When I was young, I was enthralled by Tolkien, mystified by Asimov, and captivated by Jordan. But back then, the fan base of that particular genre was male dominated. You could peruse the sci-fi/fantasy section of your local bookstore, and scarcely bump onto a member of the opposite sex; which was too bad really, considering I was at the age when the opposite sex was all I could think about. Today, things are much different.

When I looked at my own fan base recently, I noticed that well over half were female, and many were avid fantasy readers. At first I didn’t give it much thought. Then I received a comment regarding the female characters in my book, and I began ponder it a bit more. A young lady who stumbled upon my work online wrote me that she loved how strong the women in my book were, and that it made her want to read more fantasy. As pleased as this made me, it was not something I had done intentionally. Though I have never been a fan of the “damsel in distress”, and have always felt it detracted from an overall storyline, it is not the reason I wrote Kaylia, Dina, Maybell, or even Salmitaya, the way I did. The truth is; weak characters, male or female, are not very interesting to me, and unless needed as part of the story, are not worth writing about. Though The Godling Chronicles is a fantasy series, it is not driven by the fantasy aspect. It is driven by the characters.

Kaylia, an elf, is deadly yet sensitive. Her enigmatic past and strong convictions have caused her to become an outcast. As her exposure to human’s increases, she is forced to re-evaluate everything she once held as true.

Dina, (I can’t reveal too much about her. It would ruin the story for you), though not a warrior, is resourceful and courageous. Her dedication and determination makes her a force to be reckoned with.

Maybell, though at first thought to be soft and weak, shows that her heart is true and her wisdom vast. She is capable in ways that makes her an invaluable asset.

Salmitaya…well you’re just going to have to find out about her yourself.

That more fantasy writers are cluing in to the fact that weak female characters are neither appealing or interesting, has made fantasy more accessible to women, thereby creating an entirely new generation of fantasy lover. I am happy to have contributed to this, and am thrilled that my work appeals to such a broad audience. I intend to keep working hard to make the series exciting, and I’m looking forward to sharing this world of Gods, humans, elves, and other fantastical creatures, with readers of all ages and genders.

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Please click HERE for a full list of Brian D. Anderson’s books and links to buy from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com