Author Stacey Rourke

Friday, November 4, 2011

An Idea Spawned by My Spawn

From the time I announced the impending release of The Conduit the most common question I've been asked after "when's it coming out" (answer: it's out!) is "where did you get the idea for it?" The answer is; it started because of my Mommy brain.



As any woman that has been blessed with title of Mommy can tell you, your whole outlook on life changes when you become a Mom. Case in point--when I was big, huge pregnant with my first child there was a reality show on that had a bunch of scantily clad young women vying for a chance to be the next Pussycat Doll. At the time I remember turning green with envy at the mere sight of them because none of them looked like they had unhinged their jaw and swallowed a Thanksgiving turkey whole. And that was the look I was rockin' right then. Then my daughter was born. I watched another episode of that same show with her nestled in my arms, looked down at her sweet face and muttered, "If I ever catch you doing any of the things those girls are doing I will ground you for life. I don't care how old you are." Yes, it's a double standard, but it goes with the territory of being a mother to a little girl.



After that I saw TV shows, movies and books completely different. Before, the tales of the damsil in distress getting saved by the knight in shining armor were romantic and even swoon worthy. As a Mom, I find that arcaic notion--that is still very much evident in our entertainment mediums--infuriating. I don't want my girls to sit around waiting for some big strong man to rescue them! If they find themselves in a hard place I want them to know that they can dig down deep to the inner strength their faith and upbringing has bestowed on them and fight their way out of it. But what role models do they have for that? Sure, there was Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But even the Buffster has grown up, gotten married, and taken her place in TV syndication history. It was time for a strong new heroine. It was with that in mind, along with a vivid dream that set the stage, that spawned the creation of The Gryphon series.



The main character, Celeste, is the girl-next-door. Awkward, often overlooked, and easy to relate to. And that is very deliberate. My reason being that I want each and every young girl that picks up this series to be able to see something of herself in Celeste. I want each of them to realize that they, too, could rise to the challenge in the face of adversity and become the hero of their own story.

No comments:

Post a Comment