Behind the Words Interview with Heather Miller Price

As promised yesterday, I have the exclusive "behind the words" interview with the witty and talented Heather Miller Price!  If you missed out on reading "Shotgun Fog," I provided the link in yesterday's blog post.  Go read it and fall in love with her words.

I had fun with this interview and I think Heather had fun answering my questions.  To avoid confusion because our initials are similar, I am KH (KentuckyHeather . . . my screen name for practically everything) and Heather is HP.  You'll get it later.  So, without further adieu, let's get started!

KH:  At what age did you know that writing was your main career goal in life? 

HP:  That's tough. I still get weird about calling myself a writer, but I guess it was sometime in my mid-twenties that I decided full-on that that's what I wanted to do. When I was eighteen and a freshman in college I thought I wanted to be a poet, but opted to go into teaching and write on the side. Of course, teaching high school full time and working on an MA leaves little room for side projects. I took a fiction writing course one summer and then within a year applied to creative writing programs for fiction. I'm a terrible poet.

KH:  Be thankful you aren't as bad of a poet as I am!  Who or what inspired you to start writing?

HP:  I've always enjoyed writing, even just class assignments. But I guess I started writing independently in middle school, mostly journaling and awful teen-angst poetry. So I guess I have those boys who broke my heart in middle school to thank for getting me started. Or the wonderful teachers who encouraged me to keep writing. Let's go with the teachers.

KH:  That reminds me of my favorite meme:

KH:  And trust me, many a heartbreaking boy has made it into my creative writing, but that is a story for another day.  What authors inspire you to work harder to become a better writer?

HP:  So many, ranging from my MFA classmates to authors who have been dead for hundreds of years. But you want specifics, so I will just mention a few that have inspired the short story collection I am currently working on. First off, Harper Lee. Reading To Kill a Mockingbird in high school stuck with me and is still one of my favorite books. That Lee wrote it at a young age and it was her first (and only novel) blows me away every time I reread it. Its accurate and unflinching (yet loving) portrayal of the American South reflects my own conflicting views of Eastern Kentucky. This book was and is important, and I want my writing to matter to at least someone somewhere. Some of my more recent influences have been fantastic contemporary short story writers, like Bonnie Jo Campbell, Dan Chaon, and Alan Heathcock. Read their books and you'll see why. 

KH:  To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my very favorite books.  Because of your work, I have become more interested in short stories, so I will definitely add the authors you mentioned to my TBR list.  Apart from your current short story project, what writing projects are you interested in pursuing in the future?

HP:  I'm interested in delving into the world of fantasy writing, though I'm not sure if I want to do fantasy for adults or teens. Some of my favorite authors and books are fantasy/dystopian, and I feel that this is a very important genre, as it tells us things about ourselves and our current world without hitting us over the head with them. I like subtlety. Plus it's fun to escape and go on journeys with unlikely heroes and heroines. 

KH:  I completely agree with you.  I love reading fantasy and dystopian novels.  My NaNoWriMo project is a post-apocalyptic/dystopian story.  Unfortunately, my brain does not work the correct way to create a fantasy world, but I enjoy reading about the ones that others create and I would love to read yours one day.  Do you remember the first creative piece you ever wrote?  What was it?  When did you write it? 


HP:  Hmmm . . . I think it was in fourth grade for Mrs. Wellman's class. Maybe a mystery? I really can't remember the details.

KH:  Do you remember going to the writing competition in 7th grade in Ohio where we were not supposed to win anything, we were just there for practice, but I ended up winning 3rd place to the surprise of everyone?  Do you remember what you wrote about in any of the sessions?


HP:  Yes, I remember that trip! Unfortunately, I don't remember anything I wrote about there. I'm apparently bad at remembering these things. Haha.

KH:  For some reason, I remember that one of my proctors was a nun and in that particular session, I wrote about Joan Osborne and the song "One of Us."  I am still bitter that they would not let me have a trophy because I was from Kentucky.  That's state discrimination!  Does anyone know a good lawyer I could call?  haha

Anyway, back to you:  What was your first published piece and how did you go about getting it published?

HP:  Technically my first published piece was a poem about the American flag published in an anthology in fifth grade--probably the same one you mentioned in your write-up yesterday. As an adult, my first published piece was a short story, "Under the Pines." To get it published, I submitted it to a bunch of different literary journals that I thought would be a good fit. And then I got rejected by every single one. So I tweaked it some, then sent it back out to others. Then got another wave of rejections. I submitted this particular piece and was rejected ten times before Sawmill picked it up. 

