About A Princess of Xiumiqa

I will be sharing chapters from my ongoing work in progress, A Princess of Xiumiqa. Look quick or you may miss 'em!

This story was initially conceived as a lark, and a bit of a challenge to myself. I do not do very well at writing romance, so I challenged myself to write a satirical one. However, over time, the story became something else.

I would describe the resulting tale as a feminist sword and sorcery trope rather than strictly romantic fantasy. I add the feminist descriptor because my female characters are not helpless waifs waiting for a man to help them out of a jam.

I have always enjoyed stories such as Conan and John Carter of Mars, but the women in these stories are generally little more than window dressing. The main female protagonist in my story, Princess Isabella, is an extremely independent young lady. She is not a butt-kicking warrior maiden; her strengths come more from brains than brawn. She is a vivacious, healthy young woman with a bit of training in the art of swordsmanship, but as a princess has had no opportunity to actively utilize this skill. She is a hard worker with a strong body, but it is more the strength of a sturdy farm woman than of a fighter.

Isabella is bright, plucky, caring, passionate, and hard-working. She is pretty, but not in an impossible way. Her beauty comes more from her psyche than her external features. She is no man’s fool and no man’s pawn. I would love to think that a character such as Isabella could come to inspire future generations of girls to care more about solid qualities such as self-reliance than vapid ones such as “hotness.” External beauty fades; inner strength is always yours.

 

With love and respect,

Tempest LeTrope