S.E. Zbasnik's Blog
June 21, 2014
I Hate Strong Female Characters
Like nonplussed and literally, the phrase “strong female character� has come to mean its antithesis. When people hear it they picture a full fleshed out woman with her own wants and desires. What they get is a woman in a mini skirt and thigh high boots that occasionally punches people.
But, and this is vital, that strong female character, cannot actually save the day. Her entire existence is for the main male hero. She may be spunky and sassy and is always met beating up some guys, but the second she teams up with MMH (main male hero) she abandons everything in her life to help him on his quest. Perhaps she manages to get captured and somehow fully forget how to fight allowing the MMH to do all the cool stuff while she sits around in a metal bikini.
Strong female character is a buzzword. People know it’s something audiences want, so they throw it in for anything. Have a female character? Well, she’s a strong female character!
But, she’s only got three lines and you didn’t even name her beyond “Busty Hottie?�
Yeah, but look, she totally stabbed that one bad guy in the eye. Strong female character!
I stated once that “if your female character doesn't exist outside of the prism of your male character's existence, you do not have a ‘strong woman.’�
Quite a few male writers had to rush to my somnolent twitter feed to inform me I was wrong (of course I am, I'm just a girl), that all of their characters are strong females because they hit things. Sometimes they hit things really hard. Maybe one's like a B cup, a large B cup of course. And then they drop the bomb, “well it passed the Bechdel Test so they're all capable characters, can't accuse me of sexism.�
Let us break down the Bechdel test for those who have yet to hear of it.
In order to pass all you need are
� Two named women
� Together in a scene (only one scene necessary)
� Talking about something other than men
That is bloody it. The point of it was to show how rarely movies passed, that so much of media falls upon the 25:75 ratio. One Sue Storm to the three other fantastics (soulless scientists not withstanding). It was to give data for how rare it is for women to exist outside or to have a point beyond the main male character’s purpose.
The test was supposed to draw attention to the dearth of female characters, instead so many men found it a convenient excuse to prove they can't be accused of sexism.
Throw in a character named Candy talking to another named Mandy about how awesome shoes are, then back to the guys actually saving the world. Boom, Bechdel Test passed. This is a totally feminist work with three dimensional women.
I'm not a big fan of playing the reverse game, but imagine the utter shit fits thrown if all you needed to prove you created a fully fleshed out three dimensional male character is that you have
� Two named men
� Together in one scene
� Talking about something that has nothing to do with women
This Brochdel Test is passed by, oh, just about every movie in existence. Men can have pasts, they can have motivations, desires, needs, wants outside of sex.
Women have that one scene where the love interest gossips with her best friend, who will probably never be seen again.
I despise the always tacked on female character in action movies because she's there for one reason, to polish the main character's penis. Once that's done, she's nothing more than an animated set piece, occasionally transformed into a breathing MacGuffin. Oh sure, maybe she throws a punch or two, taps a stick lightly against a rat of unusual size; but if you removed the male character, she would cease to exist. All her motivation comes down to is making the male protagonist happy (ifyaknowwhatImean nudge nudge); without him around she'd stand blank like a Stepford robot in the kitchen, making sad beeping noises, waiting for someone to switch her off.
No, passing the Bechdel test does not mean you have a fully culpable, capable, or even somewhat realistic female character. If you're uncertain and concerned you could try asking another woman and, this is the really important part, listening to her. Don't ignore the words flowing out of her mouth and mentally fill in her criticism with diamonds/babies/yogurt/chocolate/pumpkin spice latte and change nothing. We've been doing this woman thing a hell of a lot longer than you. We may just know what we're talking about.
So I say we need to have a second level of the Bechdel test; if you are basing the idea that you cannot be accused of sexism upon this test, then you need to pass the second level.
� Have a named female character
� Whose life does not revolve around a male character
� Done. Maybe have some pancakes to celebrate?
I'm guessing, much like the original Bechdel test, most media will fail.
