I first heard this term when I was complaining to a friend about a rejection I received. The letter mentioned great characters and plot, original idea but ... the Christian heroine wasn't woman-in-jeopardy enough for a romantic suspense.
"What do I do next?" I started talking about the changes I could possibly make for the heroine to fit into the mold.
My friend stopped me by commenting that I didn't write damsels-in-distress, I wrote the self-rescuing princesses. She was right. That was the whole point --the heart--of the stories I wanted to write. It might be because I have daughters, but there was a need for me to write heroines who are an equal to the heroes. I wanted to write Christian romantic suspense stories which featured strong heroines. I wanted to show that Christian women were strong, tough, and could stand on their own and fight against evil. They could be the 'heroes' in their lives.
Christian heroines --and real, life Christian women-- were capable of slaying their own dragons, so to speak, and stepping up to help others when needed. A woman didn't have to wait around for a man to rescue them, they could do it themselves.
Eventually, the right man comes along who they can share their life with but until then ... they'll do what needs to be done to make their life better and fulfilling.
Fortunately, I found Desert Breeze Publishing who published books with the type of heroine I needed to write. I am blessed to have the opportunity to share my self-rescuing princess heroines with readers.
The self-rescue princess isn't a woman who places herself above others but one who doesn't place herself below others. She isn't waiting to be rescued, but laying the ground work and doing the work necessary to change her circumstance. The self-rescue princess is not only able to see her strengths and positives but also her weaknesses and flaws. She takes control of her life and accepts responsibility for her decisions, good and bad.
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Christina,
ReplyDeleteHow do you fit a self-rescuing princess with the Christian theme that we cannot rescue ourselves? Does your novel show moments where your heroine must depend completely on God? Is part of your heroine's internal conflicts her need to work through her control issues and learn to trust?
Just curious.
Great questions, Gloria. The self-rescuing princess fits into the Christian theme in that the heroine must rely on her faith, abilities, and choices to lead a happy and content life rather than putting all of her hope into a man making her feel complete and whole.
ReplyDeleteIn Lost Then Found, the heroine starts her business to help others in great need because she trusts God and knows she can depend on Him to guide her ... though she does stumble at times.
The rescuing I'm referring to is the physical type not spiritual, and this is addressed in the book. (I don't want to give part of the plot away so won't mention specifics.) Part of the heroine's internal conflict is her ability to trust, but also her unability to see past her own grief to see another's pain.