Shedding Light on Dark Realities (original post with Parisian Phoenix Publishing)

Writing About Difficult Topics

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I read Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These. Her writing has the bare-minimum quality that is refreshing to read. Too many words and sometimes a story gets lost.

Keegan reveals the horrors of trafficking by the Catholic Church through the tender eyes of the empathetic protagonist, Bill Furlong.

He sees what everyone in his community refuses to acknowledge. . . systemic social injustice.

He feels the desperation of those who have no autonomy or agency. . .the enslaved.

He wrestles with a decision to bring about change that goes against the norm . . . internal conflict.

Dark? Yes. But that’s often where reality exists. In this story, it’s Sarah in a coal shed. It's only by opening the door that we shed light on dark realities.

By reflecting on his own life and staying true to his values, Bill is able to break free from inner turmoil and act on what he knows needs to be done. This is always the best way to resolve internal conflict.

I felt a connection between sex trafficked minors in our communities today and the trafficked girls in the Magdalene Laundry Scandal. Both groups are accused of being responsible for their own entrapment, blamed for the injustices done to them, and ignored as less-than-worthy-of-freedom than our own birth children.

I wrote Mouth Shut Head Down to educate people on the realities of sex trafficked minors in the United States. We can only create change by first acknowledging the injustices done to the marginalized. The stories of R. Kelly and Epstein reflect only two abusive monsters preying on our youth. This past May, within 5 days, 205 alleged child sex abuse offenders were arrested across the United States. You can read the full story here.

It’s time to shed light on this modern day slavery so victims can walk free. They need somewhere to go. They need options. That’s where we can help. Here are four organizations I interviewed for my novel. Please consider donating to their cause.

A Home For Dawn                     Covenant House                        Soul Survivor Ink                        Dreuding Center

We are a free society when everyone in our society is free.