Introducing The Jacquis from Legendary Women Inc.
You all know the feeling. One day you come down with a nasty infection; a lovely experience that maybe comes complete with a rash and a bad cough. You get some meds, it goes away…
Then one day, IT COMES BACK (cue overly dramatic music).
I myself got this feeling towards the end of the year, when — after a few weeks of being blissfully free of any news or developments regarding the Fifty Shades of Grey book/movie/merchandise/Stockholm Syndrome manifestation franchise — I was browsing through some online polls that quizzed reader tastes regarding the best books of the year.
And, lo and behold, several sites listed the book Grey among the best romances of 2015. Not the Best Romance Featuring a Tragic Depiction of a Physically and Emotionally Abusive Relationship, mind you — but the best book that depicts a loving romantic relationship.
Immediately my mind became flooded with titles of far superior romance books, some of which were released this same year. The past twelve months, in fact, has offered up a vast bounty of excellent feminist literature in all genres.
So the idea occurred to me, why not devise an awards program that honors the top feminist books of last year? Books that would make Jane Austen proud.
And I decided to call this program the Jacquis, a presentation of Legendary Women, Inc. Why the Jacquis, you ask? Well as it happens, the name Jackie and its numerous variants happen to hold a lot of power. Just last year we lost the amazing feminist romance author Jackie Collins. And numerous strong-willed, endlessly talented actresses, athletes, and other pop culture figures have born this name, including Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Jacqueline Bisset, the immortal Jackie Kennedy, comic Jackee Harry, etc. In addition, a good number of fictional tough women boast this same name, including Jackie Brown, TV’s Nurse Jackie, etc.
My personal favorite Jacquie is a fictional character that appears in two of my books, the newly released Of Power and Passion and (surprise!)
Real Women Don’t Wear Grey; my 2014 response to the Grey phenomenon. Jacquie Dumont is a strong, wisecracking private detective who makes the defense and protection of women her mission in life, and she also happens to be a major Jackie Collins fan.
The winners of the Jacquis will be determined entirely by reader vote. So let us know about the books and authors that you’d consider the best of the year (for 2015). That includes those amazing, invigorating tomes that featured strong heroines, handsome and interesting heroes, and original and compelling stories. These reads could be classified in any number of genres, including romance, erotica, mystery and suspense, young adult, chick lit, humor, nonfiction, etc, They could be published by major or independent publishers, or even self-published. Please Tweet your choice reads to @legendarywomen or write legendarylucinda@lycos.com, and let us know who deserves a Jacqui!
