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Hidden Messages - #MFRWauthor


Still moving along with the #MFRWauthor blog hop. This week's topic is about life lessons in my books.


When I first saw this topic I really thought it'd be a week I had to skip. I'm a simple woman with simple thoughts. My good friend DJ laughs at me when I say that. She's quick to remind me that my stories are anything but simple. I don't see it that way, but she's good for pointing out what I apparently miss.

I don't plot so as I wrote my book I wrote it as the characters dictated thinking about nothing other than what was happening at the time. I don't write for a 'platform' of any sort trying to purposely convey some deeper meaning within my writing. That's why I thought I'd have to skip this week, I didn't think I had life lessons within my books. DJ told me I was wrong, not only that she rattled off five different things she picked out of my writings.

This is my only published book currently. It's a dark and twisted modern day take on Beauty and The Beast. When I started the story, I had one idea for it in mind, but as I started writing it that morphed into something completely different. Fiendish became a tale of how easily one can start to lose themselves in a relationship. It became a lesson on how little things led to bigger manipulations and control. The story became a picture into how one can get tangled up into an emotionally and mentally abusive relationship.

This was not my intention when I started the story. My intention was to take the classic Beauty and The Beast and give it a twist. My take was simply supposed to be could you still love a person who was a 'beast' but not in looks, rather in personality. While that question was answered in the book, bigger issues came into play as the relationship played out.

I've never been in the situations I created for Calida in this book. One thing I did find interesting as I wrote it was how sympathy shifted away from her over the course of time and that really made me think. Victim blaming. Not just in cases of rape as sadly happens too often in cases of rape and other sexual abuses, but it also became a thing for Calida. You hear sometimes in the media when it's a case of abuse, why didn't she just leave? Why would she stay with a person that treated her like that? Why not just go to the police? On and on it could go.

The depth of which the relationship spiraled was not my intention, but it happened. However, it did become an eye opener at how quickly something like that could happen and the person could be in over their head before they realized it and then it's too late. It's not as easy to just get out and walk away even when you know the situation isn't healthy.

Not Broken is the follow up to Fiendish. It's a love story about opening your heart to trusting again. The book is about Calida's recovery after the fact. Again I didn't set out for it to have some deep lesson. I wasn't out to make any sort of statement with it no more than I did with Fiendish. But, again according to DJ, I've done just that.

Never be afraid to reach out for help. Shame is a powerful thing. Guilt from her role in the relationship eats away at Calida and the shame she feels from events that happened keep her closed off. She's afraid to reach out to her friends and family and rather pretend things are better. Holding in things isn't healthy and use the support system around you.

So there you have it, with the help of my buddy, those are the 'life lessons' that I've apparently hidden within my books.

So have you purposely or accidentally written life lessons into your book?

This is a blog hop, so be sure to stop by the other authors and find out what their life lessons are.

Thanks for stopping by
~Meka


Comments

  1. Your book sounds interesting. Dealing with emotional abuse is a good life lesson. I hope someone reads your book related and gets help.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. The whole thing was an accident of how the characters took control of the story. It worked out, but still there wasn't anything preachy. It was just a window into how something like this 'could' happen as it happened.

      Also I tried to leave a comment on your blog, but it ate it twice. :( Not sure what happened. Will see if it pops up or not.

      thanks for stopping by

      Delete
  2. I find it hard to find themes and "lessons" in my stories also. Your book sounds intriguing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes it was hard to think about a theme or 'lesson' for my book. It's not what I intend so it's not something that's in the forefront of my mind as I write.

      thanks for stopping by

      Delete
  3. I'm finding it so interesting how characters take on a life of their own when you write, like how yours evolved. As someone who spent far too long in an emotionally abusive relationship, I can tell you that it happens without you realizing. Plus, the manipulator knows how to twist it so that everything is your fault and you come to believe it. I'm sure your book will help someone realize it's okay to reach out for help.

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    Replies
    1. Yes. My characters truly run things. LOL I may have a plan, but if they don't agree then it all goes out the window. I'm sorry you had to be in that situation. Yes, I tried to show how Seth was always in control of each situation, even when things weren't her fault they were twisted until she shouldered the responsibility. It messed with her head and in Not Broken I tried to show just how much. Reaching out for help can be hard in many different situations. I never thought of either of my books being a tool of help, but if that happens then I'm happy.

      thanks for stopping by

      Delete
    2. You are exactly right, Robin! My alter-ego wrote Balancing Act for the sole purpose of showing how a confident young woman could find herself in that situation before she knew what was happening. It all focuses on 'where do you draw that line?' When words are the weapon instead of fists, it's hard to see the difference when it happens sooo gradually!

      Delete
  4. Maybe its the non-fiction and correspondent background where we were taught not to introduce our own opinions so I don't intentionally write advise in my books. So that I didn't have to skip this week on my own post for the challenge, I had to go back and see if there was a theme.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm the same way and I don't have a non-fiction background. My stories are told by my characters so I'm not thinking about adding in any lesson, or soap box opinions. I write the story as it happens and things fall where they fall.

      I had to get help for this week because of that.

      thanks for stopping by

      Delete
  5. I'm not sure it's possible to write an entire novel without including some of the wisdom we've learned.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're probably correct. They may not be intentional, but something seeks in because you learn something from nearly every situation no matter how big or small.

      thanks for stopping by

      Delete
  6. Wow, Meka! What a powerful post even if you DIDN'T mean for it to read that way. Like you, I never intend to do certain things, and when it turns out that way, I still don't notice until someone points it out. LOL Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nope didn't mean it at all. I just had to come up with something for this post and with the help of my friend. Yep, that's me. I don't go trying for deeper meanings and as I stated it took DJ to point them out to me.

      thanks for stopping by

      Delete
  7. Definitely going to put Fiendish and Not Broken on my TBB list! In fact, heading over to Amazon right now for Fiendish. Let me know when NB is pubbed!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh well thank you. Seth isn't a nice man and the other side of him, well he's just evil through and through for sure. :( I'm hoping to have Not Broken out by December at the latest.

      thanks for stopping by

      Delete

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