In Praise of Nasty Women

Have you seen those "Nasty Woman" shirts that became popular during the election? While the original remark was intended as a negative comment against a woman who dared to enter the world of "good old boys" and fight for what she believed in, many women have taken up the phrase as a badge of honor.

Why is it that strong women who display some of the same characteristics that are admired in male leadership are considered "nasty" when they are seen in a woman? Throughout time, women have been expected to take a subordinate role to men. They were considered too emotional or too weak minded to understand the complexities of the male world. Of course, women today consider this view of a woman's role outdated and insulting. 

In the not too distant past, single women were expected to find a husband to provide for them as quickly as possible.  In return, the woman's role was to manage the household and raise the children. I can still remember being told as a young wife who dared to express a political opinion,  that "women should stick to their sewing circles!"  I was also told that the only reason a woman needed to go to college was to find a husband. God help us if we suddenly became single mothers!  If our husbands had not left us financially solvent, too bad!  We were expected to quickly find another man or manage on our own - quietly, without making our plight ruffle the feathers of the existing norms.

At first, I tried to comply...to fit the role that was expected of me.  But that shoe didn't fit. Eventually, I rebelled against a role I found stifling and demeaning...I became a "nasty woman."

In our defense, I don't think any of us really enjoy being nasty.  We felt forced into the role in order to make our voices heard. So it is not without a certain sense of pride that we wear the badge of "nasty women." We have worked hard to get to this point.  We are not going to give it up without a fight.

In The Steel Canyon Legacy, Tessa Kingsley is faced with the same dilemma. Can she find a balance between the life that is expected of her and the life she expects of herself?

Wanda DeHaven Pyle is the author of Windborne and the Legacy Trilogy.  Follow her on Facebook and Twitter at 

https://twitter.com/pyle_wanda        

https://www.facebook.com/wandadehavenpyle

Order her books at http://amazon.com/author/wandapyle

Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n' Roll

The year was 1969.  I was a sophomore at a small teachers college in Kansas.  But even there, the metallic stains of Iron Butterfly's In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida could be heard echoing through the halls. It was the summer of love. In August, more than a half a million people descended on a field near Woodstock, New York for four days of rain, sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. I wasn't there, of course, but I felt the vibe nonetheless.

Nixon was inaugurated as president and the "Vietnamization" of Southeast Asia began. The youth of American were fed up with the "establishment". There were protests on college campuses. Sit-ins, walk-outs, and love-ins heralded the theme of "Make Love, Not War!" We were ready and willing to rebel to change the status quo. It was all terribly exciting and we all thought we were doing something daring by going against the views of our elders.  The more they tried to suppress us, the louder we became.

But then, we grew up.  We became complacent.  We joined the very establishment we had once protested against. We went to work, got married, started families and disappeared into the ranks of the middle class. The once proud and loud "boomer generation" grew silent.

We're older now...grandparents who have set aside the foolishness of our youth. But was it really foolish? It was our generation that pushed for Civil Rights and began the movement for Gay Rights. We championed women in the workforce and pushed for equal pay. We shook things up.

Maybe it's time to shake things up again. Somewhere beneath the expanded waistbands and the grey hairs beats the heart of a "boomer" who thought they could make a difference.

There is still time.

Wanda DeHaven Pyle is the author of Windborne and the Legacy Trilogy.  Follow her on Facebook and Twitter at 

https://twitter.com/pyle_wanda        

https://www.facebook.com/wandadehavenpyle

Order her books at http://amazon.com/author/wandapyle

Enter the Antihero

The social turmoil that the entire world as a community has been facing recently has disposed us to be skeptical of almost everything. As skeptics, we are accustomed to deliberation, evaluation of evidence, and the insistence upon extraordinary evidence in support of extraordinary claims. These traits are not important to the political process, which instead rewards appeals to emotion and the successful manipulation of human passion. It is no wonder that we skeptics are uncomfortable in the political world. It represents everything we reject in our search for understanding.

Enter the antihero. He may not really have any good or useful characteristics, but his character is a perfect example of the struggle that we go through in our daily lives when choosing between good and evil. One example of the antihero in literature is Gollum in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. The good side of him warns those who want the ring, but the dark side of him is infected by greed and makes him do evil things to obtain the ring. This eventually leads to his death.

