Violence and Its Lessons

     I think any time we hear about a violent act, we have the choice to be buried under the weight of sadness and despair, or we can learn from it.  When I went on my rant the other day about violence in America, I had to take a hard look at myself and ask if my works contributed to the promotion of violence. 

     In The Gemini Bond, the opening scene is one of domestic violence, but it is not done to promote the violence, but to show its effects on the members of the family.  It also provides the motivation for the actions by one of the main characters in the story.  This young man later goes on to commit violence himself, but I tried to show why he felt compelled to do it.  In no way is violence glorified, and I tried at every turn to show why certain characters acted the way they did.  I also showed the emotional trauma experienced by the violence.  I believe that every act has an effect, and I didn't gloss over those effects.

     In understanding why people commit violence, perhaps we can build an awareness of how to prevent it.  That was one of my goals in writing The Gemini Bond.