There’s another approach to creating the false “strong female character� that’s grown in popularity as male writers try to shoehorn in a female character but keep all the interesting stuff with men.
We’ll give them a woman who’s trained her entire life to become a ninja chimney sweep. She’s forsaken friends, love, and a normal life to master the secrets of ninja chimney sweeping. She’s harsh, but witty, with a short fuse for those who waste her time. But this story won’t have a damn thing to do with her. No, it has to be about a white guy, mid 20’s with a bit of a pot belly who is almost a total screw up.
But this guy is destined to be the great ninja chimney sweep hero. You can’t argue with it. It’s destiny. Rather than the girl using her lifetime of awesomeness to defeat the dust monster clogging up the lungs of Earth, instead she must lose two-three weeks of her life trying to train a perpetual fuck up. Because that makes tactical sense, to send an untrained and untested rookie instead of the person who devoted her life to it.
It’s the “girls can’t save the world� trope. She may be confident, she may be talented, she may be terrifying beyond anything the villain can imagine, but she cannot save the galaxy. Only boys can do that. So they take that female character they built up and delegate her back to being the prize waiting at home for the real hero to return once he’s finished falling into winning. Sure, she gets a backstory and maybe even a bit of autonomy, but it means jack squat when all she gets to do with that characterization is stand around waiting for a male character to save the day.
Yet, the creators can run around screaming “Look, we made a strong female character.� She can punch really hard. She doesn’t dream about boys. She won’t need any rescuing. She won’t do any saving either, but that’s not important. All that matters is we made one. We didn’t use one, but we made her.
That is not enough. Boys have grown up watching men save the galaxy for eons, but you can’t let a woman do it? Even if its part of an ensemble, she’s relegated to the half naked hottie that goes along with whatever the leader wants. It’s a guy who’s the comic relief, a guy who’s the muscle, a guy who saves the galaxy. The girl waits around for a kiss and punches a few baddies, but not too many. We don’t want to emasculate the hero.
Because this is the overriding fear with every strong female character. If we let her be too impressive, let her do too much on her own, then she won’t need a male to save her. What if, instead of needing a man, she wanted one around? She wanted one for his friendship, or for his humor, or because he treated her like a person instead of a pile of sexy body parts? Impossible! Give her a stick to swing around, put her in a bikini, and call it a role model for little girls. Done!
This isn’t even touching upon the idea that not all strong women beat people up. Tactics, cunning, or even emotional manipulation can a powerful woman make; but in order for that to happen, a woman would have to be smarter than a man and we’re right back to emasculation terror. Sure, maybe she knows some secret ninja woman moves that allow her to take out a few bad guys. That’s acceptable. But outsmarting some big baddie? Unthinkable!
Girls must always be shown as lesser than boys, even when people are swearing up and down that they’re not by hiding behind “it’s a strong female character.� To admit for a moment that women can be just as capable as men is too terrifying for the average writing crop to admit.
And that’s why I hate strong female characters, who are anything but.
But, and this is vital, that strong female character, cannot actually save the day. Her entire existence is for the main male hero. She may be spunky and sassy and is always met beating up some guys, but the second she teams up with MMH (main male hero) she abandons everything in her life to help him on his quest. Perhaps she manages to get captured and somehow fully forget how to fight allowing the MMH to do all the cool stuff while she sits around in a metal bikini.
Strong female character is a buzzword. People know it’s something audiences want, so they throw it in for anything. Have a female character? Well, she’s a strong female character!
But, she’s only got three lines and you didn’t even name her beyond “Busty Hottie?�
Yeah, but look, she totally stabbed that one bad guy in the eye. Strong female character!
I stated once that “if your female character doesn't exist outside of the prism of your male character's existence, you do not have a ‘strong woman.’�
Quite a few male writers had to rush to my somnolent twitter feed to inform me I was wrong (of course I am, I'm just a girl), that all of their characters are strong females because they hit things. Sometimes they hit things really hard. Maybe one's like a B cup, a large B cup of course. And then they drop the bomb, “well it passed the Bechdel Test so they're all capable characters, can't accuse me of sexism.�
Let us break down the Bechdel test for those who have yet to hear of it.
