Writers on Wednesday--HEROINE Erin Blakemore

Something new! I am part of a blogswap today with the very literary superhero Ms. Erin Blakemore, author of The Heroine's Bookshelf. This is a fabulous read, a tour of inspirational literary heroines and their creators. I am excited to share my seventh grade search for my own inspirational women to guide me on the topics of Love, Sex and Marriage over on her site today. (Yes, Judy Blume gets a mention.) Plus there is a fun give-away going on the first half of February on Erin's site with prizes and writers/bloggers worth reading. I donated a signed audio book of CHOSEN. You can check all of this out here. 

Below, Erin talks about the pressures of superhero status, and sharing more of her inner Clark Kent. Enjoy, and be sure to share your literary inspirations! 

Psst...I'm Not Really Heroic

Something weird happens when you write a book about literary heroines and becoming the protagonist of your own life.  People start thinking you might be a heroine.  

...Yeah.  

These proclamations usually come during email conversations or phone chats with friends and readers who cannot see my disheveled hair, ghost-white skin, and stained shirt.  These are people who, blessedly, weren't there for the 4 a.m. head-scratchings over writing that made no sense at all, topped off by a piece of popcorn clinging to my boob in the most lascivious of ways.  Okay, the grossest of ways.  

See what I mean?  

The great news, of course, is also that people think I'm a heroine.  They expect more of me now that I've shown them this 200-page piece of myself.  They keep me honest and believe in me when I only believe in the fear and stress part of being An Author, the part nobody really told me about prior to my publication journey.  

I am reminded that Jane Austen liked to keep her parlor door extremely squeaky so she could hear others enter the room while she was writing.  Margaret Mitchell hid the drafts of Gone With The Wind in every conceivable location in her tiny apartment.  Betty Smith wrote through wretched breakups, Great Depressions, and surrounded by rebellious teens.  They didn't look particularly heroic as they were busy creating truly great works of literature...they just looked human.  Sometimes I, author of a book about tapping into heroism, need to remind myself that being human can be a bit heroic, too.  I'm still not sure that my "you're a heroine" friends are right...but I'm eager to find out.  

Who's your heroine?  Tell me in the comments...I'd love to know.  

Bio: Erin Blakemore learned to drool over Darcy and cry over Little Women in suburban San Diego, California. These days, her inner heroine loves roller derby, running her own business, and hiking in her adopted hometown of Boulder, Colorado.  Erin's debut book, The Heroine's Bookshelf, was published by HarperCollins this October.  Learn more at http://theheroinesbookshelf.com