I remember reading a comment from a woman about self-defense and how she felt that if attacked, she could never fight back, as she could never hurt another mother's son.
Wow. That's a pretty noble statement.
Now, she didn't state her reasons for this. It could be her religious belief, or her moral code, or perhaps she'd recently given birth and couldn't imagine hurting another mother's child. I don't know. But it did make me think.
And my conclusion?
Yeah...no, I could never be that noble.
While I'd like to believe I have good moral principles, I know absolutely, without a doubt that if I were attacked or threatened, I'd fight back. There is no turning the other cheek for this girl. I'd punch, kick, claw, bite, poke out eyes...anything to get away. No, I'm not normally a violent person (ahem...I just write violent books) but if the situation comes down to my life versus the assailant's, you can be sure I'll fight for mine with everything I've got.
Unfortunately, Griffin has to do quite a few things he never thought himself capable of, especially when it comes to saving the heroine (and himself). But this sport isn't all about self-defense. At some point he will have to become an active participant. Much of this book takes place during Survival Races, therefore it is action-packed. However, I admit I was concerned readers might feel there was too much violence for a romance. So far, early reviews have been positive with 4 and 5 stars and no mention of the level of violence. *sighs in relief*
Unlike Griffin and Katana, chances are good that you and I will never have to fight to the death. However, I'd like to pose the question to you...If you were attacked, would you or would you not fight back?
If you would fight back, is there anything that you wouldn't do (like biting or poking out eyes)? If you wouldn't fight back, why not? I'm
curious to know your thoughts, and whether or not you have martial arts
or self defense experience. Looking forward to your comments.
Authors: What level of violence do you include in your science fiction romances? Have readers ever told you it was too much?
RENEGADE
When a rebel scientist and a female gladiator team-up in the Survival Race, they unwittingly fall for each other. But the alien masters demand a single champion, and the rivals-turned-lovers are forced to choose between winning their freedom and losing their hearts.
Renegade
is the third stand-alone book in the Survival Race series. Each book's couple
finds their happily ever after. No cliffhangers.
You can catch up on the first two books in the Survival Race series...
CAPTIVE
A rookie cop and an alpha gladiator band together to escape their alien captors in a chilling race for survival and soon discover freedom isn’t all they desire.
FEARLESS
When a soul jumper embraces a gladiator warlord’s darkest secrets, their destinies unite in a fight to save their loved ones. But victory demands they surrender more than their hearts.
Stay safe out there!
K.M. Fawcett
Romance for the Rebel Heart
Your story sounds intriguing.
ReplyDeleteYes, I would definitely fight to save my life. I'd go all the way. I can't imagine anyone not fighting back in self-defense. Do they have no survival instinct?
Thank you, Cara!
DeleteThat was my thought, too! Care to weight in on violence in SFR? What about those tough (and hunky) cyborgs?
Some people aren't built for violence. I have a friend like that. She was bullied horribly as a child. Abused at home. And she is still horrified by the thought of ever hurting anyone. She couldn't. She'd die first. She'd put herself between a violent person and a victim, but all she'd do is distract and defend, not attack.
ReplyDeleteThat's fine.
I was not born a nice person and have no qualms about hurting someone to defend myself or others. I'm okay with violence and so it's my job to defend people like my friend who would be horribly scarred and traumatized if they were forced into that situation.
The important thing is to know who you are and what you can do, and then find people who can cover what you can't.
Great points! Knowing yourself is very important and finding the right group to surround yourself is key! Thank you for stopping by the blog! :)
DeleteI'm a former Law Enforcement officer, I can defend myself even now. I had basic martial arts & hand-to-hand training and could manage them now if I was pushed to it.
ReplyDeleteWhile my current series isn't SFR, it has some violence, not graphic. The upcoming SFR has action & occasionally violence which will likely be a bit more graphic. I feel like the post-apoc series should have been more graphic, but that trilogy is finished. If it fits the plot, I got no problem with it. The only think I cannot/will not read is graphic violence against children. Nope.
Sounds like you have some great training under your belt! Fitting the plot of the story is key. This book is about gladiators fighting to the death, so of course there was more violence in this book. Unfortunately, it does contain violence against children, as my hero and heroine open up to each other about their abusive childhoods. This is the first book in which I included a content warning.
DeleteI enjoyed this post. I'm weeks away from releasing my first novel, and it has some violence in it. I'm feeling the writer's neurosis now, and the fight scenes are a big part of it. Happening upon this post was timely. In answer to your question, yep, I'd fight. I'd avoid if possible. If not, they'd get what they came looking for. If my child or grandchild were threatened, I believe I could be ruthless.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your first novel! That's a wonderful achievement and an exciting time! If you ever find yourself stuck on writing fight scenes, feel free to contact me. I'd be glad to share what I've learned.
DeleteI agree, avoidance is always the best if you can. If not, then I imagine many women would turn into "momma bears" if our kids or grandkids were threatened.
Thank you for stopping by the blog and commenting!
I'm a guy, so it's different for me, but here's my POV anyway.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up in a bad neighborhood, I found myself in violent situations quite a few times, and I'll tell you how I really reacted, rather than how I wish I'd reacted.
- I beat the sh** out of 'em!
Uh, no. That would be my glorified wish fulfillment. On a couple of occasions, fear froze me, at least at first. No, I take that back. It always froze me, at least while I evaluated the situation. My first reaction was not to automatically fight.
My second reaction was sometimes to bluff. At least in my experience, all violent situations started with an introductory period of macho preening. This is the "don't let them know you're afraid" phase. By high school, I was over six feet, so it sometimes worked. BTW, a snarl worked much better than humor, which I tried once.
If all else fails, fight like hell and try to hurt the other guys as much as you can. Don't hold back. Unless you're a pro, you won't know how to pull your punches to hurt them 'just enough.'
As for violence in SFR, I don't like it. I've written violent scenes in my SF, but only semi-violent in SFR.
Thanks for your comments, Ed! Always good to get the male POV. :) I agree with don't hold back. The goal of self defense is to make the other guy lose his will to fight. So hurt him until he stops.
DeleteMy sci-fi romances feature gladiators. Book 3 shows a lot of the Survival Race arena and the characters fighting to the death. Definitely violent scenes. But not too gory. :)