In order to pass all you need are
� Two named women
� Together in a scene (only one scene necessary)
� Talking about something other than men
That is bloody it. The point of it was to show how rarely movies passed, that so much of media falls upon the 25:75 ratio. One Sue Storm to the three other fantastics (soulless scientists not withstanding). It was to give data for how rare it is for women to exist outside or to have a point beyond the main male character’s purpose.
The test was supposed to draw attention to the dearth of female characters, instead so many men found it a convenient excuse to prove they can't be accused of sexism.
Throw in a character named Candy talking to another named Mandy about how awesome shoes are, then back to the guys actually saving the world. Boom, Bechdel Test passed. This is a totally feminist work with three dimensional women.
I'm not a big fan of playing the reverse game, but imagine the utter shit fits thrown if all you needed to prove you created a fully fleshed out three dimensional male character is that you have
� Two named men
� Together in one scene
� Talking about something that has nothing to do with women
This Brochdel Test is passed by, oh, just about every movie in existence. Men can have pasts, they can have motivations, desires, needs, wants outside of sex.
Women have that one scene where the love interest gossips with her best friend, who will probably never be seen again.
I despise the always tacked on female character in action movies because she's there for one reason, to polish the main character's penis. Once that's done, she's nothing more than an animated set piece, occasionally transformed into a breathing MacGuffin. Oh sure, maybe she throws a punch or two, taps a stick lightly against a rat of unusual size; but if you removed the male character, she would cease to exist. All her motivation comes down to is making the male protagonist happy (ifyaknowwhatImean nudge nudge); without him around she'd stand blank like a Stepford robot in the kitchen, making sad beeping noises, waiting for someone to switch her off.
No, passing the Bechdel test does not mean you have a fully culpable, capable, or even somewhat realistic female character. If you're uncertain and concerned you could try asking another woman and, this is the really important part, listening to her. Don't ignore the words flowing out of her mouth and mentally fill in her criticism with diamonds/babies/yogurt/chocolate/pumpkin spice latte and change nothing. We've been doing this woman thing a hell of a lot longer than you. We may just know what we're talking about.
So I say we need to have a second level of the Bechdel test; if you are basing the idea that you cannot be accused of sexism upon this test, then you need to pass the second level.
� Have a named female character
� Whose life does not revolve around a male character
� Done. Maybe have some pancakes to celebrate?
I'm guessing, much like the original Bechdel test, most media will fail.
There’s another approach to creating the false “strong female character� that’s grown in popularity as male writers try to shoehorn in a female character but keep all the interesting stuff with men.
We’ll give them a woman who’s trained her entire life to become a ninja chimney sweep. She’s forsaken friends, love, and a normal life to master the secrets of ninja chimney sweeping. She’s harsh, but witty, with a short fuse for those who waste her time. But this story won’t have a damn thing to do with her. No, it has to be about a white guy, mid 20’s with a bit of a pot belly who is almost a total screw up.
But this guy is destined to be the great ninja chimney sweep hero. You can’t argue with it. It’s destiny. Rather than the girl using her lifetime of awesomeness to defeat the dust monster clogging up the lungs of Earth, instead she must lose two-three weeks of her life trying to train a perpetual fuck up. Because that makes tactical sense, to send an untrained and untested rookie instead of the person who devoted her life to it.
It’s the “girls can’t save the world� trope. She may be confident, she may be talented, she may be terrifying beyond anything the villain can imagine, but she cannot save the galaxy. Only boys can do that. So they take that female character they built up and delegate her back to being the prize waiting at home for the real hero to return once he’s finished falling into winning. Sure, she gets a backstory and maybe even a bit of autonomy, but it means jack squat when all she gets to do with that characterization is stand around waiting for a male character to save the day.
