Jane Cousins - AUTHOR

Heroines come in all shapes and sizes.  There are the good girls, the sweet girls, the nice girls.  But even then - as an author you can't write a character too good/sweet or nice because they can come off fake, insincere and kind of sickening. 
Real women... we're just not nice all the time. That would be boring and annoying.

Real women have baggage and hang-ups.  We have flaws, foibles and quirks.  Real women can be complete an utter bitches.

And quite frankly, they are the most fun to write.  They say things most of us would never dare.  They take chances.  They hold their ground.  They don't take any dis-respect.  And they give as good as they get. 
Who doesn't love a strong woman with a side serving of bitch?

But a character can't be a bitch all the time - that too would be boring. 
I read a book the other day and the heroine was a tough, independent, temper tantrum throwing, bitch.  Which was fine for the first half of the book but then I begun to grow tired of her an actively dislike her.  All the male characters inexplicably fell in love with this woman - which made no sense to me - she constantly verbally attacked everyone and acted out like a small angry child.

As a reader I need to be able to relate to a character.  I can be a bitch.  I can be a caring empathetic person.  Sometimes, when there's no chocolate available I can be both within a five minute time-frame.

All characters, just like real people, need to have layers, depth. 
I'm writing a bitchy heroine at the moment. She's sharp, funny, overly practical, superior, hates to appear weak, and is a self proclaimed bitch.
But she's more than just that, she has a high maintenance annoying family, she's loyal, dependable, fighting her attraction to an unsuitable man and doesn't have all the answers, all the time. 
She's human, well, no she's not, she's a Makura Princess being forced to choose a husband from a pool of grifters, conmen, pirates and liars - but you know what I mean.

Bring on the bitches I say - but not in your face, all the time.  I don't mean make them weak, or make them cry.  Nothing turns me off a story quicker than a supposedly strong kick-ass woman crying at the drop of a hat. 
I mean make them real, make them relatable, make them like me.