He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same. If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger.~ Emily Brontë
Since I asked yesterday about your favorite Lean Dog, it's only fair that today I ask which legendary lady is your favorite. I feel like lots of people love Maggie. But probably Ava, too. Any Raven fans? (I do love Raven. She's nothing like me, and in some ways that's what makes her one of the most fun to write.)
In all honesty, I don't know which my favorite is. Like their men, I think they each bring something different but equally special to the table. All of them have a little bit (ha!) of a skewed moral code, what with being married to unrepentant outlaws, but they all fall on different places on the outlaw scale themselves.
With Fearless, I wanted to write from the female POV of a character born into the club. One who never questions the club's business, its methods, or its code. She was the first character I conceived for this series - and her unquestioning loyalty to the club, no matter how often or how badly it breaks the law, enabled me to create a character as extreme as Mercy for her to love. I truly can't envision him ever loving and being loved by a woman for whom the club began as anathema. Or, if they did love him, I don't think they'd understand him the way she does. Everyone calls him "monster," but Ava's monstrous in her own way.
Then there's Maggie, the matriarch who's not afraid to be blunt, or underhanded, or to make the hard call when it comes to protecting her family...but who is, ultimately, a mother, and once the other old ladies have proved their loyalty, Maggie will be the first to take up arms in their defense.
I love writing Emmie because she allows me to share my first great passion of equestrian sports on the page. The farm has become one of the hubs for the club, and I love her unexpected friendship with Tenny. That was one of the things that surprised me in the last few books: the way their comradery sprang up organically and felt very natural between them.
I love that Whitney was Tango's soft place to land, that her kindness and compassion know no bounds. I love that even though Sam knew better, she never shook her teenage love for the bad boy, who turned out to be very much in need of a good girl. I love that Eden is cool by nature, and will never be effusive in her love; and that Axelle started out hating the club, thanks to her personal history.
In Lord Have Mercy, we don't meet any new old ladies (heh), but we get to catch up with our current ones in a way we haven't for a while, and that's been so much fun. I really enjoy getting to write the domestic side of the club.
So...favorites, anyone?
It's Ava for me. I really loved the scene where she sees that it's a fake Mercy and without hesitation she starts to go after him. That epitomizes Ava in my mind.
ReplyDeleteShe really has no chill, and I love that about her. Also, she would know her man blindfolded and wearing noise-canceling headphones. She knows an imposter when she sees one :)
DeleteI love Maggie - her strength, wisdom, compassion and loyalty. This one scene from Shaman is one of my favs “ “I…” Ian felt like an idiot, knew he was blushing. He had no idea why any of these people would welcome him into their home, but they had, and he was astounded. As if she knew just what he was thinking, Maggie set her glass down and walked up to him, smile turning soft and knowing. “It’s okay, honey,” she said, under her breath. She stood up on her toes and kissed his cheek, a soft press of lips, floral scent of her perfume filling his nose. After, she whispered in his ear, “Welcome to the family.” She lowered back down and gave him A Look. “Okay?”.
ReplyDeleteI love that scene. Like she did with Aidan, Maggie has knack for sensing when someone needs to be loved.
DeleteMichelle candy's old lady, and Ava
ReplyDeleteI love that like Ava, Michells is an MC princess, but while Ava was content in her role as daughter and wife, Michelle grew up wanting to be a Lean Dog. A different spin on the princess role. She definitely got a healthy dose of those Devin Green genes.
DeleteFor me it’s Ava closely followed by Michelle
ReplyDeleteMichelle is the Money (wo)Man and I love that she always wanted to be a Dog.
DeleteAva, Maggie, Michelle
ReplyDeleteThree votes for Michelle! <3
DeleteI love Holly. Everything horrible that happened to her and she was brave enough to approach Michael.
ReplyDeleteMichael is so...HIM. It took someone who'd gone through hell to see the angel in him. Holly's such a tough girl, and was incredibly rewarding to write.
DeleteI'd say Holly, followed by Michelle. I'm interested in a story about Cass!!!!
ReplyDeleteFor me it’s Ava and then a mix of Emmie, Sam and Leah. Ava because she’s Ava. Emmie, Sam and Leah because I see myself in them in so many ways (horse chick, book nerd, Asian adoptee, just to mention a few…)
ReplyDeleteI’ve been thinking about this question since you posted it. I like several of the old ladies for various reasons. But Raven is the one I most identify with. Since you’ve posted about Nothing More I decided to do another reread of it. Because Toly. Because Raven. And more importantly, because no matter how many times I read one of your books I can still find new details I missed or what turns out to be an Easter Egg to a future book. But during this reread I found the perfect reason why Raven is my favorite: “but too many times she’d been forced to smile, or laugh, or lay her hand on a jacket sleeve and tilt her head to a girlish angle. It set men at ease; loosened their tongues and wallets. She was a bitch by nature, and she’d had to fight that instinct every step of her professional journey.” Pg 110. Maggie is my 2nd favorite because she, like Raven, was taught by her mother how to do this. Raven followed in her mothers footsteps whereas Maggie used it a different way. Both women having a different default setting, know it, so they consciously hide it to use in the right situations.
ReplyDeleteIt's so amazing to see you quote *that* line specifically, because it's one of those instances in which I try to carefully disguise a little of my own truth in a story. I think it's a truth for a lot of women: that hyper-awareness that your *real* nature isn't all that acceptable in certain business and social settings, so you shove it down, shove it down. I'm so blunt, and sarcastic, and I should really try giving up swearing for a New Year's resolution sometime, because I use the F word in place of commas in most sentences, and then I go to a baby shower and have to pretend like I'm cutsey and sweet and interested in baby clothes so I don't get ostracized. Lying and rumor-spreading have always been more acceptable than saying, "Nah, man, fuck that," in public.
DeleteI had a comment that called Raven a bully, and I just DO NOT see that. There's such a tremendous difference between telling a too-cocky jerk like Shepherd that he's not all that, and actively bullying someone. Every girl bully I've ever known has smiled in my face, titled her head just so, and said, "Oh, you're wearing that?" Or something of the sort. The horse show bullies who said, "Aw, it's a shame you weren't able to get *real* boots." Or the ones who cut the crotch out of your riding pants when you accidently left them in the changing room.
Raven smiles and smiles until she has to threaten to ruin some douchebag's career if he doesn't back off. She doesn't let any of the men treat her like "don't worry your pretty little head about, sugar." But I can't see her as a bully.