Evette Davis's Blog, page 10

Kings, queens and jacks

I’m often asked, “Why ‘Woman King’ and not ‘Queen’?” The answer is that a woman king is something altogether different from a queen.

A queen historically derives her power from a man, often though an arranged marriage. And while she may wage war, it’s rare that she would ride into battle. (I am bracing for emails from history buffs that beg to differ.)

Not so for Olivia. She will have to fight her own battles, and wage war on her enemies without the aid of men, or an army. Perhaps you will notice as you read Woman King, that she is being groomed for the role of King as any male would be both academically and physically.

She becomes a voracious reader of history. She is schooled in the art of combat, and encouraged to be bold in her leadership. Olivia is surrounded by a series of advisors and confidents, who will all, in their own way, be critical to her survival as the story continues.

In short, she learns to fend for herself.  She learns to trust her instincts and make her own choices.

How refreshing. And yet, how confusing for some.

The issue of women in positions of leadership remains far from resolved. As a society we’re still dealing with whether we trust women when they reach the top, and we certainly haven’t decided if we can enjoy their success and wealth. Current female CEO’s receive a kind of double hazing. Men look for signs of weakness and women criticize them for not being soft enough on their brethren.  Can you imagine a male CEO being criticized for reining in non-productive telecommuters?

As a society we pledge to help women reach the highest levels of business and government, but at the same time the selling of young woman as sex objects has never been so prevalent. The transformation of young girls from cherubic Disney entertainers to troubled nightclub denizen happens so quickly that it can be difficult to keep the names straight.

Women it seems have to be a sort of jack-of-all-trades to keep the adulation of everyone. They have to be tough enough to satisfy their male colleagues, but demonstrate enough diplomacy and humanity to come across as female.  It’s a hard road to walk – one that perhaps only a Woman King can manage. — Evette

Women’s Work!

Welcome!

This is the maiden post on my WOMAN KING blog. I’ll do my best to keep up with it and give you something fresh to read.

This blog and the WOMAN KING website wouldn’t be possible without the help and guidance of my friend and neighbor Sara Hillman. She’s a talented web designer whose company you can read more about here. …The design of the book cover for WOMAN KING was created by another local success story Leah Hefner, a gifted graphic designer I met through to my longstanding friendships with other, amazing, talented women.

Do you detect a theme here?

WOMAN KING was not written to bash men or to even exclude them from the conversation.  My goal has always been to create an engaging story, but I confess I did have women’s work on my mind…More specifically, for the better part of a decade I have been wondering about what makes women leaders.  It may seem cliché when the New York Times is proclaiming us king of the jungle after our nation’s long, savage recession. But those of us inhabiting offices and boardrooms know that women have to earn their authority differently then men.  It’s that process that continues to fascinate me. 

I confess that on some days my own path has felt rocky, impassable and slightly treacherous.  In those tough moments, I’ve often let my mind wonder…WOMAN KING is the result of those meanderings.

My first novel is the fictional path of one woman’s transformation into a leader.  And very specifically, it deals with a topic that has also long fascinated me: women’s intuition. Do we really have a sixth sense? I decided to conjure up a story where the main character has to learn to rely on her instincts and intuition, or face dire consequences.  It’s a rough road for a woman used to stuffing her emotions far, far below the surface.  WOMAN KING is the beginning of a journey, one where Olivia will struggle to use her emotions as a tool, rather than a weapon against herself.

I hope you enjoy WOMAN KING, feel free to drop me a line and let me know what you think.

Tweet