Kick-ass heroines

Does a heroine have to appear full-blown at the beginning of a book? Does she need to go it alone? I had a review in which a person commented that my main character was whiny and weak. Yes, she was. But as the book progressed she changed. I don't agree with books in which a character is uber strong at the get-go. If she is, what's the purpose of the book?

My characters start out with lessons to learn. Even the dark goddess in my current book 2 of the series has lost her powers. She has to go into the underworld/dreamtime to discover who she is. And my other question is: Why is it necessary for a character to never ask for help? Isn't collaboration part of what makes a person great?

These questions plague me as a writer of fantasy. It seems that readers want something unrealistic...well, yes, I know. Fantasy is by its very name, unrealistic. One way around this would be to have the heroine strong at the beginning but lose her strength as the story develops, and then somehow reclaim it. Trial by fire or some such theme...I am thinking about a new book, one in which the politics of the last four years does not intrude :)

My dystopian book Echoes is not doing well as far as sales go. (the one where politics does intrude) It makes me wonder about the themes and/or maybe the cover. My heroine is a tough girl at the beginning...falls in love as the story progresses, and now in Book 2 she's floundering. Here's a thumbnail of the two covers: Which one do you like? One on left is the new one...

Would love to know your opinion...please respond if you have one! .nikki@nikkibroadwellauthor.com

Thank you for reading!

When the regular ways no longer work...

This post is about marketing. but it is also about values and the deeper reasons for what we do. In this culture money is our barometer for how well we're doing, but if you are in the creative arts, money is hard to come by. And our self-esteem can spiral downward quickly when our hard work is ignored. When we're writing from the heart it feels like it's us who are being ignored.

What I value is exactly what I write about. Putting my voice out there into the public is why I write. It is my dharma. We all have our reasons for what we do. If money is the main objective then our values have to be put aside, because we are swimming in the river with all the other fish. And believe me, that river is crowded!

In the past few months I feel a sea change inside myself. I suspect it is part of the bigger changes happening. The Age of Aquarius is upon us. Our systems which were teetering, have completely fallen apart this past year.

"[In the Age of Aquarius,] the power is turning over to the individual, and giving the freedom for you to choose your own reality based on what aligns with your soul." —Adama Sesay, astrologer

So back to this money based culture and living within our own value systems. Can we as creative individuals eke out a living doing what we love? I have decided that I must find another avenue, another way forward. No e-commerce marketing ideas are working for me and I'm getting to the point where I don't want to deal with the technical complications. I want to swim in a tributary, an offshoot to the river, with less fish and more opportunities. But what that will look like is not so easy to envision. My books all have a spiritual bent, they are all about the earth and the magic she embodies. Is there a link to follow, a path that engages those who want to read what I have to say? If anyone has any ideas I would love to hear them. Right now I'm just an escaped fish on dry land trying to find the stream.

New Year New Beginnings

What a year this has been! And today marks the backside of part of it with the departure of Trump and the ringing in of Biden. Sorry if any of you are fans. I am not. I believe in decency honesty and ethical behavior. But enough of that.

What are you reading these days?

I am hard at work on Book 2 of Lucifer and the Dark Goddess. Working title is Forbidden but that could change. If you are fans of my work you know that current events or issues have a way of creeping in, and this new book is no exception. Echoes, the first book, introduced the god of chaos and now we are deep into that theme. Sound familiar? A world about to be blown up by a madman. This new one, though, is a departure in the sense that our heroine has many lessons to learn. And those lessons come through the dreamtime--do you know about the Aboriginal dreaming? The world was dreamed into being and everything in it has its place. In my story lessons are learned through the dreamtime. Apologies to the Aboriginal culture for how I describe it. And there's a queen and a prophecy...but you'll have to wait until it's published to find out the juicy details. So if you have not yet read Echoes, and these themes appeal to you, please check it out! It's still at .99.

A few suggestions for other authors I enjoy. Amy Harmon, The First Girl Child, The Vine Witch series by Luanne G Smith, Breath of Earth series by Beth Cato. Happy reading!

I hope you are staying safe and enjoying this new year of hope. Things are better already!