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In honour of International Women’s day 2015, we’ve asked all the Escape Club and MDPWeb staff who their favourite women in fictions are.

 

Bec:

Favourite female author: Alice Munro

Favourite female main character: Elizabeth Bennet – Pride and Prejudice

Favourite female side character:  Jane Lane – Daria,  and Scully — X Files (a tie)

Favourite female friendship/relationship in literature: Jane Eyre and Helen Burns from Jane Eyre

And since purple, green and white are the official International Women’s Day colours; favourite book based on one (or more) of these colour schemes: The Colour Purple – Alice Walker

 

Amy:

Favourite female author: I can’t pick just one! ALL my favourite authors are female! But our very own Marianne de Pierres is on the list of authors that regularly switch positions to be my favourite, as are Kelley Armstrong, Ilona Andrews, Seanan McGuire a.k.a. Mira Grant, Tamora Pierce, Karin Slaughter…

Favourite female main character: Of all time? Probably Daine from Tamora Pierce’s Tortall universe. She was the first one who really made me love a) female protagonists and b) fantasy fiction, so she has a special place in my heart. And she can turn into animals – what’s not to love?

Favourite female side character: Rast, from Marianne de Pierres’ Sentients of Orion quartet. She’s kick-ass, she commands respect, she keeps her head in dangerous and difficult situations, and on top of all that awesomeness, she’s romantically into girls!

Favourite female friendship/relationship in literature: Phedre and Melisande from Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel books. They’re pretty much mortal enemies most of the time, but even when Melisande is being completely despicable and conniving, she and Phedre always seem to ‘get’ each other.

And since purple, green and white are the official International Women’s Day colours; favourite book based on one (or more) of these colour schemes: Trudi Canavan has a series called The Black Magician Trilogy, but all the covers of those books are white (at least here in the UK!) so I’ll go with that. LOVE those books.

 

Jamie:

Favourite female author: Ursula K Le Guin: an incredible writer and one of the greatest literary minds of the last century.

Favourite female main character: Makedde Vanderwall – from the Tara Moss series originating from Fetish. One of the best developed characters I’ve encountered. Constantly evolving. An incredibly real character and a great example of human adaptation.

Favourite female side character: Molly Millions – Neuromancer by William Gibson. The original Razor girl, strong, independent, witty and deep. She began my love of strong female roles in my early teens.

Favourite female friendship/relationship in literature: Yelena Rossini and Channon Yarrow – Transmetropolitan. The assistants to the main character; these two develop a very strong friendship separate from the main character and storyline that provides much context that helps drive the story. Their interactions with the series’ anti-hero protagonist are also incredibly amusing and often deep.

And since purple, green and white are the official International Women’s Day colours; favourite book based on one (or more) of these colour schemes: The Earthly Delights series by Kerry Greenwood: light and risqué mystery novels from a great Melbourne author. Again with a strong and independent female lead.

 

 Bel:

Favourite female author:  With all the stellar women writing books, it is near impossible to pick one. Marianne de Pierres and Rowena Cory Daniells are the dream team when it comes to authors who have done heaps for their local writing community, so they HAVE to top the list.

Favourite female main character: Rachel Morgan from Kim Harrison’s Hollows series.

Favourite female side character: Zuzana, from the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series.

Favourite female friendship/relationship in literature: Anne Shirley and Dianna Barry from Anne of Green Gables

And since purple, green and white are the official International Women’s Day colours; favourite book based on one (or more) of these colour schemes: I fell in love with the white and foiled editions of The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, the moment I saw them. I don’t have them in the box set, but that’s fine by me. They’re just so shiny and special.

Joelene:

Favourite female author: Holly Black. She doesn’t even have competition; her plots, characters and relationship dynamics are all perfection.

Favourite female main character: There are so many possibilities…but today I think it’s Pippi Longstocking. She’s strong, quirky, and has incredible, unbelievable tales to tell.

Favourite female side character: Rue from the Hunger Games. She’s brave, resourceful and loyal. And, though she takes up only a small amount of page space in the book, she’s a fully fleshed character that you automatically want to know more about.

Favourite female friendship/relationship in literature: The Bennet sisters. Elizabeth and Jane. They have very different personalities but love, respect and trust each other.

And since purple, green and white are the official International Women’s Day colours; favourite book based on one (or more) of those colour schemes: Liar by Justine Larbalestier (the Australian cover). An unreliable narrator, twists and turns galore, and a story that ends up being nothing like it seems.

Krista:

Favourite female author: JK Rowling – So many reasons…but HARRY!

Favourite female main character: Matilda – This story from Roald Dahl has always been a favorite. Matilda is my go to inspiration at any age.

Favourite female side character: Hermione  -She is everything that I have always wanted to be, smart, brave and speaks her mind

Favourite female friendship/relationship in literature: Sisterhood of the traveling pants -The first thing that came to my mind to represent true friendship

And since purple, green and white are the official International Women’s Day colours; favourite book based on one (or more) of those colour schemes: Purple- Nightshade by Andrea Cremer (the cover is purple), Green- Anne of Green Gables, White- Any books Angel related (like Angel by L.A. Weatherly).

