Advent Heroine - Babushka

For Xmas Eve, a special heroine - Babushka - from the old Russian Christmas story. Babushka was too busy to heed the call to follow the new born King, the Christ child, as she had housework to do. When at last she's finished, she gathers up the toys in her cupboard (she had a baby who had died) and follows him but never quite catches up. As she goes on her way each Xmas Eve, she leaves a toy for every child on her way to find the Baby Jesus.

    Merry Christmas to all our Pocketeers - both writers and readers - and best wishes for a Happy and Successful New Year 2013.

 

Advent Heroine Amy Johnson

The most famous of all female flyers.

In 1930 she flew solo to Australia in a Gypsy Moth and was awarded the CBE in the King's Birthday Honors. She married Jim Mollison and together they flew to the USA hoping to complete the journey without a break. 55 miles short of their destination they were forced to crash land when they ran out of fuel. They were awarded with a ticker tape parade along New York's Broadway.

The marriage broke up and after the outbreak of war Amy became a pilot in the women's section of the Air Transport Auxiliary, flying vital machines and men to various destinations.

On 5 January 1941 Amy disappeared, believed drowned, when her plane crashed into the Thames Estuary. No trace of her body has ever been found.

New Book Promo

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Love Chrissie

Hi Everyone,
My latest book is having a free day!

'Getting a Life' is free on Amazon for today only.
Hope you enjoy it!
Love Chrissie

Advent heroine - Eve



Audience participation is required with this one! Let’s consider the role of ‘mother’ as a heroine and start from the beginning with Eve. Some people believe we all came from one mother. Poor old Eve had no mother or father; she was fashioned from her husband’s rib from whence comes the name ‘woman’. Having succumbed to temptation, she was punished with the physical agony of childbirth and sentenced to being under the power of her husband. She had three children: Cain, Abel and Seth and is known as ‘the mother of all the living’.



The accomplishments of most mothers are numerous and often tend to be overlooked or taken for granted. Not all people will regard their mother as heroic and the empty photo frame is for you to imagine your own picture of ‘mother’. It might be your own mum, yourself, or a fantasy one. It could even be Eve.

BOUDICCA

It is difficult to imagine a more fearsome woman than Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni people. Dio Cassius wrote: ‘She was huge of frame, terrifying of aspect, and with a harsh voice. A great mass of bright red hair fell to her knees.’ Not exactly your usual romantic heroine, but she put together an army and almost sent the Romans packing. To her followers she was the personification of a goddess, which may explain the variety of Celtic tribes who united so passionately behind her.

 

When her husband  Prasutagus died, he left half his estate to his wife and daughters and half to the Emperor Nero, as was expected at that time. But a few days after his death an administrator was sent to seize his total belongings and retrieve his debts. Unable to pay, Boudicca was publicly flogged and her daughters raped in front of her by Roman soldiers.

Perhaps it was grief that drove her, or perhaps revenge, but it is said that she raised an army of 100,000 warriors made up of her Iceni tribe and various other Celtic tribes. They burned and pillaged their way from Camulodunum (Colchester) to Londinium (London) and by the time she reached Verulamium (St Albans) her army was 200,000 strong. She was eventually subdued by Paullinus and, rather than face defeat, the proud warrior Queen and her daughters took their own lives by drinking poison.

What a wonderful plot this story has. Maybe a bit strong for a Pocket Novel, but otherwise it has everything. Love, romance, excitement, danger and tragedy. Boudicca has been written about many times, and the wonderful Alex Kingston with her bright red hair played the Queen in the 2003 film, but Boudicca’s story still has the power to inspire women everywhere.

I live in Colchester, so Boudicca is part of my heritage. Her picture is a stained glass window in our town hall. The town is still enclosed within a Roman wall, and part of Colchester’s Norman Castle is built on the foundations of the Temple of Claudius where Boudicca fought her famous battle with the Romans.

Like any other real heroine, she will always be remembered.

Advent Heroines Number 20 The Duchess of Cambridge

There are some heroines who come in blazing, fighting, triumphant, energetic, spikey. There are others who win the day through sheer quiet determination. Kate Middleton is one of those. The recent history of the Royal family has been a troubled one. Like a tv soap opera, the lives of the Windsors has played out with drama - some cringe-making mistakes, some tearjerking tragedies have beset them in recent decades. At some points, the present Queen's long reign threatened to look more like an episode of Eastenders than the sedate, regal progress it should have. Kate Middleton had a lot to live up to when she decided to marry into 'the firm'. She would inevitably be compared to her absent mother-in-law and the press, given half the chance, would have a field day with her.

But she has proven to be made of stronger stuff. With a rock solid family behind her, she has in a very short time built a significant following. Quietly glamorous, appealing to young and old, she helped to make the Queen's Jubilee year a great one for the Royal family, helping to turn their fortunes around and strengthen their brand. With a baby on the way, she has fulfilled everything expected of her and more. A thoroughly modern heroine with very traditional values, she has put the first family in the land firmly back on track. They are indeed lucky to have her.

Cara