Yet, the creators can run around screaming “Look, we made a strong female character.� She can punch really hard. She doesn’t dream about boys. She won’t need any rescuing. She won’t do any saving either, but that’s not important. All that matters is we made one. We didn’t use one, but we made her.
That is not enough. Boys have grown up watching men save the galaxy for eons, but you can’t let a woman do it? Even if its part of an ensemble, she’s relegated to the half naked hottie that goes along with whatever the leader wants. It’s a guy who’s the comic relief, a guy who’s the muscle, a guy who saves the galaxy. The girl waits around for a kiss and punches a few baddies, but not too many. We don’t want to emasculate the hero.
Because this is the overriding fear with every strong female character. If we let her be too impressive, let her do too much on her own, then she won’t need a male to save her. What if, instead of needing a man, she wanted one around? She wanted one for his friendship, or for his humor, or because he treated her like a person instead of a pile of sexy body parts? Impossible! Give her a stick to swing around, put her in a bikini, and call it a role model for little girls. Done!
This isn’t even touching upon the idea that not all strong women beat people up. Tactics, cunning, or even emotional manipulation can a powerful woman make; but in order for that to happen, a woman would have to be smarter than a man and we’re right back to emasculation terror. Sure, maybe she knows some secret ninja woman moves that allow her to take out a few bad guys. That’s acceptable. But outsmarting some big baddie? Unthinkable!
Girls must always be shown as lesser than boys, even when people are swearing up and down that they’re not by hiding behind “it’s a strong female character.� To admit for a moment that women can be just as capable as men is too terrifying for the average writing crop to admit.
And that’s why I hate strong female characters, who are anything but.
April 22, 2014
Tulips
I got my own Easter surprise yesterday. Last fall I decided to finally throw my hat into the flower planting ring and plopped some bulbs into the ground, figuring they didn't stand a chance.
Low and behold, late March, some leaves wiggled out of the ground. After watching the closed buds for a few weeks stubbornly refuse to open on a bright Easter morn they finally did just that.
Feed me, Seymour! Feed me!
They look like satin in the sun.
And a few of the other flowers from the previous owners popping up so they don't get jealous of all the tulip attention.
Spring's here and she's brought a pomegranate gun.
Low and behold, late March, some leaves wiggled out of the ground. After watching the closed buds for a few weeks stubbornly refuse to open on a bright Easter morn they finally did just that.
Feed me, Seymour! Feed me!
They look like satin in the sun.
And a few of the other flowers from the previous owners popping up so they don't get jealous of all the tulip attention.
Spring's here and she's brought a pomegranate gun.
April 16, 2014
Book Giveaway
It has begun.
The other half of the "begging everyone and their little dog too to give a review" is "getting said reviews and then mining them for blurbs to get other people to review it." I think it finally ends with a giant explosion and we're all star babies or something.
Ah, but the point. We were all here for the point. To tie in with my first book review, the website is also offering my first giveaway. If you want a free ebook copy, head on over and throw in your name.
I suppose this means it's finally time to put up the amazon link and info up on my side.
Now to wait for that "I hated it and you should be beaten with a sack full of fish" review.
April 15, 2014
Carrot Cake M&Ms
Good morning class, today I would like to discuss the most disgusting candy to grace the aisle in a long while. I speak of the carrot cake M&M.
You may have not seen it on your stores. Like most things evil it has an exclusive deal with WalMart to try and contain the demon, but once evil is formed in the world it always finds a way to escape.
M&M has gone a wee bit over the deep end lately, copying hershey's kisses in the early naughts. (Are we still calling 2000's the naughts or did the cool kids come up with something less 20's speakeasyish. That's jake!) There are raspberry M&Ms, birthday cake M&Ms, the soul of angel's M&Ms. Apparently, their R&D guys barricaded themselves inside the lab and refuse to come out until they've released at least three abominable flavors a year the marketing department have to convince the rest of us to eat.
