Lisa A. Nichols
I grew up reading and watching sci-fi where most of the main characters were men. Women were usually there to be pretty, the love interest, and/or get rescued. As I got older, there were more female protagonists in sci-fi, but most of them were under 35. Books about women over 40 seemed focused on home and family—which is great, but that was all I really saw. Even romance—a genre I love—tends toward younger heroines.
As a woman over 40 myself now, I wanted to write about a woman my age who is on the threshold of upending the entire world, but at the same time, wrestling with the usual concerns: balancing work and family, raising a teenager, dealing with a troubled marriage. I wanted her to “have it all,” and struggle with it. I wanted her to be both in danger and dangerous. I wanted her to take control of her own life in overwhelming circumstances and come through with a stronger sense of who she is.
And that story, that woman, to my delight, took shape in VESSEL and Catherine Wells.
As a woman over 40 myself now, I wanted to write about a woman my age who is on the threshold of upending the entire world, but at the same time, wrestling with the usual concerns: balancing work and family, raising a teenager, dealing with a troubled marriage. I wanted her to “have it all,” and struggle with it. I wanted her to be both in danger and dangerous. I wanted her to take control of her own life in overwhelming circumstances and come through with a stronger sense of who she is.
And that story, that woman, to my delight, took shape in VESSEL and Catherine Wells.
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