I know it’s a freebie, but that’s a lot of people who now have my book in hand. (Okay, I’ll admit it. 80,000 paid downloads would be even better! )

Enemies and Playmates is my first book and I’m honored that so many people are taking the time to download and read it. I wrote this one during a tumultuous time in my life. The writing process was my salvation and knowing my words are touching others, some also in difficult situations, is humbling. Readers have written to tell me what the book meant to them, how they connected with certain characters. I’ve gotten to know abuse survivors, whose strength is an inspiration. Writing is a solitary act. But once we send our words out to the world, and those words touch someone deep inside, we’ve connected. Even if author and reader never meet, never speak, never exchange a word, something has passed between us. When someone takes the time to write and let me know what a book of mine has meant to him/her, that’s a feeling I don’t have words for.

While I love when a reader takes the time to send me an email, I don’t typically seek out and read my reviews on Amazon. The good ones lift my mood for a few hours. The bad ones can devastate me for days. And, while I admit to being a little crazy at times, I am not so delusional that I think everyone will love my writing. As the reviews built up with all the downloads, I gave in to temptation and read a few of them. Many people loved the book. Others hated it. I wanted to know what sparked the hatred. After reading some of them, I have to say I’m still not sure.

One review stated that Jesse, the “hero” of the story, wasn’t believable because he drank Coke. Umm… What? This particular reader said all he drank was soft drinks and that no hunky hero was believable if he drank Coke. I’m paraphrasing, but that’s the gist of it. This review made me laugh. First, I find it absurd to think that all “heroes” have to drink alcohol in order to be believable. Is that the society we live in? All cool people must get trashed? Second, and this is the part that made me laugh, in the opening scene, Jesse is at a nightclub and he is drinking rum and Coke. Did this reader miss the opening scene? Further in the book, he drinks a beer with a friend. In another scene he is drinking wine with dinner. Jesse is not a drunk but he does drink alcohol in the appropriate scenes. Yes, he does, on occasion, drink soft drinks without the alcohol. Like while he’s working. Maybe those were the only scenes this reader read?

Another reader gave me a bad review because he/she didn’t like the abuse in the book. I… I’m not sure what to say to that one. It’s difficult to write about abuse without, well, writing about the abuse. That the book is about domestic violence is clear in the description. So, I ask, why read and review a book that is clearly about a topic you do not wish to read about?

Of course there are others who simply don’t like the way I write or the characters who live in my head. Thankfully, there are many more who do.

Here’s the free download for your Kindle:

When the abused decide to fight back, the abuser’s world might just shatter.

Amidst devastating loss, betrayal, and her father’s destructive pursuit of Jesse, Lauren finds the trust and love she had always longed for.

Thanks for reading.

Whether you worship God, Allah, Mother Earth or nothing at all, the holiday season has the same basic meaning – love and be kind to one another, and give what you can to those who are less fortunate. We shouldn’t need a holiday to remind us. We should behave this way all year.

Enough said. I shall not step up on my soapbox today. It’s the holidays!

I am excited to be helping Santa out this year. I don’t have a lot to give. (In fact, my bank would probably argue that I have nothing. ) But even the little stuff counts, right? In my role as Santa’s Helper, I need your help. What I have to give is books. And I’m looking for someone who loves to read and is in need of a boost this holiday season. Here’s the deal…

Are you having a difficult year and can’t afford to give gifts to all the people you love? Do you know someone who doesn’t have much, who probably won’t get much, and you’d like to make that person smile? Do any of these people love to read? If so, tell me about them! Choose one person and tell me why you think he/she deserves a gift. You don’t have to give me a lot of personal details. Maybe you lost your job and can’t afford to buy your best friend something. Or you’re buried beneath a heap of medical bills (I can relate to that!) and you need a gift for your child’s teacher. It could be someone you know who lost a job, a house, is going through a divorce, and that person is special to you. Tell me why!

I’ll pick two ‘winners’ from the comments. If your nomination is picked, I’ll send you an email requesting the person’s name and mailing address, as well as your choice of one of my eight titles for that person. I’ll wrap the book, include a card letting the person know the gift is from you, and ship it – all free!

Sound good? I hope so! Here are the guidelines in simplified form:

1. Submit your nomination of one person who deserves a surprise gift this holiday season. You do not need to give this person’s name.
2. You cannot nominate yourself. (But you can get someone else to!)
3. Include your name and a valid email address.
4. Nominations are open between 8:00 a.m. EST on Saturday, December 3 and midnight EST on Wednesday December 7.
5. Due to shipping time, I have to restrict this to people living within the U.S.
6. The person you nominate needs to be at least 16 years of age.

That’s it. Please help me be a Santa’s Helper this year by nominating someone you care about.

