It's time for my very first Dreaming Anastasia giveaway contest! Seems only fitting since yesterday the folks at Amazon emailed me that my pre-ordered copy (yes, I ordered my own book. Why? Because I could) might be at my doorstep even before September 1st (that made my heart skip a couple of beats!)
Okay, so *drumroll please* here's how it works:
When I read or when I watch movies and television, I am a huge fan of strong women characters. I'm an even stronger fan of strong women heroes. Anne, in Dreaming Anastasia, is one feisty little female. So is Anastasia. And the witch Baba Yaga. And Anne's bff Tess. (who btw is one of my favorite minor characters because she just gets to say all the things she's thinking) And to some extent this was conscious because I like women characters who can kick some butt.
So how do you win your very own autographed copy of Dreaming Anastasia? Comment back to me here and let me know who your favorite FICTIONAL strong woman character/hero is and WHY. It can be from books, tv, movies. But to be put in the pool from which I'll pick the winners, you have to say both who and explain- briefly - why. Got it?
I'll keep the contest open until Monday night.
So let's get started! Tell me your favorite strong female character/hero (and remember it has to be FICTIONAL) and why and maybe you will win!
Start submitting!
Til next time...
47 comments:
Capt. Kathryn Janeway U.S.S. Voyager
heroic, risk-taking, strong leader. Equal to Capt. Jean-Luc Picard as the best captains on the Star Trek shows (yes, even eclipses Capt. Kirk, IMHO)
Congrats on your book!!!!
Ken Wetzel
Leia from the Star Wars. She has amazing leadership qualities, a fiery personality and a backbone that could make million bow in front of her, but she is definitely not heartless.
Congrats on your book!
prodhi@live.com
Definately Kahlan Amnell from Terry Goodkind's Sword Of Truth Series! She is such a strong leader and pretty much everything about her makes her just amazing. All the things she experiences throughout the books you think would bring her down, but not at all, everything that happens seems to motivate her all the more.
Can't wait for your book!
:) Erica
thebookcellar@wi.rr.com
I'm thinking..... I'm off to work on copyedits, but I'll be back. :)
Well, I'm a picture book author and that's my reference so one of my top favorites is Elizabeth of "A Paperback Princess." Her clever thinking defeats the dragon and then she rescues Prince Ronald. But, best of all, she rejects Ronald when he fails to give Elizabeth the respect she deserves. I love the ending and I admire Elizabeth. She rocks!
Joy, I know I've told you this information in person, but in my excitement about Elizabeth, I failed to write CONGRATULATIONS!!!! YOU ALSO ROCK! - Samantha (Great meeting you in Los Angeles!)
Hi Joy,
So excited for you!!! My favorite female hero - toughie - but I'll say - ugh! - I can't decide b/c there's so many - but my real favorite is Eowyn (sp?) from the Lord of the Rings. She steps out of the role society assigned for her and proves herself as brave a warrior as any of the riders of the Mark - and she gets to stab the nasty leader of the Ringwriaths!
Donna
I also adore Anne of Anne of Green Gables. She is fiery.
As for me, I like Annabeth in the Percy Jackson series. I know she's not the main character, but she has some real strength and helps Percy the most, I think.
I also like Rose in the Vampire Academy seres. She's determined and hard-working, two qualities I think a lot of heroines lack.
:)
I would say Clary Fray from Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare. She's a teen who gets thrown into a crazy situation in a matter of weeks. Her mom gets taken away, her whole sense of being is shifted and instead of crying about it she fights to get it back. She learns the truth about who she is and she saves her mom, friends, love, and the world. She isn't a typical teen or a girly girl. She is awesome!
Well, I'm going for a less mainstream book character -- Lucy Moon. (THAT GIRL LUCY MOON by Amy Timberlake) Lucy fights for real life causes from animal rights to "freeing" the town's sledding hill. I read the ARC just before it came out three years ago and Lucy still sticks with me.
I have to say Gemma from the Gemma Doyle Trilogy by Libba Bray. It takes place in Victorian England, a time when women were just supposed to pretty and pleasing to men. But Gemma was very powerful. She followed her dreams and refused to fit into that idea of women.
Thanks!
mdondero@sprynet.com
Veronica Mars from the titular television series!
Cute, sassy, smart and she had a great daugther-father relationship. The perfect modern day Nancy Drew and hulloooo - she gets bad boy Logan Echolls!
Buffy, Slayer of the Vampyres. That she subverts the horror-movie stereotype of the blonde who gets chased and killed in the alley or the forest is only the beginning. She's a superhero who kicks ass, of course, but perhaps more importantly, I can only hope that the kids who grew up watching her will take it for granted that a woman can be a strong leader, without the issue of compromising her femininity even arising. Moreover, the over-arching tenor of her leadership is one that values, and operates primarily from, teamwork and cooperation over hyper-masculine solitary heroism.
