*Dances for Joy*

Check out this entry on Agent Kristin Nelson's blog.

Woo!

I am SO querying her when I finish this thing.

Let me tell you about Elspeth:

-She's a physicist, and intelligent. But want to know why I can make that work when other authors write "brilliant phyicist" heroines that just have me rolling my eyes? Check the subtitle of my blog, or the "About Me" section. I'm not saying I'm smarter than anyone else, but at least I have the background to make my character believable. When she time-travels, she's coming up with theories based on real physics ideas.

-She's a black belt. I've written three scenes to date where she fights for herself. One is against 3 ruffians who accost her shortly after her arrival. One is where she proves to Alec that she can take him down. And one is where she takes on Campbell's guys, but her skirts get in the way (I'm a realist). Okay, so I'm not a black belt myself, but I am a green belt in Kiyojute Ryu kempo, and DH is a black belt in Shaolin Do. But she's not so tough that Alec seems superfluous. Being outnumbered, or outweighed, or not dressed well, or snuck up on (all of which happen at some points) will make it hard for even a black belt to win. And some things just can't be dealt with by physical force, and there are larger things at stake that she needs Alec to help with.

-She does stuff. As opposed to hanging out and waiting for Alec to get back so they can "get it on." (Actually, if you must know, at the moment there is only one *ahem* scene between them, and that is on the night before he is to be killed. They'll probably do it again when he finds her and they get to stay together for good, but that's twice in a 90,000+ word book.) What does she do when she finds herself thrown back 300 years? Makes a place for herself. She learns to be productive. Weaving. Making pottery. Learning Gaidhlig. (FYI, most Highlanders in the 1600's didn't speak English, so if she's gonna get along, she's gotta learn their language.)

-But she's also normal and lovable, too. She has her own relationship problems that people can identify with. (Who doesn't feel sorry when someone's fiance leaves them for their best friend?) She's a good person. She tries to prevent a terrible thing from happening, and when that results in another terrible thing (Alec's capture and condemnation) she offers herself to save his life.

And there's more where that came from.