Storm Hawks Chapter 14: Abuse

Childhood abuse leaves scars.

In Legend of the Storm Hawks, the Iverach siblings Calum, Isobel, and Rosalee wake and face each new day with the wariness of survivors. Innocence shattered. Trust betrayed.

Abuse begets abuse. It’s a cycle more terrible than any fiction can portray.

I drew from personal experience when I wrote the Iverach stories. My daughter fosters children scarred by abuse. Many of them have touched our lives and our hearts.

What amazes and humbles me is a child’s resiliency. They seem to have an innate understanding that what they have been through is an aberration, that most humans are hardwired to nurture their own, not to do them harm.

They know better is out there, and they want it.

Writing about abuse is hard. But it’s real. And it’s important to acknowledge.

Please support those who dedicate their lives to child advocacy. Add your voices to their campaigns. Reach out within your community to find out how you can help, whether it’s donating a book bag, buying a birthday gift, driving a foster child to a counseling appointment, or babysitting and giving a foster parent an evening out.

It’s the most rewarding evening you will ever spend.

Every child matters.