The Quiet Gender Glass Ceiling in Fantasy

I was reading through some discussion groups on Goodreads last week and saw a thread asking for favorite female fantasy/science fiction writers. There were many names there, but that got me thinking. The number of great female fantasy writers debuting lately keeps going up. We have a history of greats from earlier years like Ursula le Guin, Andre Norton, and Anne McCaffrey. But I still see reports of women writing under their initials in my genre so they can possibly be mistaken for men. Uh, J.K. Rowling anyone?

An author at my publisher told me her books sold better when she changed to her initials. And this was recently. 

Then I looked at a different discussion thread. This one asked for people's top five epic fantasy authors. When asked about their "favorite" fantasy/science fiction writers, the lists are full of male writers. There might be one woman included on maybe half the lists. The names that come up over and over are Martin, Butcher, Sanderson, Rothfuss, Tolkien with a scattering of other males like Sullivan and Brooks. The occasional woman does make an individual's list but usually down at the bottom around number five.

This seems to be particular true in my subgenre of epic fantasy. Most of the recent successful women authors are more inclined to appear in lists of urban fantasy. Or else they write for young adult.

When will that change? 

Are women writers not as good with writing fantasy or science fiction? Are we always seen as writing "fluffy" versions of fantasy or science fiction? Books that are all about feelings and love triangles. I can't believe the first and I don't think the second is true by a long shot.

Is it a matter of timing? This genre has been a man's game for so long that women are still trying to keep up. Maybe twenty years ago that could be true, but this argument doesn't hold water anymore. There have been plenty of women writers for plenty of years. So why can't we crack the top five lists?

It wasn't that long ago that hurtful gender comments came out, of all places, the SFWA. That's the organization for science fiction and fantasy writers of America meant to support writers. Some male writers there made disparaging comments about their female colleagues, making it feel more like the SFMWA (science fiction and fantasy male writers of America). If they still feel this way, does the reading public also?

Maybe the problem lies in publishers providing more support for their male authors. Do they get better marketing? Or are male authors just more able to attend major cons and make panels for fantasy and science fiction? More able to leave their families and travel?

Are men just better at speaking up and clawing their way forward? Maybe they are less afraid and feel more entitled to advertise their writing. I bet they don't feel embarrassed they are making a pest of themselves on social media.

Maybe male readers are afraid to try female written books and find them equally good. Or maybe most readers of SFF are still male. I find that unlikely. All the groups of SFF lovers seems equally split between men and women. 

I don't really know the answer. I just feel the invisible discrimination in these top five lists. I'm not saying the male writers should be held back or the female writers should get special treatment. I'm just saying why isn't there parity? Why do males continue to dominate? When will female writers see equal success and head the top five lists?

I admit that as a fantasy writer I have a vested interest in seeing this glass ceiling go away. But I'd still feel this way if I didn't. Yet, I can't help wondering if I'd sell better if I used Michael instead of Michelle.

In the interest of plugging amazing female writers of epic fantasy, I want to mention Kristen Britain and her Green Writer series, Kate Elliott and her many series, including Jaran and Crown of Stars, and Rachel Aaron with her Legend of Eli Monpress series. There are many more, but those are three of my favorites. I want to plug a couple of just starting fantasy writing women in Vicki Weavil and Rena Rocford and Holly Jennings.

Tell me what you think. Do you sense the same problem and who are your favorite female authors? Does that quiet gender discrimination still exist? Do women have a glass ceiling in fantasy or is it my imagination?

And if you're male and reading this, do you read female authors? If not, give one a try, as an experiment if nothing else.
      

Book Review: Seeker

Quin Kincaid has been put through years of brutal training for what she thinks is the noble purpose of becoming a revered ‘Seeker’.

Only when it’s too late does she discover she will be using her new-found knowledge and training to become an assassin. Quin's new role will take her around the globe, from a remote estate in Scotland to a bustling, futuristic Hong Kong where the past she thought she had escaped will finally catch up with her.

