By Opal Carew
What makes a strong woman?
Everyone will have their own idea of what defines a strong woman, but we
know one when we see one. Most of us
want the heroine of the romance books we read to be a strong woman, and
each author also has their own idea of what that means.
For me, I believe a strong woman is one who is true to
herself. It’s easy to allow ourselves to
be defined by our roles—mother, teacher, artist, friend—or by how others view
us. If others disapprove of what we do,
we might think less of ourselves.
I write erotic romance and just doing that I have stepped
out of the normal, acceptable roles and into the realm of disapproval by
many. But I don’t feel the need to
defend myself. I’m happy with my choice
to write stories that empower women by helping them embrace their
sexuality. And my heroines are strong
women, by my own definition. They are always
put into positions where they are drawn down a path where they must defy
societal norms. Each must decide to take
a risk, and in the end, they find happiness and love. That’s the romance part. The growth part, is that they find they can
defy what others might define as acceptable and do what makes them happy.
That to me is a strong woman.
In my book Secret Weapon, my heroine was already a free
spirit who flew in the face of convention.
When a man from her past—a close friend of her brother’s who had taken
on a protective role over her when her brother died—showed up professing his
love. She knew he would never accept her lifestyle and she told him so. He insisted he could handle it, and finally
convinced her to date him. She agreed,
but only on her terms. Her intent was to
show him that he could never accept her lifestyle no matter how much he wanted
her.
To me, Janine is a very strong woman. She loved Sloan deeply, but she believed a
relationship between them would never
work. She didn’t want to hurt him, and
she knew words would never convince him, so she did everything she could to
push him to the limit and convince him he could never be happy with her. Because his happiness as well as her own was
at stake.
All of my heroines learn to take risks and by doing so find
what makes them happy. That is their
strength and what allows them to succeed.
How do you define a strong woman?
Threesomes and men of the law have always been two of Janine’s biggest turn-ons. So when her boyfriend offers to invite one of his buddies from the police force into their bedroom, it’s an offer she can’t refuse. But when the extra man shows up, the last thing she expects is for it to be Sloan Granger—a man from her past.
Janine is the one woman who Sloan’s never been able to forget, and now that their worlds have collided, he has a second chance to win her back. Even though she refuses to let him back into her life, he’s determined to change her mind—no matter what the cost. His love for her has always been his greatest weakness, but this time, it’s also his most powerful weapon…
2 comments:
Hi Opal,
IMHO a strong woman is one willing to defy the opinions or even wrath of others in order do what is best for herself and her children, or the greater good.
Right now I am thinking of that young woman in Pakistan who bravely stood for education for women, and was shot for it.
Hi Opal,
I agree with Madelle - Malala, even at a very young age, is a strong woman. She has made such a difference in her country's view on the education of women. Having a deep abiding commitment, standing strong, and going after what she wants are keys to being a strong woman. I do think some women, like Malala, have those traits early in life and other women grow into it through the life choices they make.
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