Empowering Girls

One of the reasons that I am writing the Emaleen Andarsan Series is to empower girls (while at the same time not alienating boys - Emaleen is a tomboy). Specifically, I wanted a storyline in which a female protagonist is destined to be the most powerful of her kind in a world of magic. Also, I wanted her to be able to change her world for the betterment of others.

At the same time, I wanted to make the story realistic. The magic system I chose requires the caster to do more than just point a wand and speak some magic words. A seer (which is what the magic people in the series are called) must learn the science behind the magic because the seer must actively manipulate the forces that are required to make the "magic" happen. Seers can learn these rules from family members, books, or experimenting.

Further, the story is real in terms of what Emaleen must learn to become a good leader. She must understand the viewpoints of those who are to follow her and she must learn how to make good decisions that take those views into account. She must also learn to inspire others to follow her.  However, there are times when she won't know what to do right away and she and those who help her will flounder a little. But over the course of the story, she will develop her internal strength, people skills, and leadership qualities as she starts to take charge of her own destiny.

It's also not just Emaleen who will be an example of a strong female role model. She has a sidekick with some interesting and unique abilities - and they aren't magic.

I am also interested in the dynamics of the different forms of power, and the way in which a society is organized so that there are rules and order. This story, thus, concerns the effects of a society in which there are no rules and no organized authority. In Emaleen's world, the seers think they are free because they have no rules and no one to tell them what they can and can't do. But the reality is the lack of a system makes them not free. Rather, it allows evil forces to grow and prosper at the expense of all of the other seers.

As I write this, I have the luxury of knowing where this story is going - beyond the books that have been released, and beyond the one that is in editing right now. I am doing my best to write this post in such a way as to keep from giving away the details of the story. But it is killing me (figuratively, of course). There are two more books to draft, and I can't wait to get them underway. As the story is moving on and getting closer and closer to the ultimate conflict that is to come, I feel incredible pressure to get the work moving. I can't wait to have all of the books released and have an opportunity to discuss them with readers.