Domestic Violence Awareness Month 2010

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Last year, I posted a series on domestic violence, beginning with Supporting Domestic Violence Awareness Month. I encourage you to read the entire series, and I hope you become as passionate as I am about stopping domestic violence.

A question that I consider one of the highest compliments I’ve received on my romantic mystery novel Dream or Destiny came from Bluestocking at The Bluestocking Guide in a podcast interview. She asked if I had ever had personal experience with domestic violence. As an advocate for victims of domestic violence, she found my characterizations of David, a victim of child abuse, to be so realistic she thought I must have seen domestic violence firsthand.

Thankfully, I have never had any experience, but I am thrilled that my characters revealed themselves to me in such a way that their experiences were realistic. People who aren’t writers often think it’s strange when writers say the characters took over the story, but that often happens. When I started writing Dream or Destiny, I had no idea that domestic violence would be an important element. However, when I started creating the character David, he told me he had been abused. I did a lot of online research about abuse. The personal accounts of abuse survivors horrified me with the violence and pain but inspired me with their courage and resilience. What I learned touched me deeply and motivated me to advocate for victims and for an end to violence.

Learn more about domestic violence and the National Domestic  Violence Awareness Month at the Domestic Violence Awareness Project. Find information and links to posts of participating bloggers at Bloggers Unite for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. If you are as passionate about ending domestic violence as I am, share your voice to help raise awareness during the month of October.

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