Author Guest Post
Where Have All The Female Super Heroes Gone?
By Addison Towne
Let me tell you who I am not.
I am not Scarlett Johansson in the Avengers whose talent is in using her seductive sexuality to misguide men into sharing their secret plans.
I am not Lisbeth Salandar from The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, a socio path who cannot relate to society but has the guts and know how to use a stun gun and computer hacking skills beyond the norm.
I am not Kate Beckinsale in Underworld running around in tight black pleather sucking blood and saving werewolves.
I am not Milla Jovovich in Resident Evil saving the future world from the Umbrella Corporation with super natural virus enhancing fighting abilities.
And while it is not a current reference I am not She-Ra princess of power either. For those of you that remember her, I will forever have a place in my heart for the answer to He-Man (welcome back 1987).
I am Addison Towne. An author, and a believer in what women can do when put to the test. When I set out to write Suburban Task Force, I wanted to create heroes I could relate to. Heroes that would hopefully end up on the big screen one day as well. Not just heroes that could complete unbelievable feats of super human skills one after another while maintaining perfect hairdos. My heroes had to have heart, a realistic quality to them, and at the end of the day, they had to be funny, because if we aren’t laughing we aren’t living.
Filmmakers used to be enthralled with the idea of a formidable female force. One that could do normal human feats, such as ride a horse, drive a car and put up a fight when attacked all while ensued in an action scene. But that no longer seems good enough. Women have to be given more, like an extra oomph to make them worthy of action on the big screen. For example, why do the women in the Charlie’s Angels movies have to fly up a fence during a fight scene? Wouldn’t it have been just as cool a scene if they had stayed on the ground?
One recent exception to this would be the Salt movie with Angelina Jolie, although I think we all find it hard to believe her skinny arms could inflict much damage. Yes, she jumps off a bridge and lands on a bus, but she does so without any extra help. As excited as I was by this movie, I had to remember that her role was originally written for Tom Cruise, not a female character.
I’m not saying I don’t enjoy these stars and the characters they portray. I just can’t say I get why an action star can’t be an every day ‘Jane.’ We see it all the time with men like Bruce Willis in the Die Hard Series. He was just your everyday cop. Or in the movie Unstoppable with Chris Pine, and Denzel Washington. They were just everyday railroad engineers. Or Tom Cruise in pretty much every movie. He is just the everyday guy who can run, really, really fast. No super human powers. No using sex. No sociopaths.
Writing Suburban Task Force allowed me to bring my vision of the everyday super hero to life; the moms, sisters, friends and women from my world. I wanted them to be able to look in their purse and know they had the tools to survive. I wanted them to step outside of their comfort zone and explore the strength from within.
I am lucky and proud to be a woman. I like action. I like adventure. I like to shop and have fun. So why is it so hard to find these types of women on the big screen? Why is it not enough?
Why do you think the movies can’t accept us for who we are when presented with the need to survive?
I look forward to the discussion and thank you for the opportunity to be a guest.
About The Author
You can reach her via email at AddisonTowne@gmail.com. She is currently working on the next Suburban Task Force series and looks forward to reader input.
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Book Review
Suburban Task Force by Addison Towne
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing
Publication Date: May 19, 2012
Format: Paperback - 165 pages / Kindle - 340 KB
ISBN: 1477607668
ASIN: B0084QDJA0
Genre: Action-Comedy / Chick Lit / Women's Fiction
BUY THE BOOK: Suburban Task Force
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours.
Book Description:
It takes a home invasion scare and a co-workers brutal mugging to wake Jade from her suburban slumber. The adventure begins when she and her two best friends forgo an uplifting spa retreat for an intense tactical, gun and self defense weekend, all without their husbands’ knowledge.
Upon their return, feeling rejuvenated and proud, the women try to re-adapt to their suburban lifestyles. Not so easy when you have to attend a VIP party on Catalina Island with the who’s who of Hollywood and Politics. Without warning, the island is taken hostage by a rogue terrorist group. With the men and women separated, and all outside communication cut off, Jade and her friends feel their only hope is to use their combined talents and outlandish movie knowledge to outsmart their captors.
Comedy and daring action ensue as the three women, with one weekend of self defense training, try to lead an all out attack against those holding their loved ones hostage.
If you are a fan of the Stephanie Plum series or enjoy an action packed, laugh out loud read this is the book for you!
Book Excerpt:
We move like night stalkers down the hall, using our hands to feel the way, all the while trying to keep our
breathing in check. This is not an easy task. With every breath of air I feel a burning in my lungs. Like someone’s
inside my body, punching me from the inside, reminding me that I’m alive and crazy at that. I guess this is what they
call adrenaline. You don’t tend to get the same effect by doing a Cindy Crawford workout tape.
“Okay so that means if we take out 15 guys each, we’re good to go!” Suzie says enthusiastically.