If used skillfully, an antihero is much more interesting that the more traditional hero. He is represented as an amalgamation of both good and evil.  These darker heroes can be jerks, pathetic, hard, jaded, or mean. They can be used to represent many things at the same time, such as, social flaws, human frailties and political culture. Instead of having two different people represent two opposing extremes, an antihero combines both into one person and thus presents a more accurate and complete picture of human nature.

The character of Thomas Silverton has emerged in the first two books of my Legacy series with all the potential to become a bona fide antihero. He is selfish, ambitious, manipulative, prejudiced and morally corrupt.  But there is something about him that makes us think there is some redeeming quality there somewhere down deep inside him that will save him. We just haven’t seen it yet.  It’s what gives us hope. Perhaps it will show up in the final book of the trilogy.

Wanda DeHaven Pyle is the award-winning author of Windborne, The Stone House Legacy and The Steel Canyon Legacy. Her books are available on Amazon and Kindle at

http://amazon.com/author/wandapyle.

Follow her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/wandadehavenpyle and Twitter at https://twitter.com/pyle_wanda  

HOLIDAYS: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

It's that time of year again. I can already feel the stress mounting as the year winds to a close and the holiday season approaches. 

The GOOD news is that even in this contentious election year, there is a sense of relief that it will soon be over. People will once again be able to have polite conversations without fear of stepping on someone's political toes. I am confident that we will return to a sense of good will toward others. We will smile and wish each other holiday greetings. We will feel triumphant when we find the perfect gift for someone we love. We will delight in the wonder of the season as we see it through a child's eyes.

The BAD news is that the world is still filled with too much sadness and suffering.  There are still children who will not receive a present.  There are families who will not have shelter or food.  There will be missing places at the holiday table for loved ones who have passed on. Charity donations increase during the holidays, but it is only a temporary fix -- a band aid to a much larger problem.

The UGLY news is that, for some, the stress of the season will prove to great to bear. The tingle and lilt of holiday music is a constant reminder of their shortcomings. Suicide and divorce rates tend to increase during the holidays.  Some will escape into binge drinking or drugs in the hopes that when they sober up, the world will have returned to some semblance of normal. Mental health facilities cannot hope to cope with the vast amount of those needing help.  Some may never come forward until it is too late.

My wish for you is that everything that is GOOD about the season is magnified ten-fold, and that there is enough good will in your heart to carry you through in the months after the decorations are gone and the presents are put away. Be mindful of the BAD and the UGLY and continue to look for ways to reduce the stress of the season for those who struggle. Reach out with the hand of fellowship to those less fortunate-- not just during the holidays, but everyday.

Wanda DeHaven Pyle is the author of Windborne, The Stone House Legacy and The Steel Canyon Legacy. Her books are available on Amazon and Kindle at http://amazon.com/author/wandapyle

Story-Telling and Writing is a Family Affair

Grandmother and Granddaughter Share Spotlight at Inlandia Indie Book Fair

Inlandia Indie Author Fair-October 2016

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Oct. 2, 2016 - PRLog -- No one expected the youngest novelist at the Inlandia Indie Book Fair to be 12-year old McKayla Gateley. McKayla and her grandmother, award-winning author Wanda DeHaven Pyle, debuted their new novels at the event in Jurupa Valley on Saturday, October 1.

McKayla spent the past year working on her book, CHAOS, a medieval fantasy filled with Gods and demons, each intent on taking over the land. An avid reader of fantasy and adventure stories, she became fascinated by ancient Greek and Roman mythology during a study of ancient history in school. She plans to release her book on Amazon in December in time for the holiday season. She is already at work on the next book in her series.

When asked who influenced her most in her quest to become a published author, she cited her family and especially her grandmother. However, she has aggressively sought out the advice of teachers and other young adult authors whose work she admires.

"McKayla is a very promising young author," stated her grandmother, Wanda DeHaven Pyle. "I helped her with some editing and formatting, but the story is her own." With a grandmother's pride, she added, "I'm quite sure she will someday win the Pulizer!"

Watch for the release of McKayla's book on Amazon in the near future. Pyle's books are available on Amazon and Kindle at http://amazon.com/author/wandapyle
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Contact
Wanda DeHaven Pyle

drwandapyle@gmail.com