KH:  Oh, that wonderful poetry anthology.  My poem was proof they probably did not read the submissions before publishing!  "Under the Pines" was a great story.  I admire you for not giving up after receiving rejection letters.  One of my fears in life is rejection.  What advice would you give to someone aspiring to write but maybe they do not know where to start, or maybe they are not the best at grammar or spelling?

HP:  Practice. Just write. It doesn't have to see the light of day, and might be complete garbage, but do it anyway. Then rewrite and edit, which is where the real work comes in. Get feedback from other people (community writing groups are good for this) and take it with a grain of salt--but really examine what they say, especially if more than one person comments on a specific area. If you're not good at grammar and spelling, work to get better. Invest in a book, like White and Strunk's Elements of Style.

KH:  I'm going to switch gears a little bit and ask two very important questions that may make or break this friendship.  First, what is your favorite punctuation mark and why?

HP:  Semicolon, though I don't use it very much in writing fiction because I like to keep my sentences clearer. I enjoy a well-placed semicolon, though, because of how it aids and builds toward complexity within a sentence; also, I love how it emphasizes the importance that two phrases be linked together on the same subject. It's little nuances like that that make writing at the sentence level important.

KH:  Yes!  We are 1 for 2 so far.  I also love the semicolon best; however, when writing documents for children to understand, I rarely get the chance to use it.  (See what I did there?)  Now on to the next big question:  To Oxford comma or not to Oxford comma?  That is the question.

HP:  Oxford comma always. "At the store, please get bread, peanut butter, eggs, cookies and cream." Written this way, it could mean to get both cookies and cream, or something that is cookies and cream--like ice cream or a candy bar. With the Oxford comma there would be no confusion.

KH:  And we are 2 for 2 as evidenced by my favorite thing on Pinterest I have found so far.  Nobody cares about the Oxford comma until it saves JFK from being a stripper with Stalin.  Protect JFK, use the comma!

So, Oxford commas aside, what is your biggest grammar pet peeve?

HP:  This is a tricky question, because grammar and the English language is always evolving. Sure, there are basic rules that should be followed for clear writing, and you need to learn these rules before you can break them--but most of them can be broken. So I guess my biggest grammar pet peeve would be breaking any rule without intentionality so that the language is muddied up. 

KH:  What is your favorite "#amwriting soundtrack"?

HP:  I have a couple of playlists, depending upon what I'm writing. For my short story collection, the playlist is a lot of folky sounding indie, alt country, and bluegrass--think Ryan Adams, Mumford and Sons, Wilco, Old Crow Medicine Show. I also like the Shins for writing. But if I'm really trying to get into something and it's just not happening, generally Wilco's Yankee, Hotel, Foxtrot album helps.

KH:  Respectable choices.  Because of my ADD, I cannot listen to music that I know the words to.  I usually either listen to Suicide Silence or another deathcore band on my Spotify account because it numbs my mind and drowns out everything around me.  Occasionally I will just listen to a white noise or brown noise playlist on Spotify.  

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time when you are not working or writing?

HP:  Well, logically, reading. I also enjoy spending time with my husband and friends, watching movies/Netflix, and cooking. I'm slightly obsessed with all things Doctor Who, as well. I like to travel and try out new restaurants.

KH:  You forgot to say "texting funny things and going to DMB concerts with my best friend, Kentucky Heather," but because we've already established that you are having memory loss, I will let that one slide.  (I kid, I kid).

So, I have saved the absolute most important question of all for last.  It's something that everyone needs to know.  Where would the Sorting Hat place you?  Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin?  

HP:  From all the sorting quizzes I've taken, I've received mixed answers. I've never been sorted into Slytherin, though, and most commonly it's either Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. I think I would want to be in Ravenclaw, and since the Sorting Hat takes the student's choice into consideration, Ravenclaw it would probably be.

KH:  And best friends we truly are.  I just told someone the other day that I would ask the Sorting Hat to place me in Ravenclaw; however, unlike you, I have been sorted into Slytherin before.  I'm probably slightly more bad news than you are.  Plus, I can speak Parseltongue. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer all of my questions.  I know you are busy with work and writing and being married!  I really look forward to reading whatever project you finish next and I hope you will allow me to blog about it so my wonderful blog friends can find out how wonderfully talented you are!  As an end to this long post, I leave everyone with our fun text from this morning:

 

Shotgun Fog - Heather Miller Price

Today's post is a little different.  This time, instead of film or novels, the spotlight is on short stories and the star is none other than my best friend in the whole entire world, Heather Miller Price.  Now, I know you may think, "Well, if it's her best friend, this will be the most biased post she's ever written."  No.  Trust me.  We've known each other for 26 years.  If anything, I am harsher on Heather than I am on anyone else because I want the new authors to like me whereas I no longer have to try to impress Heather.  She's stuck with me for life.

