New Women in Our Series

In honor of International Women's Day on March 8, it's time for the latest additions to the women in our stories to take a bow.

Lucy Kang is one of the new cast members in Caffrey Conversation. The Chinese architect is Eric's assistant and was introduced in The Musicians. Claudia Gallini is a member of the Carabinieri and on the Interpol art crimes taskforce. She first appeared in Italian Masquerade.

Over in Arkham Files, Hayat Boutella is a Moroccan archaeologist at a university in Marrakesh. The priestess of Isis also demands to be recognized. She appeared in ancient Egypt in Sands of Abydos and has ambitions to return in future stories. Her ego is such that she is already carving out a larger role.

In Caffrey Conversation, Penna and I have included many women in positions of authority, ranging from villains like Electra and Anya, aka Python, to supervisors, scientists, and department heads. We've also introduced more Bechdel conversations into the plotlines. For those who aren't familiar with the term, the Bechdel test asks if two women talk to each other about something other than a man. In my stories, the Arkham Round Table has been particularly useful in adding to the diversity of topics.

The All Souls Trilogy fandom features many strong women. In my series which focuses on Jack Blackfriars, I've been unable to include Diana Bishop, the main character, in many of the stories since she timewalked back to the present in 1591. To help reduce the lack of women, I expanded Susanna Norman's role and added the vampire Bryn. In Walking Shadows, Susanna's daughter-in-law Annick, a Breton witch, was added to the cast. Philippe's daughter Freyja, a canon character, will play an increasingly large role in future installments. I've also been able to shine the spotlight on a few of the fascinating historical women from the period. In Illusion's Voice and Walking Shadows, Elizabeth Raleigh was featured. Lady Bess could have been a role model for Diana Bishop in her strength of character, intelligence, and devotion to her husband.

Penna focused on diverse casts in her 2020 Chocolate Box stories. You can read more about them in her recent blog post, Chocolate Box 2020: the new crop of stories.

Lately, a new character named Gwynn has been demanding my attention. She thinks it's high time I write a novel featuring her as the main character. She's outlined an ambitious agenda. Will it ever materialize? She's very persistent.