I can’t quite let go of this badass woman theme, so I’ve decided to extend it to one more blog. This week’s blog will be simple with my top 10 list of badass women in history. Several names popped right to the surface for me, but I wanted to be open to hearing about other women that readers thought were deserving of making my list. Remember, my definition of bad ass includes intellectual prowess and something I don’t think I mentioned before, but consider equally important…compassion and kindness. I’ve included a few compassionate bad asses. Drum roll…okay, here is my list in no particular order:

1. Marie Curie – A list would not be complete without this brilliant scientist and I love women scientists. Marie was the first women to win a Nobel prize (she won two actually and the only woman to win two). Despite personal risk which later claimed her life, she developed the theory of radioactivity, sparked the first studies into the treatment of neoplasms using radioactive isotopes and developed the first mobile radiography units for X-rays in World War I.
   
2. Harriet Tubman – I’ve been fascinated with this amazing woman since grade school when I chose to do a book report on her. You probably know that she was an escaped slave who ran 13 missions to save over 70 people in the underground railroad, but did you know she also was the first woman to lead an armed expedition that resulted in freeing 700 slaves. Yeah, she was a bad ass all right.
   
3. Katherine Johnson – The mathematician highlighted in the movie Hidden Figures. Without her, the US would not have been the first country to put a man on the moon. Enough said.
   
4. Annie Oakley – Who doesn’t think a gun toting woman who can outshoot the men isn’t worthy of making the list. In a time when women were definitely not recognized as equals, Annie Oakley shined bright. Take that Frank E Butler who was a famous sharpshooter himself. Annie kicked your ass in that contest.
   
5. Rosa Parks – While Rosa was not the first person to refuse to give up her seat, she did become the beacon for Civil Rights and continued the fight throughout her life bringing notoriety and much-needed attention to important issues of the times.
   
6. Ellen Degeneres – While Ellen was not the first openly gay entertainer, she was the first openly lesbian actress to play an openly lesbian character on TV. After an initial backlash, she persisted and became one of the most successful openly lesbian icons of our generation.
   
7. Katherine Forrest – For me personally, she is a bad ass because she wrote the very first lesbian novel I read with a truly happy ending. After reading that book, I had a spark of hope for my own life and she has done that for many other lesbians. She is the ultimate bad ass of literature in my mind for writing the ground breaking Curious Wine that gave us all the happily ever after we all deserve.
   
8. Susan B Anthony – Susan makes my list because she played a pivotal role in the Women’s Suffrage movement. Women owe our right to vote to her efforts.
   
9. Joan of Arc – A life ended way too soon at the age of nineteen. Maybe she was bat shit crazy, but she is the only known person to have commanded an entire army of any nation at the age of seventeen.
   
10. Elizabeth I – Considered by many to be the greatest monarch in English history. She lived in a precarious time and even spent some time as a prisoner in the infamous Tower of London.

As I did research for this I could have easily come up with a list of 100, 1,000, or yes 1,000,000,000 bad ass women because each of us in our own right is a bad ass woman who contributes our own unique badassery. Whether it be in the kindness we offer to others, the children we give life to, the small acts of rebellion against what is wrong in the world, or simply a smile or laugh to our fellow friends, family, and neighbors, women are the fabric of every community.

If you want to read about my badass characters who range from vampires,librarians, aliens, nerds, warriors, cops, covert agents, writers, or ordinary women who do extraordinary things, including finding love again or giving love freely to those in need, feel free to check out my books through Affinity Rainbow Publications by clicking one of the links below. If you want to know more about Affinity Rainbow Publications click the page link at the top.

Also feel free to check out a brand new place to find lesbian romance books…check out The Niche Retreat …The Organization and Locked Inside will be featured next week!

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