Jessica Andersen | DAWNKEEPERS... Novels of the Final Prophecy

Hi!  Jessica Andersen here, author of the Novels of the Final Prophecy.  Thanks for joining me today!

Here’s a quick blurb on the series, and particularly Dawnkeepers, which came out this month to rave reviews (yay!):

The final four-year countdown to the end of days has begun.  According to ancient Maya prophecy, demons from the underworld will arise on December 21, 2012.  Only the Nightkeepers, mortal descendants of an ancient race of magic-wielding warrior-priests, can prevent the apocalypse by stopping the demons from bringing the old legends to life.

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Unlike his fellow Nightkeepers, Nate Blackhawk isn’t about to let the gods determine his destiny- especially when it comes to his feelings for Alexis Gray, his ex-lover and nemesis.  But when they’re forced to work together, racing to recover seven antiquities before the demons get their claws on the vital artifacts, Nate and Alexis will have to face their feelings - and their past - in order to defeat a dire and ancient enemy.

One of the questions I’m frequently asked about these books is whether I set out to write strong heroines, and the answer is: absolutely, yes! 

In part, that’s because I write the sort of stories I love to read, and watch on TV or in the movies: big, fat, complex love stories in which the heroine stands up for herself, and even rescues herself now and then, rather than waiting for the hero to come save her.  But at the same time, I love a big, strong macho guy who has his own opinions, and doesn’t just roll over on his convictions because he’s looking to get some.  I want to believe that my hero and heroine are not only going to live happily ever after, but that they’re also going to do it as individuals, too, meaning that they’re going to stay themselves rather than one of them being subsumed or changed too far by the other. 

I don’t like stories in which one character has to give up too much or lose too much of herself make me sad. . . and imho, this happens more often with heroines than vice versa.  In the stories I love and write, I want to feel that the hero and heroine are stronger together than apart, and that both of them contribute to that strength. 

In Dawnkeepers, Alexis is a type A overachiever determined to become an advisor to the king, as her mother had been before her.  She has her insecurities (don’t we all?) but they don’t stop her from functioning and being a fully realized person, even when she’s being forced to work with the ex she hasn’t managed to get out of her system.  She stands up for herself, asks for what she wants and needs, and demands not that she and Nate meet each other halfway, but rather that they propel each other to greater heights. . . both in and out of the bedroom.  That is, in part, what makes Dawnkeepers my favorite of the books I’ve written so far.  I love that Nate and Alexis empower each other.

So tell me. . . anyone have recommendations for some stories in which awesomely strong heroines are matched with equally awesome heroes?  Anyone who posts is entered to win a signed copy of Dawnkeepers!

Jessica Andersen
JessicaAndersen.com

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