Why do I hate the carrot cake M&M? Well, let's start here:
White chocolate is not chocolate, it is satan's cum rolled in the butt crack of the sugar miser. To call it chocolate is to invite constant and deserved hatred from true chocolate lovers, or humans with taste buds. Anyone who defends white chocolate is clearly an ancient horror here to recruit people into their cult of worshiping lucifer and eating not-chocolate. Monsters.
But, I can move past my deep mistrust of white chocolate to give a more accurate reflection of the taste profile. I hate you white chocolate, Hitler ate white chocolate, melt in the cleansing holy fire white chocolate. See, totally impartial.
Before we can begin you need to get three of the carrot cake M&Ms. You'll see why.
Carrot Cake M&M 1: A bit of the classic carrot cake spice burst across the tongue but is quickly overtaken by the white chocolate. There are hints of what they plastered across the bag but it is lost in the cloying arms of the chocolate.
Carrot Cake M&M 2: The carrot cake spice is long gone now, all that remains is the evil white chocolate and a single crumb of cinnamon screaming for help before it too drowns in the sweet embrace. Things are getting bad now. The sugar coats the tongue like a too tight sweater, refusing to give up its grasp on the tastebuds.
Carrot Cake M&M 3: Oh god, the things I do for you people. Okay, okay, here we go. Like being waterboarded by pure glucose, the white chocolate has extended off the tongue, down the throat, across the cheeks, and probably into the brain. I cannot taste anything but the white chocolate, the miniscule carrot cake long ago destroyed by the menacing fist of the white chocolate. But the worst part is, the white chocolate does not wash away. It will squat on your tongue like a fat toad beneath a tree root for minutes up to an hour. Every swallow tastes of white chocolate, every breath reminds you of the wrongs you have committed; carrot cake M&Ms are a penance for the life you've lived. Look upon the cartoon bunny and weep!
If you love carrot cake and can stand white chocolate then you might enjoy these M&Ms, but you can only eat them one at a time, taking breaks every hour to let the aftertaste subside lest your tongue is overloaded with sweet and cannot find the spice at all.
If you mostly eat carrot cake for the cream cheese frosting and, like a proper person, despise white chocolate, get a tub of cream cheese and eat that. It'll be a log reduction less sweet than these M&Ms.
And that is the terror of the carrot cake M&M.
Class dismissed for spring break.
You may have not seen it on your stores. Like most things evil it has an exclusive deal with WalMart to try and contain the demon, but once evil is formed in the world it always finds a way to escape.
M&M has gone a wee bit over the deep end lately, copying hershey's kisses in the early naughts. (Are we still calling 2000's the naughts or did the cool kids come up with something less 20's speakeasyish. That's jake!) There are raspberry M&Ms, birthday cake M&Ms, the soul of angel's M&Ms. Apparently, their R&D guys barricaded themselves inside the lab and refuse to come out until they've released at least three abominable flavors a year the marketing department have to convince the rest of us to eat.
Why do I hate the carrot cake M&M? Well, let's start here:
White chocolate is not chocolate, it is satan's cum rolled in the butt crack of the sugar miser. To call it chocolate is to invite constant and deserved hatred from true chocolate lovers, or humans with taste buds. Anyone who defends white chocolate is clearly an ancient horror here to recruit people into their cult of worshiping lucifer and eating not-chocolate. Monsters.
But, I can move past my deep mistrust of white chocolate to give a more accurate reflection of the taste profile. I hate you white chocolate, Hitler ate white chocolate, melt in the cleansing holy fire white chocolate. See, totally impartial.
Before we can begin you need to get three of the carrot cake M&Ms. You'll see why.
Carrot Cake M&M 1: A bit of the classic carrot cake spice burst across the tongue but is quickly overtaken by the white chocolate. There are hints of what they plastered across the bag but it is lost in the cloying arms of the chocolate.
Carrot Cake M&M 2: The carrot cake spice is long gone now, all that remains is the evil white chocolate and a single crumb of cinnamon screaming for help before it too drowns in the sweet embrace. Things are getting bad now. The sugar coats the tongue like a too tight sweater, refusing to give up its grasp on the tastebuds.
