Strong women by C.A. Szarek

7 September 2016

The further we go into the twenty-first century, the more we see STRONG WOMEN. It's everywhere…books, TV, movies, as it should be.

C.A. Szarek

Women have fought for their place in this world, but really, over the centuries, even in patriarchal societies, women HAVE been strong. We can't get around it, even if we tried; having babies, running households, raising children (and men, even if they'd never admit it). It's always been there. People don't change; history repeats itself, and all that.

It's just our independence is more "recognized" or "commonplace" nowadays than it has been "back in the day." It's more than okay for a woman to go to college (or heck, even finish high school, which was uncommon at one time). It's more than okay for a woman not only to hold a job, but have a career. It's okay if a woman DOESN'T want to get married and have babies. It's okay if she does-even without marriage. Women can do anything men can, and some things better (arguably, LOL).

For me, personally, I've always considered myself strong AND independent. If you talk to my mother, the independence started when I was very young, often disguised as stubbornness. LOL. That's still there, if you ask my husband.

Because of who I am, I tend to write strong heroines, too. No matter what book or series (I have three going) or even which subgenre of romance (I write everything) I have kick-butt girls, no matter their role/status/mission. And I often write them in positions that mean something to them, and to me.

My job (other than writing, that is) is something I derive meaning from as a person (I work with teens at a Shelter, and before that I was a Juvenile Case Manager in the courts), and in that, so do my heroines, in their careers/roles in each book I write. They're NOT damsels in distress. Often THEY do the "saving" in many ways. Their stories are not JUST about falling in love. They're multi-faceted as "people," and I'd like to think, realistic. Believable, with flaws like everyone, including myself.

Some of them are easier to write/get to know (if you will) than others. Some of them are more like me than different, and of course, because they come from me, all of them have me in there somewhere. The most common traits are a dry sense of humor and sarcasm. (I do consider it a trait instead of a flaw, LOL).

The heroine in my latest release (SUPERIOR COLLISION, CROSSING FORCES BOOK 5), Taylor, is an FBI Special Agent and she was fun to write, but very tough in many ways. She's really rigid (I'm not). The rules (and the law) drive her. There is no diverting, no gray areas for her. She's a control freak to the extreme (also a likeness to me, LOL).

She was raised by a single father; military man who taught her emotion is a negative thing. That right there is hard enough on its own, and was a challenge for me since being a woman myself tends to have me in the "emotional creature" category. (yeah, I can admit it, even if I don't always like it).

When Taylor's world comes crashing down (she loses her fiancé, he's murdered) she doesn't know how to handle it, because, "emotion is weak." She's a strong female, but this is a flaw for her because she needs to learn she CAN be emotional and it's okay to grieve. It's okay to show the world who she really is. The hero of the book, Shannon, helps with that, of course, and she grows as a person with him as she learns to love again. Even with her flaws, Taylor's strength is something to admire.

Each of my heroines is different for me. What they mean to me may vary; some I feel closer to than others. But all of them are strong, independent women that, in some way or another, conquer their world/hero/their stories.

That won't ever change, no matter how many books I write.

SUPERIOR COLLISION (Crossing Forces Book Five)

Short blurb:

Rigid FBI agent collides with a patrol sergeant while on the path to catch a killer.

Full blurb:

Special Agent Taylor Carrigan takes "control freak" to the extreme. Her need for structured rigidity rules her life-and her job at the FBI. She doesn't do emotion, so when her fiancé is murdered, she doesn't know how to deal with the internal fallout.

Antioch Police Sergeant Shannon Crowley has been intrigued with the uptight FBI agent for months. When he looks at Taylor, he sees more than the mask she hides behind.

She doesn't have time for the cop who won't quit chasing her-she's got chasing to do of her own. Taylor admits he calms her, but he's a distraction she can't afford. She's playing a dangerous game, riding the line between revenge and justice.

Keeping Shannon close could give Taylor the balance she desperately needs, but it would put something more than her case in jeopardy: her heart. With so much on the line, is she capable of handling it?

Excerpt:

Her cellphone rang, vibrating and screaming her ringtone. It danced down the coffee table until she made a grab and swiped her thumb across the touch screen. She hadn't recognized the number, but it had the local area code.

"Carrigan."

"Hi."

Even with one word, the familiar male voice washed over Taylor and she shifted on the edge of her brown microfiber couch. "Sergeant Crowley?" She'd written his number down last night, but hadn't put it in her phone just yet.

"Yeah."

Why is Shannon Crowley calling me? Taylor didn't know what to say.

"Are you there?"

She cleared her throat and adjusted the phone against her ear. "Yes. How can I help you?"

He laughed.

It caught her off guard. She stood rocking on the balls of her feet, and fighting for balance. "What's funny?" Taylor winced at the snap in her tone.

"You. After last night, you're so formal with me."

The knock on her apartment's door made her jump.

She glanced at her phone then at the door. The sergeant's voice had echoed, as if he was in a hallway. He couldn't be-

"Gonna let me in?"

Taylor swallowed. Twice. She glanced down at her clothes. Blue yoga pants and a gray FBI tee from her Quantico days-it was faded, oversized and comfy. Bare feet and her hair down. She wasn't fit for public consumption.

Ending the call and tossing her cell to the couch, she jogged to the door and wrenched it open, fully intending to tell her uninvited guest to go the hell away.

Words dissolved when they made eye contact.

Sergeant Crowley smiled and held up a brown paper bag. "Thought if I bribed you with sweets, you might invite me in."

Taylor's gaze trailed his tall muscular frame and she had to swallow again. He wore a brown leather jacket. He'd had it on last night, too, at Hakka Wu. The jacket was open, and a black, pec-hugging T-shirt peeked out, tucked into tight dark jeans. He sported an etched oval belt buckle and cowboy boots. He was only missing a Stetson, but it didn't dim his appeal.

He was… gorgeous. Even with his messy, needs-a-trim dark hair.

She scowled. "How did you find out where I live?"

"Lucky guess?" Crowley shrugged. He flashed a mischievous grin that did funny things to her insides.

Taylor tilted her head to one side and ignored the zing of awareness when his eyes raked her body. She fidgeted and wanted to run. Resisted the urge to tug her shirt down. Felt naked. "Tell me who helped you invade my privacy, so I can plan their death."

He laughed and shook his head. "I have no intention of invading your privacy. I thought-"

"You thought what?" she snapped.

Buylinks:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Superior-Collision-Crossing-Forces-5/dp/1786860384

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Superior-Collision-Crossing-Forces-Book-ebook/dp/B01J5TO3OA/

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Superior-Collision-Crossing-Forces-Book-ebook/dp/B01J5TO3OA/

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/superior-collision-crossing-forces-book-5

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1124512839?ean=9781786510570

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/superior-collision/id1137697990?mt=11

Totally Bound: https://www.totallybound.com/book/superior-collision

About the Author:

Bestselling, award winning author of romantic suspense and epic fantasy romance, C.A. loves to dabble in different genres. If it's a good story, she'll write it, no matter where it seems to fit!

She's a hopeless romantic and always will be. Risking it all for Happily Ever After is what she lives by!

She's originally from Ohio, but got to Texas as soon as she could. She's happily married and has a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice.

She works with kids when she's not writing.