Domestic Violence and the Difficulty of Writing It – Interview with Stacy Eaton

Hey, guys.  Today I have a guest joining me, Author Stacy S. Eaton.  She has recently released her new book, Whether I’ll Live or Die, which is about a very difficult subject, domestic violence.  Thank you, Stacy, for joining me. 

Can you tell us about Whether I’ll Live or Die?

Whether I’ll Live or Die is a very intense, real and raw book that talks about the life of a young girl who goes from one abusive relationship to another. Amanda is 19 when she finds herself in her first abusive relationship and leans toward Mark for safety and guidance. Little does she know that Mark will be her second abuser. When Amanda decides to make a change in her life, she moves and starts over. She meets Josh and falls in love. Its a few years into the marriage before the horror of her situation comes to face her and she is in a relationship like no other.

There is a second voice – and older wiser voice from Officer Nicole Nolan who will show you how the law must deal with these situations.

Between the Amanda and Nicole you will see a side of domestic violence that no one wants to be a victim of. You will feel the pain, understand the reasons behind the confusion of the victim and pray for their safety.

This is a new genre for you considering your other books are about vampires and are urban fantasy romances.  How different was it for you to write this?

That’s a great question, Emerald!  My other two books do twist the life of vampires into the world of law enforcement and I really enjoy writing about that group.

Writing this book without aspects of the paranormal, I had to put my imagination on hold and use my creativity instead.  I needed to bring out the worst of someone and the hopelessness of another while keeping the readers interested and not getting too graphic to offend.

While my paranormal/urban fantasy series is suspenseful and romantic, this one was dark and emotional. It was using a different part of my emotions while I wrote it, and sometimes that was very hard. Sometimes when I was writing, I would get angry. I would have to walk away for a little while, whereas when writing my series, even in the darker parts, I found a sense of joy in writing it.

What sparked your interest for this story?  Was it hard to write about such a difficult topic?

Talking about Domestic Violence is very difficult! It is a subject that is so taboo. If you have never seen it up close and person, you just don’t understand it. If you do see it; you are afraid of it and don’t want to get to close. If you are the one who is abused, it is hard to get away from.  It is not only a struggle with what is right and what is wrong, but a struggle financially and physically.

I see so much of this in my job. I have tried to help people for years, some I have, some I have not. I wanted to write about a subject that needs to be spoken about. I wanted to put it out there so people would discuss it – think about it – and maybe reach out and help someone that might be in one of these situations.  Sometimes the victims will listen to their friends before they will listen to the police or even family.

Keeping in the discussion of writing such a difficult topic.  How hard was it to write in the voice of a woman being abused?

Some days it was really hard, Emerald. Some days I would sit and write a sentence and have to get up and move away. Sometimes I would get a paragraph done before I just needed to take a break.  I have seen the pain and the emotion up close and personal and putting it down on paper made me both angry and sad. There were times I wanted to shake Amanda and say – WAKE UP! Then other times I wanted to hold her close and try to tell her she would be alright – she would make it.

The story haunted me some nights. The scenes would play out in my mind like memories and I would wake up trying to find a solution to the problem at hand.  Although it was very hard to write, I feel I did it justice. I feel like I showed Amanda in a very true light to how victims feel when they are being abused. Now, it’s up to the readers to decide.

Could you share some of Whether I’ll Live or Die with us?

From Chapter 24

It wasn’t until we were on our way home that we broached the subject of my marriage again. Angie brought up a question that had been hovering around in the back of my mind most of the day.

“What are you going to say to Josh?” she asked me quietly as we drove along the highway. I gazed out the window beside me, watching the scenery flash past quickly, reminding me of the memories that had crossed my mind the night before, a rapid succession of images that began to blur together if I didn’t blink.

“I’m not sure,” I answered the window as I continued to view the passing world outside. “I’ll figure it out when the time comes.”

Turning up the volume on the radio, Angie let it go at that. We sang to the music for the rest of the ride home. As we turned onto the street, my heart stopped when I saw his car in the driveway next to mine. “Damn,” I muttered under my breath.

“You want me to go in with you?” Angie said as she pulled over in front of the house. “I can if you want me to.”

I smiled, “No, that’s alright.” I thanked her for a great afternoon and for being there for me. I promised not to push her away again and stepped out of the car. I picked up the bag with the single item I had purchased in it and made my way to the front door.

I didn’t take my keys out as I stepped up, figuring Josh would have left the door open when he got home. I glanced back at Angie, waved, then reached for the doorknob as she pulled away.

The door swung quickly open, and I lost my balance, stumbling into the foyer. I hadn’t even recovered my balance when I felt hands push me against the wall. The door slammed shut. I cringed as the door vibrated the wall next to me.

“Where the hell have you been?” Josh yelled.

I turned so my back was to the wall. I could smell alcohol coming off of him and his eyes looked aggressive and glassy.

“I was out shopping with Angie,” I responded meekly to his question.

“Bullshit! Who were you with?” He got in my face and my knees started shaking.

“I was with Angie,” I repeated quietly.

