpt from TRUE COLORS, you can visit JoyceWrites.com.

Thanks for letting me hang out with you today! And, hey, I hope you’ll share who your favorite heroines are (or heroes!). If you leave a comment, you could win copies of TRUE VISION and TRUE COLORS. Be sure to leave your e-mail address. 

I started writing as a teenager, plunking my dad’s electric typewriter on my bedroom floor and pounding away at it in my jams. I’d just finished reading Rage of Angels by Sidney Sheldon and found the unhappy ending inspiring. So, naturally, I decided to write romance novels, where the ending is guaranteed to be happy. You can’t imagine how relieved I am that you will never, ever read that first novel, which was edited using scissors and rubber cement. At least the fumes were good.

_____________________