Making a Difference by R. Phoenix
I found out the other day that a woman had read one of my books and cried. She cried so much that she worried everyone around her. She cried so much that she had to be sedated.
Then she left her husband.
I don’t know much about her. I’ve never met her, and she’s never met me. I probably never will, because she lives across the world from me. I doubt I’ll ever find out what happened to her. If she goes back to her husband, chances are I’ll never find out. (Does this make me a homewrecker?)
But I do know that she took the step, at least once, to leave a toxic, likely abusive marriage after reading Too Close. I’m an itty bitty minnow in a huge ocean. I’m far from a JK Rowling shark or an EL James whale. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve thought about quitting publishing, I’d be swimming in dollars.
Then something like this happens. It doesn’t happen often, mind you, but it’s happened often enough. I know people’s names and stories, men and women, from where they’ve opened up their hearts to me; I’ve been blown away by their courage and strength… and their trust.
I left my husband 42 weeks (and 2 days 11 or so hours, but who’s keeping track?) ago on Thursday. Leaving was hard, but staying gone was harder. I told myself over and over that I couldn’t be that example; I’d published a book where someone left an abusive relationship and I’d left my own. If I went back, what message did that send? I could try to normalize and justify that terrible marriage all I wanted, but at the end of the day, my actions mattered.
So I didn’t go back. The M/M community gave so much to me, and in turn, I’ve given back everything I could. I listen, I speak up, I do things I know I’ll probably regret one of these things. I help people where I can, and I still don’t feel like I’ve given back half of what people have willingly offered to me. Every conversation, every word of support, every request for advice, every shared moment of grief and rage and hope… These are the most precious gifts I could ever ask for.
I write to exorcise my own demons, for catharsis… and I publish for people who may recognize themselves in the characters or simply understand better. I may not write much contemporary (yet), but that’s because I put my heart and soul into it and it takes me a lot of time to process as I’m weaving a fictional story around these experiences. I bleed onto the page, and some things are… well… too close.
I write for me, and I share in the hopes that I can make the difference in someone’s life. I consider myself truly fortunate to have met amazing people during this journey and to have the chance to travel with some of you.
Safe travels, my loves. And don’t forget to love yourselves, because each and every one of you is worth it.
-Raissa
###
The contemporary romance book Too Close is available at Amazon, including through the Kindle Unlimited program. R. Phoenix also writes a dark paranormal series, The Fate of the Fallen. The first book, Bought, is available for free at all major retailers.
Too Close: http://amzn.to/2ixOj3Z
Fate of the Fallen Omnibus (1-3): http://amzn.to/2mo4Nhu
Bought: http://amzn.to/2mRlU9r
###
R. Phoenix (code name: Raissa) has an unhealthy fascination with contrasts: light and dark, humor and pain, heroes and villains, order and chaos. She believes love can corrupt, power can redeem and that the best of intentions can cast shadows while the worst can create light. She agrees with those who say that the truth is best told through fiction, even though fiction has to make sense while reality can be utterly baffling.
Her dark paranormal books explore a world where humanity has become prey, subjugated by “supes”vampires, werewolves, and witches ” who have seized control. They range from romance to dark erotica to horror and everything in between, exploring different aspects of the Fate of the Fallen universe. She’s even published something she calls “playful dark erotica.”
Her tendency to explore dark topics isn’t limited to a supernatural world. Her contemporary romance, Too Close, deals with the difficult topic of domestic violence. She is passionate about the need for greater awareness and understanding of an issue that’s often misunderstood.
She loves chatting with readers, though she often awkwardly rambles. No matter how much she tries to keep her bad and often perverted sense of humor in check, it seems to escape at the most inconvenient moments. (Thanks, universe.) Feel free to friend Raissa on Facebook and chat or send her an email!
Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/r.phoenix
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/raissaphoenix
Website: http://rphoenixbooks.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RaissaPhoenix
Email: raissa(dot)phoenix(at)gmail(dot)com
Then she left her husband.
