Nowadays, one of the tropes in fantasy, sci-fi and historical fiction is “women who kick men's asses”. But real women's personalities and passions are so varied that disregarding their others types of strength would not do them justice.
I am a female author of a series of illustrated short-stories entitled “Tales from the North” set in medieval Scandinavia. It challenges the norms of historical fiction by focusing on characters and social attitudes. Thus, the historical aspect is only a backdrop for themes like gender, love and sexuality, friendship, parenthood, anxiety, death, social class, etc.
A strong “Viking” lady is not only a kick-ass warrior who wants to defeat a bad guy, but she can also be a teenager who strives to stay in control of her life while juggling the roles of “lady of the house”, warrior and lover (Rannveig from “Husfreyja”). She can be the bold, witty and unpredictable businesswoman who seeks independence from a dull marriage (Sif from “Holmgang”). She can be the introverted artist for whom the line between reality and fantasy blurs, her son being the only grip on reality (Merwyn from “The Enchanted Isles”). She can be the mature woman who looks back with nostalgia upon a missed romantic opportunity from her teenage years (Agnes from “The Linden Trees”). She can be the witch who, in her desire to keep the prestige of her family, pushes her husband and son into doing great but terrible deeds (Valdis from “Spafinna”).
With such themes and female protagonists, my stories seek to subvert those tropes and bring something new to the genre.