- Where
did Break from You come from?
Break From You started with a dream about a fire and a cowboy,
and another element I can’t tell you about because it will give away the book.
I know, a dream, very clique. Eventually the idea developed into a story about
dating abuse and became Brooke’s story. I did a lot of research about dating
abuse, abusers, and victims.
A
dream about a cowboy. Hmmm…I’d like to hear more about that J
- In
Break from You, Brooke has a hard time breaking from her abusive
boyfriend, Drew. Is this common with victims of dating abuse?
Yes, this is very common. There is a cycle to abuse. Most victims
know the abuse is wrong but try to convince themselves that everything is
normal. They can’t seem to escape and easily forgive or make excuses. It could
be due to fear- fear of rejection, isolation, loss, being hurt, or fear of the
partner. Sometimes the victim stays because of love, embarrassment, low
self-esteem, or thinking the abuse is normal. Some even stay because of peer
pressure, culture, or religion. There are many other reasons victims stay, but
it doesn’t matter what the reason is, breaking free from abuse is hard and
takes a lot of strength.
- Setting
is like a character in your book. The attention to detail, the
terminology used for ranching and working with horses are authentic. Did
you research all of this or do you have first-hand experience with small
town,
A lot of my inspiration for the fictional town of Creek came from one of my favorite mountain towns, Woodland Park , Colorado Idaho
And
it shows through your word choice and the way you describe setting in the book.
- If
you had to choose a favorite character in the book, who would it be and
why?
This is a hard one. I love Cooper, even with all his flaws. He
is a strong and caring character. But I also like Dylan a lot. Dylan is a close
friend of Brooke’s. He never gives up trying to help her.
I actually liked all of your characters for different reasons,
including Drew. Though I truly did not like what he did to Brooke.
- What
is the overall message you want your readers to take away from the book?
I want readers to walk away understanding Brooke and her
decisions and to know that love shouldn’t hurt.
- What
can we expect from you next?
You can expect another emotional story about tough issues.
Now for a quick and
lighthearted Q&A
Stephen King or Amy Tan (you
know they were in a band together)?
A band? Really?
No idea. I’m going to pick Stephen King.
Dystopian or fantasy?
Dystopian.
Winter or summer in Colorado
Summer.
Team Edward or Team Jacob?
Jacob all the
way.
Margarita or glass of wine?
Neither.
Morning or night person?
Night, unless you consider being
up until 1 or 2 AM a morning person : )
Love shouldn’t hurt this much…Brooke Myers wants to believe
she has it all: the perfect guy, the perfect relationship, the perfect life.
She wants to believe it so much that she's willing to overlook the fear, the
isolation, and the pain her boyfriend has caused her. She knows it isn't right
but tells herself that love isn't always easy. However, when a fire destroys
the restaurant during homecoming dinner, she forms an instant bond with the boy
who saves her, one her boyfriend wouldn’t like. With the pain of a concussion
reminding her of how bad things can get, she is forced to re-evaluate the
relationship she has with her boyfriend and face the ghosts that haunt her. Brooke
once believed love was all it took…but is it enough? Is it truly love when
you've lost yourself in it?
You can continue to follow the Speak Out Against...Book Tour at Moxie Writers here.
Thank you to Rebecca for the Q&A and for writing such an important and phenomenal book.
I am loving you to pieces, Susan. This was a fantastic review on a profound book. I might pick it up. Aww hack, I WILL pick it up (need to start brushing up on some contemporary).
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by and saying such kind words. I am following you and I hope to vist everyday. Things are hectic in my life rigt now but I'll do my darndest.
Have a wonderful day. ^_^
Hey, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. Don't worry about visiting here. I think you are incredible! Very insightful, compassionate, and intuitive. I'll be by your blog. No worries. Hope the hectic life becomes a peaceful one soon.
DeleteThank you so much.
DeleteBTW, I tried to follow you this morning but I got the 404 error; I decided to try again just now and I'm still getting the error. Stupid Blogger always messing up. I don't know if it's just me or this darn platform but I wanted you to know just in case.
I'll be back tomorrow to try again.
What does that mean? I'm going to have to Google it. If I can't figure it out on my own, I'll have to get IT hubby involved. Thanks for letting me know.
DeleteThanks for the cyber hugs, Susan. You're a sweet and caring lady. There will always be a hole in my heart, but the healing process has begun.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful Thanksgiving!
And that's an awesome review. Got all jotted down. Hope to hit my TBR list soonest!
Kittie, I think the very same way of you. I am sending you healing thoughts. You have been through way too much. Happy Thanksgiving to you, too.
DeleteSad how many stay in an abusive relationship because they think it's normal.
ReplyDeleteIt is devastating. And very much a part of the cycle.
DeleteThank you for all your comments. It has been great to meet you, Alex.
Thank you so much for having me today. I had a lot of fun with the interview.
ReplyDeleteYou're always welcome on my blog, Rebecca. I enjoyed the interview, too.
DeleteI love the name Dylan. When I was going to high school, one of the "power" couples was Joy and George. George was so funny, he could make anyone laugh. Joy was really bubbly. They looked made for each other.
ReplyDeleteI found out a year later that the entire time he was beating her. What a strange thing. There was all this abuse going on and Joy was still bubbly at school, etc. And George was the class clown/comedian. I could never see him striking a girl. Yet that's what he was doing almost every day.
That is so sad to hear. And all too common of a story. I am still shocked that the statistics report 1 in 3 teens are in an abusive dating relationship. Victims (and abusers) are good at covering up. Thank you, Michael, for sharing this story.
DeleteWow, Michael. I guess it is all too easy to be fooled by appearances. Thank you for sharing that story. It is very eye opening.
DeleteThe main key is breaking the circle/cycle of violence. People are paying more attention to this than they were even a few years ago. I hope it works.
ReplyDeleteI agree, and I, too, hope it works. Thanks for commenting. It is great to meet you.
DeleteAlthough I have not been in an abusive relationship, I lived in close proximity to an abuser that was verbally, emotionally and physically abusive. It pissed me off enough to supplant a hammer near me as I went to "pay the neighbors" a visit. Yes, I would have used that hammer no questions asked. It was terrible and would have been self-defense.
ReplyDeleteThen there are situations where the girls even try to get away but so much fear and control has them literally trapped for fear of their very lives.
Very sad.