Girl Power

Tamora Pierce loves writing stories about heroes—female heroes. As one of the leading young adult fantasy authors, she paved the way for “girl power” fantasy in the early 1980s with her first novel, Alanna: The First Adventure. Since then, she has written more than two dozen books featuring fierce heroines. Her latest novel, Bloodhound: Beka Cooper Book Two, the follow-up to Terrier, hit the shelves on April 14. Its heroine is a 17-year-old medieval policewoman sniffing out criminals in the Lower City. Pierce spoke to Current Events student reporter Tiffany Lam about Bloodhound and her writing career.

Tiffany Lam: Who is your hero, both literary and nonliterary?

Tamora Pierce: As a writer … Mark Twain. He’s my literary idol. His work is as clear and distinct as if he were writing today. He wrote what he had to say about politics and religion in his time, and it applies just as much as if he wrote it today. I liked that he could combine humor and drama and tell a powerful story to get his story across. … I try to [do that]. He was the one who showed me you could have a book and have it be dramatic and have parts of it that are funny. He always spoke his mind about things, [such as] human folly, yet he still managed to believe in heroes. I try to do that. Outside of writing, [my hero] would have to be Eleanor Roosevelt. She did so much good. She was able to be Franklin Roosevelt’s legs, speak on his behalf, and go on to make her own career.

Tiffany: What made you start writing?

Pierce: My dad. When I was in sixth grade, he caught me telling stories to myself while doing dishes. Instead of telling me I was crazy … he suggested I try to write a book. … The thing that made it stick, [when I realized] that he thought it was important, was that he said I could use his typewriter. Up until then, if I had touched his typewriter, I would have lost some fingers. I knew it was a big deal that he gave me permission to use his typewriter. He suggested I write about travels in a time machine. I thought I could go back in time and write about the Trojan War. I kept tapping away.

Tiffany: What is your inspiration for these books?

Pierce: Writing the kind of thing I wanted to read. My dad shared with me what were then termed “boys’ books”—The Boy’s King Arthur, Tales of Robin Hood and His Merry Men, Tarzan, the James Bond [stories]—adventure books. I kept reading these and I loved them, but they didn’t have any girl characters. It didn’t occur to me that the writers may have left us out on purpose. I started writing adventure books [with female heroes]. I started writing fantasy stories with girl heroes.

Tiffany: How do you choose your characters?

Pierce: I based [the character Alanna] on my sister Kim. If I wanted somebody pig-headed enough to disguise herself as a boy, that was my sister. She made a really good model for Alanna. She’s a paramedic and a nurse, and has saved hundreds of lives. She knows I based Alanna on her, but she doesn’t believe me.

Tiffany: How long did it take you to develop the character?

Pierce: She sort of popped into my head. Any character you develop at a certain point becomes [his or her] own person. I’d say it took me just a few weeks to know who Alanna was and what she would do. I’m lucky in that characters come pretty quickly to me once I know what they look like and what they sound like and how they move.

Tiffany: What is your take on the high expectations for Bloodhound to inspire readers, especially girls?

Pierce: I think they’ll like it. Beka is no longer a puppy; she’s a full-fledged dog. She now has the responsibility of a scent hound. She would like to get a permanent partner. She’s gone through four of them. She’s faced a threat in the kingdom in the shape of counterfeit money.

Tiffany: Is there a message you’re trying to send to young girls?

Pierce: Not really. I mean, my books are about things I believe in, but I don’t try to send messages. … My heroes determine their own lives, rather than someone else telling them how to live. … We need to stand up for others and for people who can’t stand up for themselves. … Beka chose to become a dog in the Lower City because she believes the poor deserve justice too. … When crimes are committed against the poor … [the poor] don’t get looked after very well. You see it all the time in our world. The people who are poor do not get the same attention, because they don’t have the money or influence.

Tiffany: Do you believe there are girls out there who will be changed after reading your book?

Pierce: I do because there are girls who have written to me who said they were changed, that they were able to get through a hard time, or that they decided to take up writing, or fencing, or horseback riding, or went into the military. And I believe them because they took the trouble to write me and tell me.

Tiffany: What do you hope readers will take away from your books?

Pierce: I hope that they take away that they can build their lives to shape their dreams; that it won’t be easy, that it will take a lot of work and determination; that if you want something bad enough, you will achieve it. … There are people who will try to manipulate the world around you with money … and it’s up to the good people.

Photos: Random House

Comments

[South Decatur Elementary 4Th Grade -Group 4]

We like this article because it is cool that lots of people inspired your books. It is cool how some of your friends and family are the characters for your books. We think it is very cool that you have realistic things in your books. We loved this article very much.

[South Decatur Elementary fourth grade group two]

I loved the story about your books. The Bloodhound sounds like a good book to read. Keep writing these books so then maybe they can change our minds!!!