Heather and I grew up reading and writing together.  I think that is what instantly drew us to each other as friends.  Book lovers and writers tend to always find each other, even at the ripe old age of five-years-old.  It was either that or the fact that we both have the most awesome first name ever.  From class assignments in elementary school to leisure reading and writing in middle and high school, we were both always writing or sharing books with each other.  In middle school, we joined the writing club together.  The club only lasted a year, but we had fun.  We went to college together and continued writing and moved on to editing each other's papers and stories.  After undergrad, as grad students and professionals, we continued to share books and to help each other with our writings.  She is the only person I have ever trusted to read my fiction work.

H-squared, through the years :-)

Being this close with Heather, I have been able to see how much she has grown as a writer over the years.  From starting out in elementary and middle school with small stories and poems to developing characters and plots more deeply, she has come a long way with her work.  She has always been good and I have always desired to be as good as she is at writing. I knew when she decided to stop her career as a high school English teacher to pursue a graduate degree in creative writing that she was about to embark into something that would make her artistic dreams come true.  The work I critiqued for her through her program blew my mind.  I could not believe the degree of improvement that she has made in her writing skill.  I am not a good short story writer.  I am a rambler.  I am wordy.  She can say something in one page that would take me ten pages to say.

This one was actually taken at a writing conference!  UtopYA 2014

Through her improved skills and her perseverance, she has had two short stories published and has been interviewed for a "story behind the story" in literary journals.  I am so proud of her.  My best friend is a published author!  She definitely kicks my butt at my writing accomplishments.  I have a poem out there somewhere in an anthology from when I was in like fourth grade, and I was co-author of a law review article on the constitutionality of the individual mandate portion of the Affordable Care Act.  You know who wants to read those two things?  Nobody other than my mom, and I am pretty sure she did not read the law review article.  You know who wants to read Heather's short stories?  Tons of people because they are great stories and are very well written.

Today I am featuring "Shotgun Fog" which is a fictional short story published in the online short fiction journal, Fiction Southeast.  "Shotgun Fog" is an Appalachian tale based on a story that Heather had heard growing up in her family.  It is a chilling story that resembles many things, both good and bad, found throughout Eastern Kentucky and the Appalachian region:  alcohol, hunting, violence, mental illness, family.  I love that the story is told in second person point of view.  It is rare that you come across a story written in second person because I think it is perhaps the most difficult point of view to write from.  I have never attempted it because I know I could not succeed, but Heather pulled it off flawlessly.  The description, the confusion, the ambiguity, the emotion - I had no idea it was possible to have all of those things crammed into such a short piece, but it worked.

I read "Shotgun Fog" before I read The Story Behind The Story segment on "Shotgun Fog." I already knew that Heather was working on a short story collection of tales set in a fictional Eastern Kentucky town.  I assumed that the stories would be based on things that meant something to Heather or things she experienced.  Despite that assumption, I was even further engrossed in this story when I read her inspiration for creating "Shotgun Fog."  I spent a lot of time growing up with Heather's family, especially her grandparents.  I never knew this story that served as the inspiration for "Shotgun Fog."  I never knew about Gladys or her husband.  It amazes me that after twenty-six years of being closer than sisters, we still have things of substance to talk about and things we do not know about each other.

That is why I am excited to read the remainder of Heather's short stories in the collection she is working on.  Everything I have helped her with so far has been fantastic and I could not be more proud of her.  This girl is my inspiration.  She has shown me so many times that if I put my mind to something and have faith, I can achieve anything.  That is exactly what she does.  When she has her mind set on a goal, she achieves it, no matter how many obstacles are in her way.

You should definitely take the time to read "Shotgun Fog" and the inspiration behind the story.  The links are below:

Shotgun Fog
The Story Behind the Story: "Shotgun Fog"

Stay tuned for "Shotgun Fog" part 2 where I will interview Heather Miller Price, herself, and reveal some of her awesome writing secrets . . . or at create some witty banter that will be fun for you to read!  Now, go read "Shotgun Fog" and like Heather's author page on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/hmillerprice

"Opal" a horror short by Appalachia Collective

"Opal" is the last horror short for this year for Appalachia Collective's Hallouija horror short spree.  I have been looking forward to watching this one since I finished my review of last week's short.  This film did not disappoint.

