So I've gotten really great feedback for the most part with my novella, Loving Jiro. I did get one bad one recently that made me think. See in it, my heroine deals with physical and sexual abuse from her boyfriend and then she meets the hero, a really hot, really rich Japanese assassin.
Anyway, the thing that pisses off some readers is the fact that my heroine dealt with a lot of crap from her boyfriend and for the most part put up with it. She had tried to run away, but he always found her, so at the time she met the hero, she was just struggling to make ends meet.
The truth of the matter is that in real life, women who are being abused have different reactions. You might think that if it was you, you'd kill the guy or run away successfully or whatever. Yet, I know women personally who've been in this situation who could not see their way clear except through the help of someone that came into their lives who helped them to believe first that they deserved more, and second that it was possible to have more.
As I wrote this story, I thought of my friend whose husband abused her for years. She left countless times. One of her kids had a complex about always keeping his shoes and coat on in readiness to run, he was so traumatized. But this woman did not get free until she met a man who was extremely kind to her. They became friends, and eventually she learned to stand, to be strong, and now they have been married more than a decade.
Your ideal might never to take something like this, and never need a man to rescue you in the first place. We could get angry and look down on people, but the reality is that there are women like this, who need someone to believe in them, someone who will be their strength until they gain their own.
My character grew from a woman who would work hard to pay her bills while suffering daily under her boyfriend's cruelty, to a woman who took care of business on her own, but after the love of Jiro helped her along the way. Think about it. If a trained assassin offered to kill the one that's hurting you, would you take him up on the offer or would you learn to stand strong?
These are some of the issues that Kiara had to deal with, but loving Jiro made everything work out in the end.
Jordyn Tracey
http://www.sugarandspicepress.net/
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I wanted to thank you for your particular brand of writing. Not only are your books everything erotic romance novels should be but there's the added bonus of realistic characters with issues that most of us go through. Their lives are messy and full mistakes a good deal of us have made but rarely admit to. Some of us make them repeatedly much to the chagrin of the people who love us, but we keep going and pray that something good comes out of it; like learning our lesson and getting out of the mess we got ourselves into and pray for no long term damage ;).
ReplyDeleteAs to Loving Jiro, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Of course there were moments when I would will her to make different choices, but then the story would lack it's intended complexity,thoughtfulness, and the readers' appreciation for the very unconventional HEA. Aside from the fact that it touched me personally.
Btw, I consumed Taking Joy. It was sexy, painful, and thrilling. Anyone who hasn't read it should get off the stick and buy it, definitely worth it!
Oh my! Anitra, thank you! I just came across this post and I'm so sorry I didn't see it sooner. Wow, you made my day. Thank you so very much. I appreciate the comments.
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