Hi! Welcome to another Weekend Writing Warrior round. Every week writers post 8 sentences on their blogs from a published or unpublished book. Then we "hop" around and leave comments on each other's snippets. Whether our work is already published or in progress, the helpful comments help us become stronger writers on our next WIP. We welcome EVERYONE's comments.
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Welcome to a snippet from Bartlett's Rule, my first novel published with Vanilla Heart Publishing. Even though this piece is already published, I find that receiving your comments is helpful as I write future stories - you strengthen me when I know how well (or not) I communicate with my readers, and I learn what readers like and don't care for. I really appreciate you for giving me your time.
Paige shared the the details of the rape with Lon and she also shared her feelings of guilt and shame. Like some victims of sexual assault Paige went through a period of self-destructive promiscuity and she lets Lon know when he says he still wants to see her. Here is some of the conversation that follows (with its creative punctuation)...
She laughed at his discomfort, “am I still acting like a
whore?”
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She laughed at his discomfort, “am I still acting like a
whore?”
“I
didn’t say that.”
“You
didn’t have to, that’s what I called myself; I did everything but charge for
services, I probably would have had more self-respect if I had been a working
girl.” Paige moved further away from Lon, “are you thoroughly disgusted yet?”
The increased distance
didn’t go unnoticed; Lon really wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say, he
just didn’t think she needed anyone condemning her; “I think that you did the
things you thought you needed to do, I don’t think anyone knows how they would
react after a trauma, and Paige, you were traumatized.”
She stared at him unable
to fit his compassion to the image. “your publicist is really good.”
“Why
would you say that?”
“Because
you aren’t what I expected, you’re supposed to be a notorious womanizer.”
“Wow,
it sounds like I moved up a notch or two on the opinion scale.”
Paige sighed, “it’s good
that one of us did.”
Bartlett's Rule shares the story of Lon and Paige's love affair; a romance filled with hardship, emotion, danger and triumph. Falling in love was never the challenge; being there for each other, knowing just what to say and making it work is the real test. Paige and Lon are real; they are human, they cry and they laugh. Paige has to learn to trust. Lon has to learn to be patient.
Smashwords (multiple e-book formats)
Amazon (Kindle, Print, Audio)
AllRomance E-books
Bartlett’s Rule was named one of
Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s
Top Ten Reads for 2009
on MyShelf.com
When I first wrote Bartlett's Rule it didn't start out as a book about a cause, it was just a story about a woman who went through a horrible experience. And this is a story about a man who falls in love with this woman and becomes what is known as a "Secondary Survivor".
I was pleased and honored to hear that this book went on women's shelter shelves and was used to facilitate several discussions about sexual abuse. April is Sexual Abuse Awareness Month and considering all of the recent political discussions regarding women's bodies, terminology and rape laws, this subject is more timely and more important than ever. (By the way, men can be victims, too)
About
Victims
About
Victims
44% of victims are under age 18
80% are under age 30
Sexual
Assault Numbers
Every 2 minutes, another American is sexually
assaulted
There is an average of 237,868 victims (age 12
or older) of sexual assault each year
Reporting
to Police
60% of sexual assaults are not reported to the
police
97% of rapists will never spend a day in jail
About
Rapists
Approximately 2/3 of assaults are committed by
someone known to the victim
38% of rapists are a friend or acquaintance
11 comments:
Wow, that opening line hooked me in. I guess Lon feels like this is a really awkward moment. Great dialogue exchange!
Wow, that opening line hooked me in. I guess Lon feels like this is a really awkward moment. Great dialogue exchange!
Lon is wise indeed. Everyone reacts differently to trauma. I even have two characters that react totally different to trauma. I hope he's able to help her finally heal. :D
Terrific snippet, Chelle. The give and take in dialogue is so essential and you've accomplished this.
Wow! You have a lot going on here. Great job!
Interesting conversation. He's trying so hard, which I like. Can't wait to see what happens next - terrific excerpt!
It's nice that he's able to keep from condemning her. Some people aren't able to be so open-minded, and that person would have hurt her self-confidence even more. He might just be the salve for her wounds.
Great job of developing their characters in this excerpt, Chelle. It speaks volumes about both of them! :-)
So far, I think he's saying what she needs to hear.
I agree--it's good that he's avoiding adding to the judgement and shame she feels from others, and inflicts on herself.
Even if he doesn't quite know what to say--and who would, really?--he's trying.
aw, how nice that he's being supportive. Poor Paige has a lot of baggage, doesn't she? He's just what she needs, by the sound of this snippet!
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