"Opal" follows a reporter as he goes to a hollow (or holler...however you want to spell it) outside of town to interview two brothers, Opal and Elwood, so he can create the obituary for their deceased sister, Ethel.  After joining them for lunch, the reporter gets freaked out by the brothers and the conversation and leaves.  Before he makes it back to town, he decides to go back because he has a feeling something is not right in the creepy old home and if he can uncover it, it might be a great headline for his career.  So he goes back to investigate and finds more than he bargains for.

This film was all around creepy.  The intro music coupled with the news and articles regarding Satan and cults and murders was absolutely chilling.  It set the tone for the movie.  I liked how Opal was silent and kept the same expression on his face throughout the entire film except for the part where Elwood explained that the burgers they ate were a secret family recipe.  Opal got a creepy grin on his face.  I loved it.

Because the film is titled "Opal," I expected Opal to be the scariest person in the film.  I was more freaked out by Elwood.  He had the dry laugh, the talk about religion, and then the change over to the crazy eyes going on.  If I had been the reporter, I would not have gone back to the house to go snooping around.  Especially not if I had heard rumors of the brothers killing people.  Speaking of the reporter and the bad judgment calls he made, I was such a nervous wreck when he was back at the property snooping.  I kept yelling at my laptop screen, "Turn off your flashlight, moron!  You're going to get caught!"  I'm pretty sure my neighbors think I'm certifiably insane by this point.  I couldn't help it though.  I just KNEW he was going to get caught by Opal or Elwood.

The death in this film was by far the most disturbing of all of the short films.  It was gruesome and painful to watch.  I imagine the victim suffered a great deal before he finally perished.  It was great!

The only thing I had issue with was the part where the reporter was outside and discovered one of the brothers was up to something out there.  He kept his flashlight on as he walked toward what he saw.  That would have caught the attention of whoever was out there.  Also, it looked as if what he was walking toward at first was another flashlight or just a light in general, but it was actually a fire.  I'm not sure how it went from looking like a light bulb to being a fire, but it isn't that big of a deal.  The actors all did a great job.  Elwood had a great voice and accent.  He played the creepy/sinister role very well.  Opal did a great job of being silent, yet speaking volumes.  The reporter played a great nosy reporter that was so focused on advancing his career that he made careless mistakes.  I'll even say that Ethel did a good job of laying there and being dead.  Speaking of Ethel, I wish I knew more about her and what life was like when she was alive.  When Elwood spoke to the reporter, he said that she ensured that Opal had everything he needed including direction in his life.  I would love to know more about that family and their history.

You can watch "Opal" here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeVunz_SQJw

Anyway, I really enjoyed watching and reviewing these films from Appalachia Collective.  I hope you guys have enjoyed reading about it.  I look forward to whatever this awesome crew comes up with next.

NaNoWriMo . . . Say What?

So, I'm taking a break from NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) to blog about my experience so far with NaNoWriMo.  Apparently, my fingers are not sore from typing so many words yet.  This is my first year participating in NaNo and I had no idea what I was getting into when my friend talked me into trying it out.  Basically, you write a novel during the month of November.  50,000 words in 30 days.  Back at the beginning of October, it did not seem so daunting, but now that I am actually trying to do it, I realize what a disaster I am, creatively speaking.

You see, I am a procrastinator.  So while everyone else was planning out what they were going to write, I decided to figure it out later.  I had plenty of time.  I forgot I had to take an exam yesterday.  Studying for that might have been important.  I procrastinated with that as well.  So, yesterday came and I had no idea for my novel.  So I just started writing randomly to see what happened.  I'm still not entirely sure where the story is going, but at least it is moving.  I learned that I am what they call "a pantser," meaning that I fly by the seat of my pants.  That's pretty accurate.

So why did I decide to do this if I am already freaking out on Day 2?  Easy.  Accountability.  I have started so many writing projects and have never finished a single one (apart from ones I have done for school in the past).  I am afraid to commit myself to these projects.  I am afraid of commitment.  There.  I said it.  Once they are completed, I will have permanently tied myself to them and that kind of terrifies me.  I need to get over that if I am ever going to do anything with my writing.  So I figured that if everyone in the NaNoWriMo community can see my word count, I will be more likely to finish this.  The one thing I'm more afraid of than commitment?  Failure.  Especially failure in front of other people.  I am also competitive and there are promo codes for some cool discounts and stuff if you make it to the end and win.  I hope that all of these things will motivate me to complete this little project that has no title and has characters with no names and is sort of just out there and nonsensical, kind of like this blog post.  I do already have a mini-crush on one of my characters, though.  So that's a plus, right?  We love fictional crushes!

