It’s wild that in 2025, we still have to talk about the importance of strong female leads — but here we are.

First, let me start off by noting that there is a misconception that “strong” women need to be brutish, or, strong in physical strength alone. But that just isn’t the case. It’s much more complex than that, just in the same way that a character’s personality is complex. I create characters that feel real and take it a bit further into my genre.

In The Wanderer Trilogy, I did not want to create a ‘perfect’ protagonist. To me, that’s just not realistic, especially in a world like this one. But I did decide to challenge long-held beliefs of what a typical feminine vs. masculine energy should feel like. The apocalypse hardens everyone. It has to. Or the character would never survive. So yes, Eva is blunt, direct, and incredibly deadly. But how did she get this way?

While I am working on fleshing out Eva’s backstory and early years in novels to come, reading The Wanderer Trilogy will offer some insight to her past. But her story is filled with anger, pain, and the strength to continue despite all of the horror she’s experienced.

Strong female characters matter because they reflect the truth: that women are not sidekicks, love interests, or background noise. They’re leaders. Survivors. Warriors. And sometimes even villains.

When readers see themselves in a character who struggles but keeps going, who makes hard choices and bears the weight of consequence, it resonates. Especially when that character isn’t defined by a male counterpart, or by how likable she is.

All I ask is that potential readers do not pass over taking up this book simply because the protagonist is a woman. You’ll be missing out on what could be, quite possibly, your new favorite trilogy.

Understand… It always had to be this way. Eva is a part of me. The gritty, determined, resilient part.

There are many more characters to explore that are just as complex as Eva Calloway. You’ll simply have to find out for yourself which one you resonate with. Or which one sinks it’s claws into your mind and never lets go.

We need more stories that leave a lasting impression. I wrote Eva to do just that. She’s a woman who keeps moving despite everything that’s done to her.

We need more of those stories. And I’m here to tell one.