The Liar Society Blog Tour! How to Write a Kick-Ass Heroine

Today we're lucky to be a part of the blog tour for the brand new release The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker. We've known these lovely ladies almost as long as the FNC has been blogging, and we knew it was only a matter of time before they hit it big.

If you haven't had a chance to cheek out their book yet, you can get the lowdown on Goodreads.

Today Lisa and Laura are talking about a topic that the FNC is all about. Whether it's a Disney Princess, our most recent read or our own WIPs, something all four of us are always thinking about is how to write strong, empowered characters. And so, without further ado, LiLa tells us:

HOW TO WRITE A KICK-ASS HEROINE

 
We come from a family of all girls. Our dog was a boy, but actually peed like a girl, so it doesn't really count. Although he has his moments, even our dad has an overwhelmingly soft side (ie listening to Celine Deon, head in hands, deep in thought). But there is one family member who's hard as rock. We like to call her the Regulator for that very reason, but she also goes by Mom. Our mom's rock-hard-edness (yes, that's a word) combined with our dad's You Are Women, You Will Roar approach to child-rearing gave us the tools to write (who we like to hope is) a kick-ass heroine.
 
There was not a whole lot of sympathy in the Roecker household growing up. You're not bleeding? You're fine. You didn't throw up? You're going to school. Can you bend/straighten/walk on/put weight on it? It's not broken. Naturally, we learned that there wasn't a whole lot of attention to be had from crying or complaining. For example, in middle school Laura was upset one time about God only knows what. In an attempt to comfort her, the Regulator smoothed her hair. Then she asked, "When was the last time you took a shower?" Helpful. To be fair, we are exceptionally thankful that our parents did not do the whole, "Oh my gosh, what happened baby? Did you knock your head? Let's get some ice on that" routine because not only is it exhausting and annoying, it turns kids into a bunch of sissies. Suck it up. Life hurts. Move on. And we're proud to say, we're raising a whole new generation of future unsympathetic humans. It's only natural. Not only that, but Kate Lowry operates in the same way. Yes, she spent the past year grieving the loss of her friend, but The Liar Society tells the story of drying tears and actually doing something about it.
 
Because there were three of us, there were also a lot of boys to grace our family with their presence. Sometimes the boys were nice, most times the boys were jerks and one time a boy required a restraining order (not kidding). As a result there were scads of angsty poetry written and buckets of tears. But our parents' theme was consistent: You don't need boys. We might not have wanted to hear it at the time, but the advice is sound. Why fall into the trap of letting a boy define who you are? Why not embrace the rebound and learn to become independent? Why not have fun? These days, we don't have a lot of patience for the snivveling, damsel in distress character who consistently requires saving and ultimately needs a boy. It is important to us to write characters who have a backbone, who can stand on their own and understand how much they bring to the table, how much they should be valued. A little self confidence goes a long way and we want our main characters to reflect that.
 
Finally, kick-ass heroines have to be brave. They have to have the courage to confront the baddies, resolve to enter dark rooms in the dead of the night and consistently put their own well-being on the line for the cause. Just. Like. Us. Okay, who are we kidding? We're afraid of our own shadows. Our parents kind of missed the boat on all those lessons in bravery because Lisa was/is afraid to go in the ocean and Laura won't answer her door if she's home alone. But hey, that's why we write, right? We get to plug in all those characteristics we wished we had and call it a day! So while our own kids are navigating this world with their little senses on high alert because of all the dangerous things that could happen compliments of their mothers, our book babies are taking their worlds by storm and breaking into abandoned buildings. But don't worry, we'll keep an eye on them.

 

Psst...if you want to enter The Liar Society Blog Tour of Awesome contest, and really, who wouldn't want to enter!?! There's a $100 Amazon gift card up for grabs! Just click here and enter the super secret password, BEEFANY, for an entry. Remember you can enter one time for each stop on our blog tour, so be sure to click here and see where else we're visiting this month to maximize your chances of winning.

Audi, Vide, Tace,

L&L


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Thanks again to these two wonderful ladies for the guest post!  Be sure to check our their blog (they're always this funny!) and come back tomorrow to the FNC to check out our review of THE LIAR SOCIETY, and to enter our giveaway of the ARC!

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