My novel Enemies and Playmates centers on the theme of domestic abuse. I’ve been criticized for making the abuse scenes in this book too graphic, despite having toned it down considerably in rewrites prior to publishing. I’ve also been told that it’s not realistic, that a woman and mother would never put up with what went on in the Covington family. But what I’ve written as fiction doesn’t come close to the reality of some women’s lives. Abuse, both psychological and physical, is often a slow process, creeping up on the woman and making her feel worthless.

Of course, domestic abuse isn’t only about women. Children suffer from one or more abusive parents and family members. Occasionally men suffer at the hands of their spouse or girlfriend. And the psychological impact is absolutely not limited to the person being abused. Everyone in the family suffers. Here are a few facts to consider:

1 in 4 women in the U.S. will be a victim of domestic abuse at some point in her life.

Women accounted for 85% of the victims of intimate partner violence, men for approximately 15%.

Between 600,000 and 6 million women are victims of domestic violence each year, and between 100,000 and 6 million men, depending on the type of survey used to obtain the data. (Due to social stigma, men are much less likely to come forward and report abuse.)

On average, more than three women and one man are murdered by their intimate partners in this country every day.

Studies suggest that between 3.3 – 10 million children witness some form of domestic violence annually.

In honor of this month, I’ve made the ebook download of Enemies and Playmates free for all who want to read it.

Here is the book on Amazon, in both print and Kindle format:

You can also find it in print and for Nook on Barnes and Noble and in ebook format on Smashwords, Sony’s Reader Store, Kobo and Apple’s iBookstore.

If you know a woman, child or man whom you suspect is suffering from domestic abuse, please don’t sit back in silence. Reach out to that person. You could save a life.

I hope you’ll check back each Monday and Thursday throughout the month to meet my guests and read their stories. They are incredible people and I am honored to know them all.

Do you need help or know someone who does?
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence provides anonymous and confidential help 24/7:
1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
1-800-787-3224 (TTY)

Thanks for reading.

My music addiction rivals my book addiction. If I’m not writing or reading, I’m listening to music. Some music lovers barely acknowledge lyrics. For me, the lyrics make the song.

When I write, I step inside my characters’ personalities. I need to feel what they’d feel, so that I can present them to my readers as a three-dimensional person, not just a character on a page. While writing my novel Enemies and Playmates, I had a relatively minor character whose impact on the story turned out to be much larger than his small part. His name is Stephen and he is the younger brother of Lauren, the main character.

Stephen’s character ran a loop in my mind with the lyrics from two songs. The lyrics drove his character, as much as his character sparked the endless loop of the lyrics in my mind. The first was a line from The Struggle Within, a Metallica song from their Black album – Home is not a home it becomes a hell… Turning it into your prison cell. The other was a song called Fade from the Break the Cycle album by Staind. That entire song, in my mind, became Stephen’s song. I could hear him singing it, see him living it. One line from that song – But I never meant to fade away – became Stephen’s plaintive cry.

I don’t know whether the songs sparked the character or Stephen’s character made me pay closer attention to the lyrics in those songs. I’m also not sure that it matters. Lyrics are pieces of a story. When I listen to a well written song, I can see that story play out in front of me. Sometimes it becomes more than a 3 to 5 minute vignette.

I am sure that what I visualize is most often not the same vision that inspired the song’s writer. However, that’s often the beauty of words. They can be many different things to many different people. It’s all in how we listen. Or how we read.

I am currently giving away downloads of my romantic suspense novel Enemies and Playmates! You can download the e-book free on Smashwords and on Scribd. This is temporary giveaway. I haven’t decided how long I’ll let it run, so download Enemies and Playmates soon!

I’ve also uploaded my other five novels onto Scribd and they are now available as e-book purchases on that site!

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/DarciaHelle

http://www.scribd.com/darciah

Good luck!

Enter my June Book Giveaway contest to win a signed copy of my novel Enemies and Playmates, as well as a new tote bag! The contest runs throughout June and is open to everyone 16 and older in the U.S. and Canada. All you need to do is fill out the contest form. (Once per person, please. )

Click the cover to read an excerpt!

Contest Page: www.QuietFuryBooks.com/contests.html

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/3957

Enjoy!

Enemies and Playmates
Hit List
No Justice
Beyond Salvation
Miami Snow

All you have to do is fill out the May Contest form on my contest page. Anyone 16 and older in the U.S. and Canada is welcome to enter. (I apologize to all those in other countries but the shipping is too high.)

www.QuietFuryBooks.com/contests.html

Good luck!

When the abused decide to fight back, the abuser’s world might just shatter.

Lauren Covington’s family maintains a grand facade that hides the private abuse they suffer at the hands of her father. Jesse Ryder, a private detective, steps into that world and, in the process, falls in love with Lauren. Together, Lauren and Jesse dodge death and expose the truth behind the facade.

Now through Saturday, April 10, you can download my romantic suspense novel Enemies and Playmates free on Smashwords! You can pick any format that’s convenient for you, for any e-Reader or computer. Don’t forget to use the coupon code!

Smashwords Link: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/3957
Coupon Code: FM54Z