I tweeted to Sourcebooks. Don't know where my tweet has gone. I chose Cathy in Wuthering Heights. I always feel sorry for her because she never got to live on earth with the man she loved.
teakettle58@yahoo.com
I would love to say Katsa from Graceling because she pretty much can kill any man she wants. Or how about Astrid from Rampant who's a killer unicorn hunter? :P She defeats all the evil unicorns in the world and yet still managing to snag a hot guy along the way
My favorite is Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice because she looks at the world with a sense of humor and is far more intelligent than everyone else around her. I love her quiet strength and confidence. She's so amazing that even Darcy has to fall in love with her.
Scarlett O'Hara. Even though she's a selfish, conniving little wretch at times, she stands up for her family and for Tara. In spite of her "Oh, Ashley," "Oh, Rhett" turmoil (her girliness), her inner character is strong enough to take charge when others are weak. (I got my Dreaming Anastasia today from amazon!)
Rose from Vampire Academy, or Xhex from The Black Dagger Brotherhood. OMG they are feisty and kick ASS.
I love them!
I love Christina Applegate's character on Samantha Who. I love that she was a not so nice person and she doesn't remember because of her amnesia, but she has little flashbacks of how she used to be. She tries really hard to right the wrongs she had made in the past and tries to be a better person.
I've always been a big fan of Anne Shirley from the Anne of Green Gables series. She had charm, intelligence, and a very lively joy of life.
But I think the female character that shaped my life in the biggest way was Laura Ingalls Wilder in the Little House on the Prairie series. I ate those books up as a small girl, as a bigger girl, as a teenager, in my early twenties, in my late twenties, and in my early thirties. Every time I read them, I find more to enjoy in them. Laura is so easy to identify with. She struggles with jealousy and anger, but her biggest motivation is to protect her sisters and to help her family. She's shy but enjoys adventure and excitement. I don't know--she's really fantastic.
Oh man, I read the comments above me and they brought up some I didn't even remember! Like Anne Shirley... love that girl. However--and this may be the result of having read it just recently--my current favorite female character is Yelena from POISON STUDY by Maria V. Snyder. Talk about a girl who's stuck in an unfortunate situation! With death always on her heels, she still manages to be resourceful, intelligent, clever, courageous, and funny. She faces more adversity than any *character* ever should in a trilogy, and yet she manages to stay true to herself and get through everything. I love her!
And this is a great contest, Joy! I am so excited to read Dreaming Anastasia. :)
stephxsu at gmail dot com
I am totally loving all your choices! I was excited about this contest, but wow!! Now I'm totally thrilled. Keep 'em coming - this is such a great conversation on its own, even without the prize. But prize there will be! Autographed copy to one of you...
The main character is a girl named Wonapalei and her secret name is Karana. This is from the book Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell. This was a required reading when I was in like 3rd grade. I was NUTS about this book and wanted to be Karana! I wanted to have an adventure...I wanted to be able to free from my parents and take care of myself. This book and the thought of self care always stayed with me.
Ok, I had to add one more too....Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. To this day I still have some Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books! As a kid, I thought she was funny and wished my mom would listen to Mrs. PW. But now as a mom I see how smart Mrs. PW was and have used some of her "techniques" . I wish Mrs. PW would have become a movie. On Wikipedia there is a great chart of Mrs. PW's cures!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrs._Piggle-Wiggle
Maia, from Richard Adams book of the same name. Great zero to hero story (best thing about it is Maia never even realizes or thinks of herself as such).
Phedre from Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel books. Heroine on a grand scale (imo).
Okay, if I can't nominate from real life (still deciding if I'd pick you or me), then I pick Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird. Because she rocks. Like you and me!
Okay, I'm going to go with Harry Potter's Hermione. She's not afraid to be smart. She's not afraid to be strong. She's not afraid to be a girl.
I love that this is the question for youf contest! It was this past week that I realised I especially liked two shows because of tehir strong female characters...
So I'm going with the characters from those shows: Mary from In Plain Sight and Fiona on Burn Notice. They're both really no nonsense women who are really good at something you'd maybe typically expect men to do (okay, one of them blows stuff up). And while they can run their own lives and be physically strong, too, they're still...human and deal with life (mostly). So, I love them :D (and Buffy and Veronica Mars, too of course).
and because I just now thought of it, Abby from Marjetta Geerling's book Fancy White Trash ties them! She deals with her whole psycho family and is determined to make her own life regardless of what everyone expects of her.
book.splotATgmailDOTcom
I'm going to choose Kyra Sedgewick's character from The Closer, Brenda. She's awesome because she's the chief and is the boss over a whole crew of men AND she solves murders. She doesn't take anything from anybody, and she's crazy smart.
pepsivanilla14(at)hotmail(dot)com
I love Gloria Patch from the F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Beautiful and The Damned. She's spoiled, selfish, funny, and smart, and has the world wrapped around her finger. Lady Brett from The Sun Also Rises is also pretty darn cool.
By far my favorite character in a book has to Esperanza from Esperanza Rising. When she had the rug torn out from under her with the death of her father she moved ahead. She was just a child but had to support her family in America working in the fields. How inspiring to the young women that we raise today. When all is taken from your life you should rise up instead of falling down and admit defeat. I wish that I could be like her during the hard times.
