What makes a strong female character?

So responses to my last post got me to thinking about the question above. My personal preference is for fighters since it's something I can relate to. Go figure. :-)
But I'm not a big hack-n-slash reader so I like my fighters nuanced and my fights broadly defined.
And I prefer stories with women as central, rather than bit, players. Which isn't to say that I don't do read quite a bit of fiction with central male characters, just that if I'm reading or writing, I tend to write or read more about women.
Personal favs for reading material (not an exhaustive list):
Jaime in P.C. Hodgell's "Godstalk" books. These are amazing. Jaime is a fully realized character with the proverbial many skills. Her weaknesses make sense and she's fascinating to read about.
Irene Adler in Carole Nelson Douglas' ongoing mystery series about the character after her initial encounter with Sherlock Holmes in "A Scandal in Bohemia." Complicated Victorian mind candy. See also Elizabeth Peter's Amelia Peabody mysteries.
Trouble in Melissa Scott's "Trouble and Her Friends." One very cool queer cyberpunk novel.
Kyra (and a few others) in Barbara Hambly's "Stranger at the Wedding." Not too many magic user novels that deal with the sexual abuse of teenagers and do it well.
Tomoe Gozen in the series from Jessica Amanda Salmonsen.
Rachel Pollack. Anything really.
Megan and Shakira in S.M. Stirling and Shirley Meier, et al's "The Cage" books. Interesting S&S series about two women warriors in a queer poly relationship. Lots of worthwhile reading.
Ellen Galford's "Moll Cutpurse" and "The Fires of Bride" - excellent lesbian novels - "Moll" is a historical and 'Fires' is a fantasy.

What else is good?