Carrot Cake M&M 3: Oh god, the things I do for you people. Okay, okay, here we go. Like being waterboarded by pure glucose, the white chocolate has extended off the tongue, down the throat, across the cheeks, and probably into the brain. I cannot taste anything but the white chocolate, the miniscule carrot cake long ago destroyed by the menacing fist of the white chocolate. But the worst part is, the white chocolate does not wash away. It will squat on your tongue like a fat toad beneath a tree root for minutes up to an hour. Every swallow tastes of white chocolate, every breath reminds you of the wrongs you have committed; carrot cake M&Ms are a penance for the life you've lived. Look upon the cartoon bunny and weep!
If you love carrot cake and can stand white chocolate then you might enjoy these M&Ms, but you can only eat them one at a time, taking breaks every hour to let the aftertaste subside lest your tongue is overloaded with sweet and cannot find the spice at all.
If you mostly eat carrot cake for the cream cheese frosting and, like a proper person, despise white chocolate, get a tub of cream cheese and eat that. It'll be a log reduction less sweet than these M&Ms.
And that is the terror of the carrot cake M&M.
Class dismissed for spring break.
Book Trailer Premiere!
I'm happy to announce the internet premiere of the book trailer for The King's Blood from
I love what she came up with from the few images I've made. The music puts me in mind of something from Hogfather, rabbits are always scary, and it's never wise to walk under witch signs.
I also received my book proof and have approved it so soon it'll be heading out across the country to bookstores.
If you just can't wait for the May 13th launch date, it is so I can point some reviewers there.
I should warn you, it's a really long book.
Otherwise I'm trucking along on my Dwarves in Space 2 1/2 manuscript and plotting a few guest posts. Marketing is an endless mobius strip which you only jump off when you move to a new book and begin again.
I love what she came up with from the few images I've made. The music puts me in mind of something from Hogfather, rabbits are always scary, and it's never wise to walk under witch signs.
I also received my book proof and have approved it so soon it'll be heading out across the country to bookstores.
If you just can't wait for the May 13th launch date, it is so I can point some reviewers there.
I should warn you, it's a really long book.
Otherwise I'm trucking along on my Dwarves in Space 2 1/2 manuscript and plotting a few guest posts. Marketing is an endless mobius strip which you only jump off when you move to a new book and begin again.
April 7, 2014
Book Stuff
Hello, it's been a wee bit maddening around here the past week or so.
To begin, I had the brilliantly stupid plan to get back into the novel writing business this month. I wasn't going to create a full novel, but I had a shorter novella in mind and since Camp Nano was starting up in April I figured, why not.
Normally this time of year I'd be editing and after I blew my brain scraping The King's Blood into a published state, I've been itching to put finger to laptop.
I've been doing some updating to my website, which I am half assing at this point because of stuff. But if you had any pressing King's Blood questions and didn't want to ask me this might help.
Also, in keeping the marketing machine going, I've created a facebook author page. I'll be posting stuff there linking around to my writing and giveaways and swag as I make that stuff.
If you want to like me on facebook here's the page.
I'm also working on a guest blog post about love triangles and will be doing a podcast in the end of April, so you can all see me being terrifying!
As if all that isn't enough I had some fresh ulcers dropped onto my gastrointestinal tract last night. Originally, one of the things Lulu promised us along with book covers () was a book trailer and website. I suspected the website wouldn't be anything all that useful to me so I made my own but I'd been a wee bit counting on the book trailer for that Pubslush thing we're being highly encouraged to do.
You can probably guess where this is going. Since that is no longer an option, I'm working with to make something. She's amazing and the person I made that for. I just didn't anticipate planning and scripting a book trailer this month.
If I don't make it out of this month alive, with my dying breath I curse Zoidberg!
To begin, I had the brilliantly stupid plan to get back into the novel writing business this month. I wasn't going to create a full novel, but I had a shorter novella in mind and since Camp Nano was starting up in April I figured, why not.