For the first 30 percent of this book I was ready to quit reading. The main characters were seriously flawed each in their own ways, unlikable. The point of view characters of Quin, Shinobu, John, none were characters I could feel connected with or cared about. Quin blindly followed her father although she hated the evil things he made her do. Shinobu turned to substances to survive the guilt of the same crimes. And John went even darker, jeopardizing the life of the girl he loved in pursuit of a long-dead promise. But stubborn me hung in there until character arc was full-filled, and I changed my opinion of Quin and Shinobu. From finding them weak, I found them determined. Arwen Elys Dayton did a great job of showing how a villain can justify anything to make their actions reasonable and acceptable in their own mind. Her handling of the central antagonist was masterful. Nice action and nice mix of fantasy. I would have like to be included in the scene where Quin first uses their "magic" instead of witnessing it as second-hand flashbacks, memories and dreams. I believe the sequel will show us more about what a Seeker actually does. I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Woman in Fantasy with Anna Kashina

Today Anna Kashina joins us to talk about women in fantasy. The second book of her Majat series, The Guild of Assassins, releases August 5th. I really enjoy her first book of this series, Blades of the Old Empire.

Kara has achieved something that no Majat has ever managed – freedom from the Guild!

But the Black Diamond assassin Mai has been called back to face his punishment for sparing her life. Determined to join his fight or share his punishment, Kara finds herself falling for Mai.

But is their relationship – and the force that makes their union all-powerful – a tool to defeat the overpowering forces of the Kaddim armies, or a distraction sure to cause the downfall of the Majat?

Women characters in fantasy

I am a fan of epic fantasy. My fascination with this genre started early on when, as a child, I developed my interest in folklore and fairy tales from different cultures into a minor form of scientific research. Later on, when I got my hands on a copy of “The Lord of the Rings” my love for the genre was sealed. I devoured anything I could read in this genre and tended to lose myself in these imaginary worlds.

Thinking back to that time, it seems mind-boggling that *none of these early stories had a major female protagonist* and *I did not even notice*! In a way, I think we were all conditioned, influenced by early fantasy and folklore which implied that such important things as war and magic--major elements in many epic fantasies--are best left to men. There were exceptions, like Lady Galadriel, but all such women were definitely in the background compared to the men. Along with many readers at the time, I used to take it for granted, and now, even as I am writing this post, I am finding it hard to believe.

My first introduction to the idea of fantasy told from the women’s point of view were the works by Marion Zimmer Bradley. A friend recommended “Mists of Avalon” as “the story of King Arthur told from the women’s point of view”. I found the idea intriguing, and I absolutely loved the book. I read other novels by Marion Zimmer Bradley, who became my hero for the way she could truly center her stories on women, revealing an additional dimension of my favorite genre. I think, after reading her books, I never actually went back to the old classics.

From the perspective of today’s fantasy, where female protagonists are not only common but probably more abundant than male (at least it appears this way in the books I tend to be drawn to), I am realizing one thing. Female point of view can bring an entirely different perspective into the story. It is not better or worse, but both are necessary to show the world as it is, and leaving one out inevitably creates a bias--which can be good in some cases, but never complete. In a way, I tend to compare it to perspective in painting, which enables the use of two-dimensional drawings to portray three-dimensional world, adding a level of depth that was previously only imagined but never realized. Despite the fact that literature and storytelling are nearly as ancient as visual arts, it is amazing that this shift took centuries longer with books, especially when it came to fantasy and other types of speculative fiction.

While I love some of the books centered solely on female characters--and I have a number of male-centered ones among my favorites--in my own books I like mixing male and female perspectives. With this style come additional challenges: the switching, making both points of view believable and gender-appropriate. In “Blades of the Old Empire”, book 1 of the Majat Code released earlier this year, there are two nearly equal points of view: Kythar, the crown prince and heir to a disputed throne, and Ellah, a common village girl with a rare gift of truthsense. Both of their perspectives drive the story, and it has been so much fun to work on achieving this mix.

