A little something it's time to get off my chest, this on the subject of strong female characters in movies and books that seems the topic of discussion nowadays. More specifically, this tendency of Hollywood changing established male characters into females or weakening the male characters to make the female ones look stronger. Now, i have nothing against strong female characters, just as I have nothign against strokng male characters. For me, it's the plot and only the plot; the story rules all. So, if a story calls for a strong female character, I'll use one; if it calls for a weak female I'll use that; same for the males. But if I use a strong female character, I am NOT simply going to make all the men around her wimps, or give the female lead unusual advantages that the best of males don't have. Everybody earns their way to heroism, guy or gal. In my various stories I have some pretty strong women, but they still have their faults just as the men do. And of course, anatomical and physiological differences dictate there are some things that one sex can do that the other cannot; just like by extension there are some things that various alien races can and cannot do that humans can. A practical example: In my big fantasy series, amongst the many characters I have, there is one warrior who is the best with the blade, but shy around girls, so naturally he attracts the eye of a set of teenage triplet sisters... who unfortunately for him are three of the King's daughters. He spends 3 books doing his heroics like the other characters, the girls come on rather strong trying to win his love, so finally t do that they try to prove themselves to him by joining the army and training just like any grunt. They have to work their way up and in the process happen upon a plot that could undo everything. They do end up proving themselves but by lots of hard work, and while at one point they save the man's life it's not because he's suddenly a wimped-out male. it's because he's been controlled by an outrageously powerful force and the one thing that can free him is for the triplets to get him to realize that he really does love them just as they do him. No shoe-horning in anything just to make an artificially 'strong' female character, no wimpy males around them to make them look good.

My first chapter is live: Down on his luck, journalist Jack Sutherland pitches a profile on famous foodie Serendipity Brown, tasked by his editor to uncover her husband Richard's disappearance. Jack arrives at her art nouveau-style estate, Bishops Ridge farm, and is boisterously welcomed by the flame-haired chef. Serendipity settles Jack into her missing husband’s former study, fueling his investigative instincts. Over strong drinks, she invites him to her upcoming cooking demonstrations at her home. My novel: A week-long demo by a famous cook has four guests hide links to her missing husband. A romance with a visiting journnalist uncovers the truth. I'll be posting a chapter at a time on my site. (I hope I'm allowed to post this here @Rachael Bermingham?)