I’m Laurie Loft, author of Love and Other Hot Beverages. Welcome to my blog tour, and thanks for being here! I’m excited to give out super cool prizes to two people who make thoughtful comments to any of my blog posts: one French press (an item which features prominently in my novel), and a $15.00 Starbucks gift card. Either way, you’ll enjoy plenty of hot beverages!

 

There’ll be seven posts in which I’ll discuss my book as well as unrelated items. Comment, and we can get to know each other a little better.

5 AWESOME FEMALE LITERARY CHARACTERS

 

I could never pick my five favorites. Instead I chose five that I thought would be fun to discuss, and some who are less well known. In each case, I have read their stories over and over again—except, I admit, for Beatrice. I haven’t gotten around to reading much of the play, but I have given the 1993 movie (as well as other versions) numerous viewings. So, here you go, in no particular order, five awesome female literary characters:

 

Karana – A favorite book of my childhood is Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell. At the age of twelve, Karana is left behind when her people abandon their island. Making weapons is forbidden to women, but she must survive, and so she makes them anyway, all the while fearing that the gods will strike her down. She grows up all alone, surviving hurricanes, wild dogs, devilfish, a ghostly cave, and loneliness. She’s amazing. In her situation, I would probably trip and fall off a cliff.

 

Leetah – Leetah is a character in the ongoing graphic novel, Elfquest, by Wendy and Richard Pini. The desert-born elf has great healing powers. Elves are immortal, but they can die by accident or violence. Not if Leetah can help it! She will go to any lengths to cheat death. When a friend dies in spite of her skills, she decides she must know death more intimately in order to be effective against it. All alone, Leetah stabs herself in the heart. Death approaches, and she beats it back, healing herself and gaining a greater understanding of what it means to die—yet not really understanding it at all.

 

Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare. Oh, Beatrice, you saucy minx! You put the capital letters in the Battle of the Sexes. Your exchanges with Benedick are life-changing. And, speaking of life-changing, when you hear that Benedick loves you and that you are perceived as a cold-hearted bitch, you are humble enough to vow to change, and do! Without losing your wit and spirit, of course. Few romances leave me feeling that the two main characters are well matched equals, but I’m sure you and Benedick have a life of happiness—and fun!—ahead.

 

Scarlett O’Hara—The bitchiest of the bitches, unabashedly selfish and vain, she is tough and resourceful and will do anything to get what she wants—the heroine of Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. Following the Civil War, Scarlett saves her plantation and kind of unwillingly drags everyone along with her. She betrays many of the people closest to her, even stealing her sister’s fiancé just for his money. She clings to her teenage crush on Ashley Wilkes till the last few pages. Scarlett is only twenty-nine at the end. She has so much of her life ahead in which to mature. Has she learned anything? Does she get Rhett back? With her determination, I don’t doubt it.

 

Chiyo/Sayuri: In Memoirs of a Geisha (don’t judge the wondrous book by the crappy movie) by William Goldman, becoming a geisha is not Sayuri’s dream but her best option. When only a child, she is sold to a geisha house. Her possible futures are few: escape, become a geisha, or end up a slave. She begins her geisha training but then tries to run away. She is caught, disgraced, taken out of her training, and forced to be a house slave. Eventually, through the intervention of a secret patron, Sayuri does become a geisha. In many ways, it’s still slavery—but slavery with the possibility of gaining status, wealth, and independence. She faces threats from vengeful rivals and obsessed men, never knowing who she can trust, yet what can she do but keep on?

 

So there you have it, five awesome female characters! What are some female characters that resonate with you? What do you think of my picks? Plan to read any of the books I mentioned?

 

 

About Love and Other Hot Beverages

 

After a rough breakup, Todd Addison wants time alone to grieve. While still dreaming of winning back his ex’s love, he moves across the country and finds work with a construction company. The last thing he needs is the cute office boy developing a crush on him, especially since he’s back in the closet.

 

Sebastián Nye can’t help feeling sorry for the obviously brokenhearted Todd. Though rebuffed repeatedly, Sebby chisels away at Todd’s resistance, determined to help him forget—a task potentially beyond anyone’s capabilities. He never meant to fall for the poor guy, but he does. Hard.

 

Desperate to hold on to Todd, Sebby hatches a sneaky plot guaranteed to end Todd’s heartbreak—if Todd doesn’t bail and ruin everything. Just when things can’t get more complicated, Todd’s ex wants him back. And Sebby’s abusive ex is just waiting to catch Sebby alone. Todd and Sebby must decide what’s worth fighting for, what’s worth sacrifice, and what’s worth compromise, or their relationship will begin and end with a broken heart.

 

Love and Other Hot Beverages is now available from Riptide Publishing and Amazon.

 

About Laurie Loft

 

Laurie Loft lives in Iowa, endeavoring to write stories to give you that rush. Her husband, cat, and dogs kindly tolerate this odd activity. Her first M/M novel came about because of a minor character in a straight romance who just took over and demanded his own book. Laurie enjoys NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and other forms of writerly torture. She finds inspiration in her NaNo friends and her fellow Riptide authors. When not writing or working at her mysterious day job, she can often be found screaming at tangled cross stitch threads.

 

Connect with Laurie:

• Website
• Blog
• Twitter: @Laurie_Loft

 

 

To celebrate the release of Love and Other Hot Beverages, one lucky winner will receive a $15 Starbucks gift card and a French press from Laurie! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on July 8, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!