I just read Terry Pratchett's Nation, and Daphne is such a wonderful, strong character. I love her combination of sensitivity and practicality. And she's so strong in the face of whatever situation comes up, even when she has no idea what to do. (The last thing that makes her a wonderful example of a strong woman is a big old spoiler, so I won't include it!)
Anne Shirley of Anne of Green Gables. I love her spirit and her love of adventure. I fell in love with reading because of those books and I started writing my own stories because of her. How I wished my name was "Anne with a E" when I younger.
Danielle
Hi, Joy: It was great meeting you on DAY 1 at the SCBWI/LA conference. I'd have to say it's a toss up between Nancy Drew (my mom read all of her mysteries to me as a kid) and Mibs in Ingrid Law's SAVVY. Both girls follow their heads and their hearts. Not always easy to do. Keep in touch, Patricia
lizzie hexam from charles dickens' our mutual friend. she's the daughter of a man who "earns" his living by rummaging the river for money and whatnot. she could drown in that poverty and tolerate others' disapproval of her and her family, but she's just proud enough, just courageous enough to defy her father's wishes for her brother and society's opinions for her life and rise above all of the badness in the end. she seems vulnerable, but there's an amazing amount of strength beneath the surface.
I can't choose! So I guess I'll just tell about two awesome girl characters I love, one from TV and one from books.
TV Show: I used to be obsessed with the show The Secret World of Alex Mack. I loved Alex because she was awesome and had a bunch of X-men-like powers.
Book: No one has mentioned her, so I'll give a shout out for Kate de Vries from Airborn, Skybreaker, and Starclimber by Kenneth Oppel. She is awesome because she's smart, brave, and independent in a world where girls are supposed to be timid and interested in things like fashion and being "ladylike."
paradoxrevealed (at) aim (dot) com
Hmmm...I'm thinking Temperance Brennan (aka Bones) from the TV show Bones; she may not fit into everyday society without help from her FBI partner, but she has the knowledge and know-how and is not afraid to use it. Plus she can bring down someone twice her size with her martial arts moves!....and from a bit more current YA reading, Bella from the Twilight saga books...okay, so for most of book 1 and part of book 2 she is seen as helpless (mostly, not all), but book 3 and 4 totally have her in "I'm-gonna-save-everyone" mode!
Thanks for the contest!
GMR
grgenius(at)go(dot)com
Definitely Scarlett O'Hara. She knew what she wanted and did whatever she needed to do to get it.
martina_ck AT shaw DOT ca
Congrats on the book! Let's see, so many characters to choose from...
I think I'll go with Ian Falconer's Olivia. She is one spunky pig! I love how HUGE her personality is and how she pretty much runs the world around her, but at the same time she's still sensitive and vulnerable and a typical girl/pig. Plus she looks hilarious in a tutu :-)
Big congrats on your book coming out!
Hmm. There are so many, so I'll go with Coriel, from Sharon Shinn's Summers at Castle Auburn. I really loved the way she made mistakes and solved problems in her own way. She learns and grows, and then fights (and achieves) the change that's needed.
I don't have a favorite; there are too many good ones.
From movies and videogames: Lara Croft from the Tomb Raider games. She's smart, kicks butt and has great toys.
From books: Harry Potter's Hermione. She's my favorite character in the series.
I know there are many more, but those are the first two to pop into my head.
Also, congratulations on your Dreaming Anastasia. I checked it out on Amazon and the cover is beautiful.
I've also added your blog to my blogroll.
I forgot to add my email...
fireflies76(at)mac.com
Danielle
re-post: Danielle T said...
Anne Shirley of Anne of Green Gables. I love her spirit and her love of adventure. I fell in love with reading because of those books and I started writing my own stories because of her. How I wished my name was "Anne with a E" when I younger.
Danielle
August 15, 2009 11:57 PM
I like Penelope Featherington, from Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series. Her story is called "Romancing Mr. Bridgerton."
SPOILER ALERT!
Penelope is a wallflower. Her debut was a disaster and she remains completely unpopular on the marriage mart, except for her close relationship with the Bridgerton family. At the age of 17, she creates an anonymous bi-weekly gossip page, what we might call a blog today. It becomes the most popular gossip sheet of its day and Penelope makes a fortune.
Eventually, she marries the third Bridgerton brother, who she has loved all her life. Her true identity is exposed and she takes her place as a leader of society.
I don't know if i missed it but my favorite heroin is Sarah from the Labyrinth because she learns to not take anything forgranted and she was stronger than Jared the goblin king.
temperance brennan. that's a good one!
Ten-year old Annemarie Johansen in Lowry's NUMBER THE STARS. For her unbelievable courage, stamina, and fierce loyalty to her Jewish friend Ellen Rosen in 1940s Nazi-occupied Denmark. My heart still pounds as I think of Annemarie running along the path at her uncle's home for her seemingly small yet dangerous mission. And the wake her family held - for a person who had not died - approached holy. The strength of character and restraint required in such trying times, even as a fictional protagonist, imparts courage and insight to those fortunate enough to read.
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