His forearm immediately came to my throat, forcing my head back to the wall. I tried to turn my head to release the pressure, but he held me too tightly against the drywall.

“You better not be cheating on me! Who were you with?” Spit landed on my face as he shouted. A buzzing grew in my ears as the oxygen was denied to my lungs. My heart slammed against my chest and I tried to push him away from me, but didn’t have the strength to compete with his alcohol-induced anger.

“Who were you with, Amanda?” He pressed harder on my neck and I felt things moving around inside. Breathing became even more difficult.

“Angie,” I squeaked out.

Suddenly, he released my throat, punching a hole in the wall beside me. I cringed away from him as far as I could get, sucking air into my hot lungs, the sound of bees still in my ears. I didn’t move any further until he turned and walked away. My shoulders slumped, and I bit my lip to keep the tears back.

“Where have you been?” He flopped down on the sofa and put his feet out on the coffee table. Dirt fell off his boot on to the wood. My head felt foggy, I couldn’t remember what he’d just asked me.

“What?” I licked my bottom lip, tasting my own blood from biting down so hard.

His boots came back to the floor, and he stood up in a swift movement. I froze for just a second as he turned to look at me, I felt like a deer in the headlights of an approaching Mack truck. He started to move, and I decided I didn’t need to be against the wall anymore. I tried to walk towards the kitchen to get away from him.

He was too fast. He grabbed me by my long blond hair, yanking me to a stop. I reached up to try and release the tension he had on me. He yanked me back to him, and I smashed into his chest, almost knocking us both over.

“Where the hell have you been?” he screamed at me as he twisted my hair down. I fell to my knees to ease the pressure.

“We were at the mall. Josh, let go, you’re hurting me!” The pain in my head was like someone had sliced me with a knife. He twisted the long hair around his hand and yanked. I screamed and he flung me away from him. I fell to the floor and lay there, one hand touching the soft carpet under me and the other touching my head where the hair had been pulled. If I hadn’t been touching it, I would have sworn the hair had been pulled out, but the soft locks were still at my fingertips.

I not only heard the sound of his boots on the floor, but I felt the vibration of them as he got closer. My body trembled. He put one knee into my back and pushed my neck down with his hand, forcing my face into the carpet.

“You ever, and I mean ever, cheat on me, Amanda, and I will kill you. You got that? I swear to God if I ever see you with another man, I will kill him and then I will kill you,” his cold voice slithered over me. I had never heard such venom come from him. The carpet fibers dug into my cheek, my cheekbone sharing the pain with my nose. Moisture ran down my cheek as my nose began to bleed again.

“You got that?” he shouted one last time and pushed down on me with his knee and hand before standing back up.

I didn’t speak, only nodded my head slightly into the carpet.

Where can we connect with you and keep up with you release tour?

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Website

Twitter: @StacySEaton

Blog

Facebook

Goodreads

Video Trailer Link

 

Thank you so much Emerald for allowing me to visit your readers and have spread the word about Whether I’ll Live or Die. It is not a topic to be ignored. I’d also like your readers to know that a portion of the proceeds are being donated to Domestic Violence Awareness and Assistance.

It was my pleasure having you here today, Stacy!  Thank you for sharing your novel and spreading awareness of such a terrible issue. 

 

About Stacy:

Stacy is a full-time Police Officer who enjoys crime scene investigation above all else. She also owns a business that deals with helping people get the awareness out for the causes they care most about. She is a mother of two and her husband is also in law enforcement. She is very much into photography and carries her Nikon Digital SLR with her almost everywhere, just in case. She also has two Shiloh Shepherd dogs and loves to play catch with them.

Stacy uses her experience at work to make the stories more believable, weaving bits of crime solving knowledge into her stories of fiction to make them more lifelike. She writes using a unique style that keeps you in the minds of all the important characters. Switching back and forth from mind to mind to keep the readers aware of what each character is feeling and why they do the things they do.

Her first book, My Blood Runs Blue was the start of her writing career.  It brings the world of law enforcement into the paranormal world of vampires. It is a suspenseful adult series that will keep you guessing from chapter to chapter. Book one, My Blood Runs Blue, was published April 2011 and is currently available in paperback, hardcover and e-book editions. Book two of the series, entitled Blue Blood for Life was released September 2011 and like book 1 made International Best Selling lists on Amazon very quickly.  The third book of this series is in the plot and characters development stage. She is hoping to have it completed and published in the winter of 2012. .

Stacy is also currently working on several different novels. The first one is called Liveon. Using a similar writing style as her series, this book brings to life Detective Jacquelyn Liveon as she tries to protect a movie star who is being threatened. While this book is well on it’s way, it has been put to the side to make way for another book that she is working on.

Whether I’ll Live or Die was released on July 13th! This book is a fictional story about a young woman named Amanda who deals with the pain and emotional issues of Domestic Violence. You will read about how Amanda deals with the things life hands her while you follow Nicole Nolan as she grows at her new job as a police officer. This book is very emotional and intense as it deals with the all too real problems that face people in violent relationships

 

 

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