Phil:

Favorite female author: Anne Rice. Reason: The Vampire Chronicles were the first books I got when I started taking reading seriously. Her writing style is unmatched.

Favourite female main character: Parrish Plessis. Reason: No real reason other than she kicks serious ass!

Favorite female side character: Galadriel from Lord of The Rings. Reason: Very powerful elvish Queen but also gentle and kind to those in need. Truly a being worth respect.

Favourite female friendship/relationship in literature: This is a tricky one. I’m drawing a blank.

And since purple, green and white are the official International Women’s Day colours; favourite book based on one (or more) of these colour schemes: Blood and Gold. It’s white if my memory served correctly.

Mandy:

Mandy’s Favourite Female Authors:

This is a terribly tricky one for me, as a mostly read women writers. This isn’t a conscious decision to be honest – I just seem to read more women than men. The authors listed below are the ones who I’ll read anything they produce, no matter the age group or genre:

 

Alison Goodman

Mira Grant / Seanan McGuire

Isabelle Carmody

Charlene Harris

and of course our very own Marianne de Pierres!=

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Bec Stafford interviews Jo Knowles, author of the award winning YA novel, Living with Jackie Chan.

 

I’ve read that, in planning your novels, you’re immediately aware of your characters’ emotional story arcs and note which will be the strongest emotions in each scene. Fans and critics alike have said that your books, including See You at Harry’s, are incredibly moving. Why do you think you’re so attuned to your readership’s emotional responses and able to create such emotionally complex characters and situations? How emotionally involved do you become with your characters when you’re writing?

Oh, that’s a really hard question! I guess the stories I want to tell have always come from a very emotional place to begin with. Usually it’s a troubling feeling that first stirs the story up in my heart. I live with the idea for a long time. It’s like finding the piece to a huge jigsaw puzzle.  You have no idea what the rest of the picture looks like, but there’s something about the piece you have that calls to you to find the other pieces to discover the bigger picture and it becomes almost an obsession until you do. I become extremely attached to the people I’m writing about and feel a huge responsibility to help them find their way, so I guess in that sense I am very emotionally involved.

Your award-winning novel, Living with Jackie Chan, tells the story of Josh (who we first met in Jumping off Swings) a high-school senior who is coming to terms with the fact that he has fathered a child. Can you tell us about the process of writing this story and what challenges you faced dealing with this confronting subject?

After Jumping Off Swings was published, I began to hear from readers who would write to me and ask, “Is Josh going to be OK?” and I always struggled with how to answer because I really didn’t know. I think the question rooted itself in my heart and I began to think deeply about what might have happened to Josh. We leave him so lost and alone at the end of Swings; I suppose that wasn’t really fair of me. Slowly, I began to imagine a life for Josh beyond those pages. We leave him when he’s about to go off to live with his uncle. Who would his uncle be? I was trying to imagine that when one night I went to watch my husband and son test for a belt in Karate. I hadn’t met their instructor yet but when he came bounding in the room, full of life and encouragement (especially toward my son), I thought, HE’S THE ONE! This is the uncle Josh needs. As soon as I knew who Larry was, the story just flowed out of me. I really didn’t feel like there were challenges in confronting the subject. If anything, I was eager to explore it, as so often the boy’s point of view is lacking in literature about teen pregnancy.

Jo, I’ve read that you try to read a novel a week, and that you’d recommend this activity for aspiring writers. Do you keep a list of the books you’ve read? What have been some of your all-time favourites, and why? What are you reading right now, and what’s next on your to-read list?

I do try to keep this up though sometimes it’s very hard, especially when I’m teaching. I used to keep track of the books I read on GoodReads and LibraryThing, but I admit I’ve really fallen behind. I recently read a book that will be coming out in March called Lighting The World, by Merle Drown, which is a very raw and gritty exploration of a boy on the edge and also Honor Girl by Maggie Thrash, which is a graphic novel memoir. Both are just really honest about the ugly spaces, and people I suppose, that occupy our lives. I really appreciated the bravery in that, but also the kindness and understanding given to even the less likable people. Everyone has a story and a reason for why they are the way they are, and I always appreciate when authors acknowledge that and give us a glimpse of those lives, too.

Which of your fictional characters Burns Brightest in your mind and why?

Oh gosh, I can’t choose. They all burn in different ways! I think my big goal in writing is to shine light on dark places. The dark truths that are part of all of our lives. If we could only admit that they are there, confront them, we’d come a long way to preventing them in the first place. I think the more we do this, the less alone so many readers will feel.

 

 

Jo Knowles is the author of Jumping Off Swings and its sequel, Living with Jackie Chan, as well as See You at Harry’s. She lives in Vermont with her family.

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#THENATURALHIGHPROJECT

Recently, on my personal blog, I’ve been working with an organization called The Natural High Project.

