THE BODY POLITIC follows one strong and courageous woman who returns to her home-world and sparks a remarkable journey of empowerment and resilience. What was the inspiration for this installment in the series?

Good question, thanks. My stories are about the women, but not in the romance genre. How do women solve real world problems using the tools at hand?

I was concerned with how women make-do in a crisis zone. Not allowed to fight or open a business, corralled into refugee camps with too many orphans, no champion for their cause except photographers doing the pity tour.

What are the real choices for tribal women with no education and who don’t speak the language of the oppressor or the peace-keeping force? At what point do individuals hand off the kids and pick up a weapon?

How did the idea for the characters’ motives come to fruition for you?

Women operate in a network of relations. They will go to a mentor or female relative for suggestions on how to handle a crisis, and then take that projected solution to the husband. I feel that powerful real world element needs exploring in all types of stories, not just in the open structure of sci-fi.

In hero stories the women operate as archetypes and isolated from each other. They exist to show the hero is sexually active, by reflection. I keep wondering, “where are her sisters, aunties, cousins, BFFs, sorority sisters, convenient neighbors, or even the wives of her husband’s colleagues?”

Was it important for you to deliver a moral to readers, or was it circumstantial to delivering an effective novel?

I’m not certain about a moral, but maybe a fresh method to approach difficult shared problems. By stepping up to the fight, women must take the risk of pushback, and pay the cost of convictions. A success is more delicious when we are active participants.

Of course, that means adjusting some domestic issues such as child care, sources of income, and gaining support from other women who have similar struggles.

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