Wednesday, August 8, 2018

Something New: Model Behavior

In the Mount Sterling series, as well as all of my books (present and future) I plan to exemplify healthy romantic relationships.  In today's media, anything but that is represented positively.  People who work things out, are loyal, and save themselves for sole marriage to one other person only -- they simply don't make it into the equation of excitement and drama.  So  I want to depict that in my books!

It's so important to work things out if there's an argument or disagreement.  Why would anyone want to throw away months or years of loving someone just because they messed up?  Obviously, things like abuse aren't acceptable, but if you're willing to abandon a relationship just because you aren't "feeling sparks" or suddenly realized you don't like who someone really is doesn't mean you shouldn't stick around.

Loyalty feeds into this as well.  If you aren't willing to be loyal, to commit your life to someone else, then you probably need to evaluate your relationship for the other person's sake.  Our society is so concerned about our own self that we forget that our actions impact others as well, and if one person in a relationship is hurting, the other person probably is too.  Being loyal means you're committed to someone else's wellbeing, that you love them above everyone else.  Who wouldn't want to be part of that?  Why aren't we valuing that in our books, movies, and TV shows?

In this book, Joanna and Walter are going through a lot of things.  Joanna discovers just before their marriage that she is infertile.  Walter could just as easily leave her at the altar if he wanted biological kids more than he cared about her.  But he sets his wants --yes, wants; not needs-- aside because he is loyal and committed to her.  Walter and Joanna also go into a series of disagreements about where they will live upon marriage, a sticking point you may recall from the first book.  Some other issues happen as well, which test their brand-new marriage.  But realizing that life is tough isn't enough to break their bond.

They continue learning about each other as their relationship evolves from engaged to married, and they stick with it! 
They don't let their own desires and disagreements pull them away from each other; rather, they let those instances be learning experiences, things they can use to grow closer as husband and wife. I think that's something that young adults sorely need to read today; a breath of fresh air in the dumpster fire that most relationships are depicted as in today's media and even in the real world.

Is that something you want to see in a book?  Have you written anything like that?

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