I’m doing a campaign January 1st through January 5th and you can read all that fun stuff on my blog.

I’m 100% sure that most of my readers aren’t going to know that this is because, although it is world wide, it’s not well known.

So, my first act would be to pose this question…

Natural High is a way to get your blood boiling and adrenaline rushing without the use of drugs or alcohol. These include doing your fave things whether that’s a day out with friends, or just an hour playing a sport!

A natural high is one of the most important things to find, and quickly, because as every teenager knows, your teen years are stressful!

Take the pledge to live drug free, watch videos, and read other blogs (and not to mention vlogs) on their website!

Stay tuned to my blog, www.christophersfashion.com  for my 5 day challenge, and links to other AMAZING Natural High Bloggers!

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Make sure you tweet this photo, and other things about the Natural High Project, along with the hashtag #THENATURALHIGHPROJECT and the link www.christophersfashion.com to be featured in our 5 day extravaganza!

Personal Blog- www.christophersfashion.com The Natural High Project- www.naturalhigh.org

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This was a year for my favourite series to end. One after the other, they fell like dominoes. This both pleases me because it frees up these brilliant authors to move onto fresh concepts, and saddens me; some of my favourite worlds and characters will only live on in the pages or in my head. I didn’t want to make this list all about the series which ended in 2014, but a couple made it here regardless.

 

The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins

I was holding out on this one because I’m not a fan of so much hype. I LOVED this; so yeah, I joined the voices of the people at the cinemas telling anyone who hadn’t read the book to do so ASAP. Well worth it.

 

Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek – Maya Van Wagenen

I saw Maya speak on one of my morning programs and was blown away by how mature she is; I had to read her book. Apart from being a well-spoken young lady, she is an accomplished writer. She’s going to be powerful in her own right.

 

Sacrifice – Brigid Kemmerer

There are no plans for any more books on the Merrick Brothers, which breaks my heart. As far as final books go, this one is certainly going to set you outside your comfort zone, in a gut wrenching way. I’d pay Brigid to keep writing about this family, but I know I can’t afford her extensive talents.

 

After the End – Amy Plum

Juneau hooked and landed me. I hope she’ll kick some serious backside in the next book Until the Beginning.

 

Dreams of Gods and Monsters – Laini Taylor

I love it when a series ends exactly how you wanted it too. Laini crafted these worlds and characters like a boss.

 

Most Anticipated

 

The Darkest Part of the Forest – Holly Black

I’ve read the review copy we received in Sydney, and, oh my gosh, you guys are going to love it.

 

Until the Beginning – Amy Plum

Janeau is gonna kick some butt and have me fist pumping till the end of this instalment; I can just tell.

 

Vision in Silver – Anne Bishop

These characters make me giggle, and Anne has crafted a conundrum of epic proportions for them to untangle. I cannot wait.

 

Hello, Goodbye and Everything In Between – Jennifer E. Smith

I am looking forward to some for some light, fluffy happy stuff to read, but I have to wait until September to get some.

 

Instinct – Sherrilyn Kenyon

Book 6 in the Chronicles of Nick series is shaping up to be a heart stopping joyride

 

 

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Krista

 

Sunrise – Mike Mullen

The last book in the series, in which super volcano has erupted and society must reform. The series has been constant, dark and scary throughout.

 

Defy – Sara B. Larsen

A girl who has been in disguise as a boy; one of the prince’s highest guards. To be found out would be death. Warring kingdoms and magic. A lot of fun and humorous read.

 

Peacemaker – Marianne de Pierres

The future meets the old west. Set in Australia. Magic, mystery and a strong female lead. Very creative and recommended read.

 

Gated by Amy Christine Parker

A group of people believing the world is coming to an end wall themselves off in a compound and things begin to go wrong within.

 

Stolen Songbird – Danielle L. Jensen

Trolls! I loved how this story took place underground in tunnels. It was such a massive imaginative creation that I was blown away just trying to imagine the beauty and claustrophobic feelings of this city. Great characters and entertaining read.

 

Most Anticipated

 

The Witch Hunter – Virginia Boecker 

“A YA fantasy debut where the magic and suspense of Graceling meets the political intrigue and unrest of Games of Thrones”-publisher Little Brown Books for Young Readers. I love books about witches and this one sounds very suspenseful and fun.

 

The Heir – Kiera Cass

I am a huge fan of the series and cannot wait for the newest in the series to come out.

 

The Cage – Megan Shepard

Five teenagers trapped in a HUMAN ZOO!?! Yes please.

 

Burning Kingdoms – Lauren DeStefano

Another author I am a big fan of and recommend any book by her. This is a sequel to Perfect Ruin. “On the floating city of Internment, you can be anything you dream, unless you approach the edge.” from author’s website.

 

The Stars Never Rise – Rachel Vincent

Another book by an author I love and will purchase anything she has written. She is an amazing storyteller. This is about soul consuming demons in a town where the number of souls are low.

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