If any of you are participating in NaNo this year, feel free to add me to your writing buddy list.  My user name on there is kentuckyheather.   Also during this break I am going to watch the last horror short from Appalachia Collective, so I will post that blog entry in a little bit.

"Stranded" a horror short by Appalachia Collective

On Friday, Appalachia Collective released the fourth horror short in their month long Hallouija horror short spectacular, "Stranded."  I debated on whether or not to write a review for it because I know one of the stars and I was afraid that I would not be able to write an unbiased review;  however, after watching it, I did not have any trouble coming up with an honest opinion of the film.  So here it is:

"Stranded" is about a girl driving down a secluded road when she encounters car trouble.  Stranded with night approaching and what appears to be poor weather on the way, she flags down a stranger for help.  The stranger just happens to be a creepy male mechanic.  While working on her car, the creepy mechanic starts talking about the recent string of girls who have gone missing and how easy it would be to kill her.  Not too comforting when she has no choice but to be stuck in the middle of nowhere with this weird tobacco spitting guy.  Without revealing the ending, all I will say is  that one of them does not make it off the secluded road alive.

I loved how the film began with the radio hosts discussing the string of missing girls and tied in the females from "SportsGuy98" and "Intruder."  It makes me wonder . . . are all these films connected or is it a coincidence?  Clever.   It was also better than just watching a girl drive until her car breaks down.  I also felt like it was foreshadowing what was going to happen to this girl driving her car in an isolated area.

I thought the actors did a pretty good job.  In the beginning, the dialogue felt a little forced and awkward for the first few lines, but then it got much better.  The creepy mechanic did a good job of being and looking creepy.  He rarely made eye contact with the girl except for when he was saying something creeptastic.  I liked how when the girl started her car back up, I couldn't see the mechanic move over to her driver's side area so I jumped just like she did when he startled her.  She did a great job of acting startled.

The ending was the absolute best part of this film.  It did not happen the way I thought it would.  The dying scene was phenomenal.  It was very believable.  I really liked the double/blurred vision after the victim got hit in the head.  The bloody, gory process of the victim's death was absolutely great.  I thought both actors did a wonderful job acting out that part.  And like I said, I did not see that coming.  I like it when things are not predictable, so kudos for that.  The only thing I wish I knew is what happened to the victim's body.  Was it left there or was it taken somewhere else to be hidden - another missing person to add to the count?

All in all, wonderful job and I can't wait to see the next one!

You guys can check out "Stranded" here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuP3tlau2KA

Steel Lily - Megan Curd

So guess what I did this week?  I finally finished a book!  It's been so long since I have actually finished reading a book, I almost forgot what it feels like.  I began reading "Steel Lily" by Megan Curd immediately after returning from UtopYA in June.  That was a really long time ago.  I was so pumped about this book.  After meeting the author and purchasing the book for her to sign, I was ecstatic to read my first steampunk book; however, at the time, it wasn't really what I was in the mood to read, so I moved on to other things and came back to it this week.  I'm really glad that I did.

The first thing I want to brag about on this book is the cover.  I know you can only see the picture of it, but I wish you could feel it.  It's my favorite type of cover.  It's got that smooth, soft texture that I love holding in my hands.  Does that make me a weirdo?  Probably.  But I love books and I really don't care.  I also think the cover is really pretty.  I like the way the colors blend together and the silver letters of the title stick out against the gold and bronze background.  I definitely judge books by their covers.

"Steel Lily" takes place in a future where the world has been destroyed by war.  Everyone lives in domes.  The main character, Avery, is an Elementalist of water, which means she can create the steam that keeps her dome running.  She is the most powerful water Elementalist and if she is unable to do her job, it is likely that her dome will run out of energy and everyone will die.   She hates this life.  She's alone without her parents.  She has no idea if they are alive or dead.  She has very few friends.  The government uses her.  