“Are you guy’s crazy?” I whisper loudly. We can’t take out 50 trained soldiers! All we did was go on one selfdefense weekend! We’re not trained for this! We’re not trained for anything unless you consider shoe shopping a sport. You can't be serious?"
“What? You think we’ll be killed so easily?” Chloe asks me.
“They have our husbands,” Suzie says solemnly.
“Okay, so what’s the plan then? We save our husbands and leave everyone else behind?” I ask with outrage.
“It has to be all or nothing you guys,” I say standing up. “We have to take them all or we have to try and get off this island so we can notify someone qualified as to what’s going on here.” I finish and start to check out our new gear.
“That’s easy then, we take them all!” Suzie says standing up as well.
“Take them all and make em’ hurt for trying!” Chloe joins in.
“Um, okay, can someone please direct me to the sanity section of this little pow wow because I was pretty sure you guys were going to go for the other option?”
They both shake their heads.
“So I have to be the rational one here? Be the one to come up with examples of why trying this rescue mission on our own is an incredibly bad idea and all. Like being around for your kids, or simply coming home from this island alive!” I look them dead in the eye waiting for them to give, but I get no response.
“Fine then, what the heck. I feel a little crazy, wasn’t diggin’ the good life too much, so I guess we find a way to take them all!” I say with total sarcasm.
“We’re like the Suburban Task Force you guys,” Suzie says.
“Yeah, they don’t know what they’ve gotten themselves into!” Chloe chants.
“If we can deal with snooty neighbors, traffic nightmares, screaming kids, and crabby husbands all while trying to look good and stay in shape, well then they’ve got another thing coming!” I say and put my hand in the air and we high five because in this situation it’s oh so cool.
“Okay so that means if we take out 15 guys each, we’re good to go!” Suzie says enthusiastically.
“Are you guy’s crazy?” I whisper loudly. We can’t take out 50 trained soldiers! All we did was go on one selfdefense weekend! We’re not trained for this! We’re not trained for anything unless you consider shoe shopping a sport. You can't be serious?"
“What? You think we’ll be killed so easily?” Chloe asks me.
“They have our husbands,” Suzie says solemnly.
“Okay, so what’s the plan then? We save our husbands and leave everyone else behind?” I ask with outrage.
“It has to be all or nothing you guys,” I say standing up. “We have to take them all or we have to try and get off this island so we can notify someone qualified as to what’s going on here.” I finish and start to check out our new gear.
“That’s easy then, we take them all!” Suzie says standing up as well.
“Take them all and make em’ hurt for trying!” Chloe joins in.
“Um, okay, can someone please direct me to the sanity section of this little pow wow because I was pretty sure you guys were going to go for the other option?”
They both shake their heads.
“So I have to be the rational one here? Be the one to come up with examples of why trying this rescue mission on our own is an incredibly bad idea and all. Like being around for your kids, or simply coming home from this island alive!” I look them dead in the eye waiting for them to give, but I get no response.
“Fine then, what the heck. I feel a little crazy, wasn’t diggin’ the good life too much, so I guess we find a way to take them all!” I say with total sarcasm.
“We’re like the Suburban Task Force you guys,” Suzie says.
“Yeah, they don’t know what they’ve gotten themselves into!” Chloe chants.
“If we can deal with snooty neighbors, traffic nightmares, screaming kids, and crabby husbands all while trying to look good and stay in shape, well then they’ve got another thing coming!” I say and put my hand in the air and we high five because in this situation it’s oh so cool.
My Book Review:
Suburban housewives become female Rambos!
After an attempted house invasion, suburban housewife Jade Lydell gets her two best friends, Chloe and Suzie, to sign up with her for a weekend of self-defense and survival classes. Little do they know that the tactics they learned will be put to good use!
When the ladies and their husbands attend a VIP affair on Catalina Island, a rogue terrorist group takes the party guests hostage. When the men and women are separated and all outside communication is cut off, the Suburban Task Force is born, and it's up to Jade, Chloe and Suzie to use their newly found survival and self-defense tactics to save the hostages from their captors!
Suburban Task Force is a fun action-comedy that is filled with humor and adventure that will keep you entertained. Author Addison Townes weaves a comical tale told in the first person narrative by the main character, Jade Lydell. The reader is taken along for the ride as Jade unfolds the three suburban housewives wacky adventures in a story that is so far-fetched, you can't help but sit back and just enjoy it as if you were watching an action-adventure movie. Sometimes a story comes along that is just meant to be fun and provide an escape, and Suburban Task Force is that story. The story is action-packed with enough feats, foibles, humorous plot twists, and laugh-out-loud moments that will easily keep you turning the pages.
Suburban Task Force is an entertaining story that blends a mixture of chick lit with action-comedy told from a humorous and sassy women's perspective.
RATING: 4 STARS ****
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