In my current release, “The Guild of Assassins”, book 2 in the series, Kythar’s point of view is contrasted by another female character, the Majat warrior Kara, who was previously central to the story but never had a point of view in the previous book. I am pleased with the way it turned out, and I in fact found her character intriguing enough to give her an even bigger role in my work in progress, as-yet-unnamed book 3 of the Majat Code.

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Anna Kashina grew up in Russia and moved to the United States in 1994 after receiving her Ph.D. in cell biology from the Russian Academy of Sciences. She works as a biomedical researcher and combines career in science with her passion for writing. 

Anna's interests in ballroom dancing, world mythologies and folklore feed her high-level interest in martial arts of the Majat warriors. She lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

Awards: 2013 Silver Medalist, ForeWord Book of the Year. 2014 Silver Medalist, Independent Publishers Book Award (IPPY).

Catch Me When I Fall Cover Reveal

It’s cover reveal day for Vicki Leigh’s CATCH ME WHEN I FALL! Lots of awesome stuff going on, including a giveaway! 

And here’s what CATCH ME WHEN I FALL is all about:

Recruited at his death to be a Protector of the Night, seventeen-year-old Daniel Graham has spent two-hundred years fighting Nightmares and guarding humans from the clawed, red-eyed creatures that feed off people’s fears. Each night, he risks his eternal life, having given up his chance at an afterlife when he chose to become a Protector. That doesn’t stop a burnt-out Daniel from risking daring maneuvers during each battle. He’s become one of the best, but he wants nothing more than to stop.

Then he’s given an assignment to watch over sixteen-year-old Kayla Bartlett, a clinically depressed patient in a psychiatric ward. Nightmares love a human with a tortured past. Yet, when they take a deep interest in her, appearing in unprecedented numbers, the job becomes more dangerous than any Daniel’s ever experienced. He fights ruthlessly to keep the Nightmares from overwhelming his team and Kayla. Soon, Daniel finds himself watching over Kayla during the day, drawn to why she’s different, and what it is about her that attracts the Nightmares. And him.

A vicious attack on Kayla forces Daniel to break the first Law and reveal his identity. Driven by his growing feelings for her, he whisks her away to Rome where others like him can keep her safe. Under their roof, the Protectors discover what Kayla is and why someone who can manipulate Nightmares has her in his sights. But before they can make a move, the Protectors are betrayed and Kayla is kidnapped. Daniel will stop at nothing to save her. Even if it means giving up his immortality.

CATCH ME WHEN I FALL will be available on October 23, 2014 in both paperback and e-book formats from Curiosity Quills Press. For more information, visit the book’s Goodreads page.

Now, there can’t be a cover reveal without a giveaway, right? Lots of authors stopped by and donated some fantastic books to help Vicki celebrate. You don’t want to miss out on these! Here’s what you can win:

·         An e-copy of HEIRS OF WAR by Mara Valderran

·         Two query+first chapter critiques from YA author Emily Stanford

·         Two full manuscript critiques from YA author Emily Stanford

·         An e-copy of WITHOUT BLOODSHED by Matthew Graybosch

·         A paperback of DESTRUCTION by Sharon Bayliss

·         An e-copy of KIYA: HOPE OF THE PHARAOH by Katie Teller

·         One query+first chapter critique from YA author Katie Teller

·         An e-copy of DARKNESS WATCHING by Emma Adams

·         A copy of DESCENDANT by Nichole Giles

·         Two signed copies of DIVIDE by Jessa Russo

·         An e-copy set of EVER and EVADE by Jessa Russo

·         A copy of UNHINGED by A.G. Howard

Enter the giveaway below for your chance to win! All prizes will be accompanied by a Dreamcatcher swag package from Vicki Leigh.

Thanks for stopping by!

Rafflecopter link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/0de5901/