If you’re like us and love to read, then click here to score tons of free and discounted ebooks.
Art, in all forms, imitates life: the good, the bad, the ugly, as well as the miraculous. The books we read are just one type of expression and can open up or heal wounds. Reading is not only a way to “escape reality,” but rather a way to “embrace reality” and connect with others and even ourselves. When you embrace the facets of reality within fiction, it can soften the blow for sensitive topics.
When reading, ideally we hope to connect with the fictional characters in one way or another. Through their story, we are hoping to be pushed mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. By reading, we are exploring many subjects that allow our curiosity to flourish and/or provide us with solace and courage while attempting to cope with matters in life.
We read to expand in every direction, even if it makes us uncomfortable, angry, or upset. We read to connect with ourselves on a deeper level, learning about who we are now compared to ten years ago.
As authors, we read and write. Yet, writing also can connect us with others in more meaningful ways. Authors are often willing to push boundaries, even making ourselves and readers uncomfortable to make a story more impactful. Authors write because we are compelled by a higher power to do it, regardless of what might be said.
When it comes to sensitive subject matters, the writing process can be tricky. Hours, weeks, or even months can be spent studying a particular topic that branches off in different directions. That doesn’t include the hours, weeks, and months of actual writing.
Sometimes, we try to put a story or idea on the back burner, feeling it’s just not the time to write it. In other instances, the story pushes to be written. While in the process of writing one story, another idea may come to mind.
As much as I tried to ignore this story in particular, something kept bringing my thoughts back to the characters who were beginning to take shape on their own. Once I started writing, this new story evolved in ways I hadn’t expected. It took time to come up with the title, but the writing flowed ceaselessly. Petulant Shadows didn’t take long to write, but the subject matter forced me to pause on several occasions. The emotions were intense and I needed to regroup after writing certain scenes that discussed human and child trafficking.
I went back and forth regarding whether to publish or not, knowing the trigger warning that would come with this story. In the end, seeing survivor stories on video and reading the real life human trafficking statistics, which I would argue are conservative, gave me the resolve to publish it now rather than later.
Oddly enough, a few months after Petulant Shadows had gone through several edits, a movie that was centered around the awareness of child trafficking was being marketed and set to release in July. The moment I saw the trailer, I knew that I had to release Petulant Shadows.
The current statistics for human trafficking are as follows: (i) there are over forty million trafficked persons globally today, and twenty-five percent of them are children, (ii) human trafficking is the second largest illicit industry in the United States, second only to the drug trade with sex trafficking beings the most common type, (iii) in North America, seventy-two percent of detected survivors were trafficked for sexual exploitation, seventy million CSAM files were estimated in 2019, and seventy-eight percent of those files were children under the age of twelve (sited from www.ourrescue.org).
As I continued to edit, design the cover, and format Petulant Shadows for its October release, more videos of survivors started popping up on social media—particularly TikTok. (Opinion: The fact that our government is vying to censor this social media app or have it removed from use in the United States makes me question their motive and if it’s tied to human trafficking, but we won’t go there.) These videos struck a nerve within me, making me more determined to give these victims a voice within the book community.
Petulant Shadows is a work of fiction, but there are truths within its pages that touch on human trafficking and human psychology. The story is centered around Paisley, who was abducted at a young age and managed to escape over two decades later. The history of abuse she suffered interferes with her ability to read or interpret tone of voice and body cues from the people around her. Over time, Petulant Shadows becomes not only Paisley’s story of survival and triumph, but also the story of victory and healing for the town of Biernhard in which she lives. Together, the characters shaped this book into being a story of awareness, one of personal growth, and the reclaiming of everyone’s power over the demons that haunt them.
Regardless, if you read Petulant Shadows, know that there are survivors and that there are still victims of this heinous crime who need to be, and are, being rescued. Awareness is key to preventing more people from being abducted. From awareness, everyone can take precautionary measures to ensure fewer people are stolen. Together, as the great community that I know the book world is, and can be, we all can make a difference. Healing takes many forms, and sometimes a smile, or an ear, can make all the difference for those who still have demons in their closets. Sometimes a book (I recommend Tapping the Healer Within by Dr. Roger Callahan) can direct someone in need into true healing from the kind of trauma that Paisley and other survivors bear.
With Petulant Shadows, and this post, I intend to spotlight and mend wounds, if possible. I intend to make you slightly uncomfortable. I intend to help you embrace reality in a way that you never imagined or felt before. I intend to connect you with the ugly truth that is human trafficking, and the emotional rollercoaster survivors deal with on a daily basis. I intend to give these real-life victims a voice so others will never know their pain.
Together, we can heal ourselves and our society. A book regarding awareness is a good start, hoping to ensure that no one else is taken. A book with a healing focus can be another small step forward for victims and their families.
This post and Petulant Shadows are dedicated to those who have been abducted, trafficked, abused, and murdered, the families who have lost someone, and the sheepdogs who fight to save them. May your souls find peace.
Comments