I don’t know much about her. I’ve never met her, and she’s never met me. I probably never will, because she lives across the world from me. I doubt I’ll ever find out what happened to her. If she goes back to her husband, chances are I’ll never find out. (Does this make me a homewrecker?)
But I do know that she took the step, at least once, to leave a toxic, likely abusive marriage after reading Too Close. I’m an itty bitty minnow in a huge ocean. I’m far from a JK Rowling shark or an EL James whale. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve thought about quitting publishing, I’d be swimming in dollars.
Then something like this happens. It doesn’t happen often, mind you, but it’s happened often enough. I know people’s names and stories, men and women, from where they’ve opened up their hearts to me; I’ve been blown away by their courage and strength… and their trust.
I left my husband 42 weeks (and 2 days 11 or so hours, but who’s keeping track?) ago on Thursday. Leaving was hard, but staying gone was harder. I told myself over and over that I couldn’t be that example; I’d published a book where someone left an abusive relationship and I’d left my own. If I went back, what message did that send? I could try to normalize and justify that terrible marriage all I wanted, but at the end of the day, my actions mattered.
So I didn’t go back. The M/M community gave so much to me, and in turn, I’ve given back everything I could. I listen, I speak up, I do things I know I’ll probably regret one of these things. I help people where I can, and I still don’t feel like I’ve given back half of what people have willingly offered to me. Every conversation, every word of support, every request for advice, every shared moment of grief and rage and hope… These are the most precious gifts I could ever ask for.
I write to exorcise my own demons, for catharsis… and I publish for people who may recognize themselves in the characters or simply understand better. I may not write much contemporary (yet), but that’s because I put my heart and soul into it and it takes me a lot of time to process as I’m weaving a fictional story around these experiences. I bleed onto the page, and some things are… well… too close.
I write for me, and I share in the hopes that I can make the difference in someone’s life. I consider myself truly fortunate to have met amazing people during this journey and to have the chance to travel with some of you.
Safe travels, my loves. And don’t forget to love yourselves, because each and every one of you is worth it.
-Raissa
###
The contemporary romance book Too Close is available at Amazon, including through the Kindle Unlimited program. R. Phoenix also writes a dark paranormal series, The Fate of the Fallen. The first book, Bought, is available for free at all major retailers.
Too Close: http://amzn.to/2ixOj3Z
Fate of the Fallen Omnibus (1-3): http://amzn.to/2mo4Nhu
Bought: http://amzn.to/2mRlU9r
###
R. Phoenix (code name: Raissa) has an unhealthy fascination with contrasts: light and dark, humor and pain, heroes and villains, order and chaos. She believes love can corrupt, power can redeem and that the best of intentions can cast shadows while the worst can create light. She agrees with those who say that the truth is best told through fiction, even though fiction has to make sense while reality can be utterly baffling.
Her dark paranormal books explore a world where humanity has become prey, subjugated by “supes”vampires, werewolves, and witches ” who have seized control. They range from romance to dark erotica to horror and everything in between, exploring different aspects of the Fate of the Fallen universe. She’s even published something she calls “playful dark erotica.”
Her tendency to explore dark topics isn’t limited to a supernatural world. Her contemporary romance, Too Close, deals with the difficult topic of domestic violence. She is passionate about the need for greater awareness and understanding of an issue that’s often misunderstood.
She loves chatting with readers, though she often awkwardly rambles. No matter how much she tries to keep her bad and often perverted sense of humor in check, it seems to escape at the most inconvenient moments. (Thanks, universe.) Feel free to friend Raissa on Facebook and chat or send her an email!
Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/r.phoenix
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/raissaphoenix
Website: http://rphoenixbooks.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RaissaPhoenix
Email: raissa(dot)phoenix(at)gmail(dot)com
Beautiful! You make the world a better place, Raissa. <3
I absolutely thought I replied to this, but it’s been a loooong week. Thank you so much, Terri! <333