Normally this time of year I'd be editing and after I blew my brain scraping The King's Blood into a published state, I've been itching to put finger to laptop.
I've been doing some updating to my website, which I am half assing at this point because of stuff. But if you had any pressing King's Blood questions and didn't want to ask me this might help.
Also, in keeping the marketing machine going, I've created a facebook author page. I'll be posting stuff there linking around to my writing and giveaways and swag as I make that stuff.
If you want to like me on facebook here's the page.
I'm also working on a guest blog post about love triangles and will be doing a podcast in the end of April, so you can all see me being terrifying!
As if all that isn't enough I had some fresh ulcers dropped onto my gastrointestinal tract last night. Originally, one of the things Lulu promised us along with book covers () was a book trailer and website. I suspected the website wouldn't be anything all that useful to me so I made my own but I'd been a wee bit counting on the book trailer for that Pubslush thing we're being highly encouraged to do.
You can probably guess where this is going. Since that is no longer an option, I'm working with to make something. She's amazing and the person I made that for. I just didn't anticipate planning and scripting a book trailer this month.
If I don't make it out of this month alive, with my dying breath I curse Zoidberg!
April 2, 2014
Marketing Stuff
I've been busy at work making some images for that book website I probably should have started a few weeks ago as well as other promo stuff. All the parts a writer loves.
I joke, but in reality photoshopping is a nice break from the stress of contorting my manuscript into a paperback and then ebook form. (I have rants that would burn apart a sun about Lulu's wizards)
On to the pictures. I made a sort of banner for each of my characters.
Aldrin, the second son for the throne who's been
tasked with saving a crumbling throne he has no right to.
Ciara, a daughter of near knight, is tossed into the
world on the flames of loss as the Empire ransacks her
home. She is the only one left to save Aldrin.
Taban, a rogue out of Dunlaw, appears from the
shadows to destroy an Empire guard come to
kill Aldrin. But who knows if this assassin of assassins
is trustworthy.
Marciano, General of the Avar Empire, is the man
tasked with the challenge of a god. His Emperor,
Vasska, has claims upon Ostero territory
and only the un-retired general can take them.
Isa, a witch from the forbidden islands,
travels with Aldrin and Ciara to guide
them to finding the long lost warrior's sword.
But she is a dagger that can bite back the hand that wields it.
Kynton, once a priest of the healing cult
of Hospar, has defrocked himself in favor of
traveling with anyone who will take him.
In this case, a couple of teenagers chasing something or other.
I threw a few together to make a possible bookmark/brochure image.
Now to get back to ARCs and asking for reviewers. Isn't self publishing fun?
I joke, but in reality photoshopping is a nice break from the stress of contorting my manuscript into a paperback and then ebook form. (I have rants that would burn apart a sun about Lulu's wizards)
On to the pictures. I made a sort of banner for each of my characters.
Aldrin, the second son for the throne who's been
tasked with saving a crumbling throne he has no right to.
Ciara, a daughter of near knight, is tossed into the
world on the flames of loss as the Empire ransacks her
home. She is the only one left to save Aldrin.
Taban, a rogue out of Dunlaw, appears from the
shadows to destroy an Empire guard come to
kill Aldrin. But who knows if this assassin of assassins
is trustworthy.
Marciano, General of the Avar Empire, is the man
tasked with the challenge of a god. His Emperor,
Vasska, has claims upon Ostero territory
and only the un-retired general can take them.
Isa, a witch from the forbidden islands,
travels with Aldrin and Ciara to guide
them to finding the long lost warrior's sword.
But she is a dagger that can bite back the hand that wields it.
Kynton, once a priest of the healing cult
of Hospar, has defrocked himself in favor of
traveling with anyone who will take him.
In this case, a couple of teenagers chasing something or other.
I threw a few together to make a possible bookmark/brochure image.
Now to get back to ARCs and asking for reviewers. Isn't self publishing fun?