One day, a strange man comes to offer her a way out without using up all of her steam power.  She's intrigued enough by the thought of leaving her corrupt government but isn't sure if she should do it.  By happenstance, she ends up in the new dome anyway and finds out that her new life isn't as good as she thought it might be either.  She makes new friends who help her uncover the truth about the war and the domes and what is really going on in her new home.  Oh, and she also meets hunky Jaxon who just happens to be the cocky son of the man believed to be the mastermind behind the new dome.  Avery tries to keep her distance from Jaxon because of who he is, but once she gives him a chance, she finds out who he really is inside versus who she perceived him to be.

Once I got back into this book, I couldn't put it down.  I had to force myself to go to sleep each night rather than stay up and read.  The beginning was a little slow for me, but once I got into it, it went quickly.  I haven't read anything similar to having characters manipulating the elements into a form of survival, so I thought that was pretty neat.  The world building of the domes was great.  All in all, I really enjoyed this book.  

I bought a Kindle copy of the book so I wouldn't accidentally damage the signed copy I have.  I have a bookshelf full of signed copies of books that I refuse to let anyone touch.  But anyway, I recommend either getting a copy of the book or even finding the author at an event she attends and chatting her up.  She's really very awesome.  

Links:

Amazon:  Steel Lily

Barnes & Noble:  Steel Lily

P.S. Megan, if you ever read this review, I promise I did not use your book as toilet reading.  

"Private Violence" Premieres Tonight!!!! Set your DVRs!

If you follow my Twitter or personal Facebook page, I've harassed you all month about the Ah-mazing documentary, "Private Violence."  October is Domestic Violence Awareness month, so it makes sense that today, October 20, 2014, at 9:00pm, "Private Violence" premieres on HBO.  I know not everyone has HBO.  Go to a friend's house.  Borrow someone's HBOgo account.  DO SOMETHING to watch this documentary.  Spoiler Alert:  There are NO fictional boyfriends/crushes in this one.  Sorry guys.  Blog title misleading here.

I had the privilege of watching an early screening of this on October 3rd and it was SO powerful.  As many of you know, I previously worked as a domestic violence advocate.  Watching this documentary made me regret my decision to leave that job.  Because I left that job, there is one less passionate advocate out there for victims of domestic violence.  Well, that's not necessarily true because my "replacement" is pretty kick-ass herself, but the documentary moved me so much that it made me feel guilty for my career change.  And it's not like I'm doing something unadmirable.  Instead of being a voice for domestic violence victims, I am a voice for children.  I am still speaking up for someone who cannot speak up for themselves.

That is what I am begging you to do today by asking you to watch this documentary.  Watch it and feel some empowerment deep down inside of yourself to speak out for someone who may be a victim.  I urge you to pay attention to the messages given in the documentary and to read all information out there on domestic violence.  What you think may be the correct way to help someone out of a situation may actually be the fastest way to get that person killed.

Stop centering your questions around the victim.  Never ask, "Why doesn't she just leave."  Leaving isn't that simple.  And when you ask questions like that, you are placing the blame on the victim.  "Why doesn't he stop being abusive?" is more appropriate.  The blame lies with the abuser.  "Why doesn't the court do something?" "Why won't the prosecutor take the case to court?" The blame also lies with the justice system.  Watch this documentary and get so fired up that you can't help but become another voice to help someone.  Become an injustice fighter.  Show the world that not all men are abusers and not all women are helpless victims.  Show the world that victims can become advocates for themselves and others.

This film follows the stories of an advocate and a couple of victims who have to live this horror everyday.  It shows what the system does to help them.  It shows how the advocates have to fight a million battles just for one case.  It shows why so many victims just give up.

I know I said I would make a separate blog for my DV and bullying rantings but because this premiers tonight, I could not help myself.  Even though I have already seen this, I am going to watch it again.  And probably again after that.  It is that empowering and infuriating.  There was one portion of the film where the advocate had a note written on one of her college assignments where the professor stated that he did not believe that "professionals" or the "upper class" were ever involved in domestic violence.  I guess it's reserved for the "lower class" according to him.  Weeks later, this part of the film still boils in my blood.  I can tell you first hand that domestic violence can be present whether you are the poorest person in the county or whether you are a doctor or a lawyer.  Anyone can be a victim and anyone can be an abuser.  The issue is, what are we going to do about it?

And for a fun little comedic relief after I just laid all this heavy stuff on you, while at the early viewing, the local YWCA was present holding a little contest to win a Macy's card.  To enter, all you had to do was have your picture taken dressed a little goofy and holding a sign that depicted what real love looks like.  Here's my picture (told you it was goofy):