Violence Against Women and the Ungolden Silence: An interview with Lydia E. Brew

Today I'm talking with Lydia E. Brew. Her book UNGOLDEN SILENCE tackles the topic of sexual violence against women.

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1) Tell us about your book.

UNGOLDEN SILENCE is a story that will entertain and provoke thought. Violence against women is something that is not talked about. It is something that is hard to prove in the workplace and at home. Beatrice James and Elaine Wilson, who is disabled, work for a marketing firm and travel on a business trip. A highly respected community leader is a part of the project. Beatrice and Elaine think they are safe, but are they? The story will break down stereotypes. The rapist in the story is not a man off the street. I hope that once people read the story, violence against women will be dealt with differently.

2) Why did you choose to write about such a disturbing topic as rape?

I like drama and a story about rape is dramatic. The fact that the media does not give the names of rape victims concerns me. The names of all victims of accidents, robberies, and everything else except sexual crimes are given. Yes, it is a disturbing topic, but it is important to talk about because not talking about it will not help anybody. I hope that the story will make society see the need to change the way that violence against women is handled. I hate to hear, “she asked to be raped by the way she dressed.” Like that has anything to do with the crime. So I wanted rape to be the issue in an engaging way.

3) How did you go about plotting out your book?

I did not sit down and plan the story. I allowed the story to take me places. I did not want a story where the crime happened, the criminal is caught, and the victims go on with their lives. UNGOLDEN SILENCE looks beyond the crimes and deals with how society can begin to talk about violence against women.

4) You’ve made a conscious choice to eschew “ random” or semi-random opportunistic attack narratives. Do you feel that media treatments of rape are too oriented in that direction?

Yes, not revealing the name of a rape victim is part of the problem and is not helpful to anyone. Society thinks that lovemaking and rape are the same thing, and they are not. A rape is a crime and the focus needs to be on finding the rapist and putting him in jail. Now if the victim is frightened that the rapist may return that is something different. However, not to give the name of a victim because they were sexually assaulted is not the answer. This is part of the problem – a rape is a crime, and it needs to be treated like any other crime.

5) What advantage does the novel format offer for exploring this issue versus a more straightforward nonfiction criminology book?

Many people like to read for pleasure more than for information. UNGOLDEN SILENCE allows the readers to do both. There is a good story that raises many questions. However, there are possible answers. When I was writing the story, I thought that making the rapist a highly respected community leader was far-fetched. After doing the story I did some research, and I realized that we do not know why people rape. Society can begin to put a dent in the sexual crime against women if it is known what to look for. There are signs that will indicate that a person will be a sexual offender. People need to study books on criminology if they are going to be doctors, lawyers, counselors, or social workers because these are the people that will need to be able to identify those who need professional help.

6) Can you briefly tell us about any other projects?

I am working on a family saga, and it will a century-long soap opera.

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Thanks, Lydia.

You can see more from Lydia at her website, http://www.ungoldensilence.com/.

UNGOLDEN SILENCE is available for sale at Xlibris and Amazon.

Accepting yourself and rising above your circumstances: An interview with author Khiana Washington

Today, I'm talking to Khiana Washington about her tale of overcoming abuse and negative circumstances, Looking Past the Mirror. 

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1) Tell us about your book.

Looking Past the Mirror is a gripping novel about a young girl by the name of Faith. The story begins with Faith attending her beloved grandmother’s funeral. Faith is affected strongly by this situation, but finds what she believes to be the easiest way to deal with it. Soon Faith’s drug-addicted mother decides that it is time for a change and offers Faith the chance to start over by leaving her abusive father and moving to Michigan. Just as Faith begins to believe that change will come, we see Faith endure a series of traumatizing events that will shape her as she grows into a mature young woman.

2) What inspired this book?

Although this novel is not about my personal life, my inspiration is my family. When my granddad died that was the first time I had really experienced dealing with grief and the concept of death. To this day I am still affected by it and it shocks me when I realize this. I wanted to write a story about what I feel hasn’t been shown enough today in young adult novels: the truth. Being a teenager myself, I think is good I have the fresh look out about how it really is.

3) What you say the fundamental theme of your book is?

The theme of my book is all about finding yourself. Through the main character Faith, Looking Past the Mirror shows how important it is to accept yourself and love yourself in order to just be happy in life.

4) With all the hang-wringing about in certain parts of the literary community about darkness in young adult books, why do you think it's important that young adult books deal with dark themes?

I think it is important because young adults are already living in the nightmares that dark themes suggest. It is unfortunate, but that it the truth. Why should the truth be covered when it can be highlighted? When writing Looking Past the Mirror I was never afraid to say what really goes on because that’s what teens need to hear, that’s what they are going to relate to, and that’s what can possibly help them in the long run.

5) Do you have any literary influences?

Yes, I most definitely do. Of Mice and Men is one of my favorite stories that has stuck with me and that’s what I want to be able to do with my writing: forever engrave it into readers minds so that they never forget me.

6) Penning a novel at 15 is an impressive feat. Many writers much older than you experience a lot of self-doubt. Did you ever question yourself during the writing process?

Yes, of course. A lot of the time I felt myself asking “Why am I doing this? Am I really good enough to be an author? I’m only 15.” Then I instantly had to say, “Good enough for whom?” and my moment of doubt passed. I have always been told that I could do anything if I put my mind to it so that is exactly what I did. I had to prove to myself that I could finish what I started. I had to have faith in myself and I never gave up.

7) What sort of projects are you working on for the future?

I am currently working on several other projects, but the main items would be two completely different novels which are currently titled Good-bye and Bystanders. Good-bye really focuses on the value of relationships and how they can change at any given moment. Bystanders is a story that solely focuses on the supporting characters of the novel, rather than the main character because it aims to show how standing by when negative situations are happening and not doing anything, can be just as bad or worse than being in the situation. I have also written a screenplay and in the future I hope to write and produce many more.

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Thanks, Khiana.

You can visit Khiana at her website, http://khianawashington.com/.

Looking Past The Mirror is available in both physical and electronic format at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.