The Cat That Inspired My WIP

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abuse, bad luck, black cats, books, bullying, cats, good luck, kittens, kitties, magic, novels, shapeshifting, work in progress, writers, writing

As mentioned in my previous post, I am working on a book about a teen girl who is horrendously bullied at school because of her lack of confidence and timidity. Things start to change when black cats start to turn up in her life almost everywhere she looks.

Where did I get the idea of black cats hanging out on someone’s porch or crossing their path on the way home from school?

I initially came up with the idea nearly 20 years ago, when I was 15 and living in a small town outside of Albany, New York. I was living in that place for a couple of years, and towards the end of my time there, there was this black cat that used to hang around in our backyard.

I remember when I first saw it. I was sitting in the den, watching TV one evening, when something caught my eye. I turned to look at the sliding glass doors that led to the backyard, and saw this beautiful, plump black cat sitting at the door, peering into the house.

At first I was surprised, because who expects to find a cat being all nosy by looking into someone’s house? But I softened up when I saw how the cat looked curious about what was going on in our house. Seriously, it looked genuinely interested in the happenings inside! It also had these big greenish-yellow eyes that looked so gentle. It seemed like a very friendly cat.

Image via Flickr. Click for original photo.

I didn’t open the door to pet the cat because I didn’t want to scare it away, nor have it think it was allowed inside our house. Besides, the cat seemed quite at peace watching me watching TV.

Over the next few weeks, the cat came back a couple more times. It was a house cat with a collar. So clearly, its owner was allowing it to wander the area, and be true to a cat’s hunting ways.

About a month later, my parents and I moved back to Staten Island, and I obviously never saw that cat again. But I never forgot it. I actually was inspired to write a piece about a girl who lived in the foster care system who was rescued by the magical cats – who actually shapeshifted into gorgeous boys, lol!

I thought about writing such a story as a full length novel, but I figured one about a teen girl abused and passed from one foster home to another was a little too depressing. In addition, my first book is about relationship violence and I don’t want it to seem like abuse is the theme for all my books (although bullying is a form of abuse, but that’s a different topic).

So I chose instead to write about bullying because it is definitely an issue that needs to be addressed. And black cats are the perfect star for this book, tentatively called, “The Cats”. After all, black cats had been tormented for centuries for being associated with witchcraft and bad luck. Even today, black cats are less likely to be adopted compared to other cats, and supposedly, they are still tormented for satanic rituals these days.

But black cats are also associated with good luck. In the U.K., if a black cat crosses your path, it gives you good luck. Sailors used such cats for a good voyage. Even the Japanese see these beautiful cats as carriers of good luck.

It seems like black cats are a good symbol of things not being so bad as they seem. Which gives good prelude to what “The Cats” will be about!

 

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Exploring Abusive Relationships in “The Dark Proposal”

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abuse, abusive boyfriends, abusive relationships, books, Relationships, unhealthy relationships, vampires, writers

In my upcoming eBook, The Dark Proposal, Claire McCormick thinks she has the perfect boyfriend. Daniel Bertrand is a college professor, cultured, talented, and good-looking. He has an apartment in Tribeca, a Manhattan neighborhood where millionaires live. He’s fluent in French and has traveled far and wide.

He also likes Claire, calls her his rock, and is caring and attentive towards her.

At first.

About two months into their whirlwind relationship, Daniel reveals he is a bloodthirsty vampire. He also reveals a side of himself Claire only had glimpses of: bad tempered, condescending, and above all, violent. He begins to speak curtly, becomes controlling and manipulative, and even strikes out at Claire a few times to display not only his vampire strengths, but to assert himself his dominance over her.

I know that probably wasn’t easy to read for some people. It wasn’t easy for me to write about Claire being frightened and abused by Daniel, especially since it left me wondering what would I have done if I were in her situation?

No, not being hurt by a vampire, but any guy. I’ve had my share of moments where the guy showed signs of being abusive very early on. One told me on our second date how to do my hair and what clothes to wear. Another was quick to point out that he didn’t want me to pursue certain career goals – 20 minutes into our first date. I also went on a second date with a guy who insulted me, criticized and talked down to me, even though he was a sweet, nice guy the first time around. Last but not least, I was mistreated by a guy I briefly went out with who was manipulative, condescending, and even beeped the horn rather than going to my door to pick me up.

Yep, I’ve had my fair share of assholes. But even though I was quick to dump them because of their abusive signals, I hesitated. I made excuses for their nastiness, I ignored the warning signs, I focused on their niceness and wouldn’t admit that it was actually manipulative behavior. But I wised up and told the guy(s) that it wasn’t working out. Some of them could care less, some tried to blame me, others were verbally abusive (that guy who told me not to pursue my goals? He told me there must be a reason why I was still single).

It hurt and stung when those douchebags reacted like that, but I was relieved. I was glad and proud of myself for getting away before anything got bad, as in really bad. It was highly likely those guys would’ve emotionally, mentally, verbally, physically and sexually abused me. I wasn’t a person to them; I was just something to play with and break. I really believe guys who abuse and control women are misogynists to the core, especially if they show those signs very early on. There must be a function in their brain that doesn’t allow them to see women as breathing people. Maybe they are insecure in their masculinity or come from homes where Dad beat up Mom.

Whatever the case may be, I got away in time. But what I didn’t? That question lingers with me long after the guy is gone.

While I was writing The Dark Proposal, I poured my fears over being in an abusive relationship into my book. I had Claire McCormick go through my biggest fear – albeit with the paranormal side to it – and tried to make her as strong as possible. It had to be believable, of course, but I wanted the reader to cheer Claire on and be at her side throughout the book. Claire may not be perfect, but she does her best.

I didn’t initially come up with the idea for The Dark Proposal just to express my fears over being abused. The story first came to life when I was living a boring life a couple of years ago and hoped things would dramatically work out better. The TV show, True Blood, was on, and I would daydream about a sexy vampire coming to spice up my life. But then I came to my senses: vampires are evil! They kill people and have little use for humans! From there, I created the villainous vampire, and along the way, my inner fears came out onto the pages. But keep in mind: my book is more of a vampire than a love gone bad story.

I don’t mean my book to be symbolize abusive relationships or be a how-to survive guide. I think some readers would be disappointed with Claire’s decisions throughout the book. I just hope that the readers would see they are not alone when it comes to some guys mistreating women.