All I Didn't Know
Sometimes, I wonder if I'm on an FBI watch list for some of the things I Google while I'm researching a book. Surely someone who reads up on handguns, organized crime and the black market is up to no good, right?
I'm often asked how I became involved in the fight to end human trafficking. A few things came together to get me there. Although Throwaway was the first book released, it was the third written—and that's really where my desire to fight modern day slavery began.
My books usually come to me in a dream. It's often one scene from about midway into the story, but I wake up the next morning knowing I have a new novel to write. A couple of years ago, I dreamt about a prostitute who was in love with a cop. I thought about these star-crossed lovers for a few days before remembering what I'd heard years ago about the plight of foster children in Missouri. At the time, they were turned out on their 18th birthday with nowhere to go and no money in their pocket. Not surprisingly, that didn't go so well for them.
One story in particular had stuck with me, and I knew her tale fit the woman in my dream. I changed some of the details, added in a few more, and Jessie was born. I did Internet research to some extent, but I mostly wrote from my gut. I wasn't worried about capturing the nitty-gritty details of being a prostitute; I wanted to tell the story of the characters in my head and in my heart.
If you'd like to see what life is really like for young ladies trapped in prostitution, there is an excellent documentary out there called Very Young Girls. I highly recommend it; your eyes will be opened to a reality most are unaware of.
What little research I did for Throwaway broke my heart. I knew I had to do something; I just wasn't sure what.
Then I dreamt about a beautiful bride whose wedding was crashed by a vixen from her husband's past, and Suddenly a Spy was born. I woke up the next morning and knew instinctively that human trafficking would be central to the storyline. For this one, I did a lot of research. While I wouldn't call the book non-fiction, many of the stories of slaves were real, with the names changed.
Many, many of the accounts I found were not included because they were too graphic to tell and retain any hope of keeping the book at all "fun." Some facts were changed intentionally for the purpose of storytelling. Just as with Throwaway, the purpose of the book wasn't to write a documentary, but to tell an entertaining story that still let people know this very evil thing is happening, often right under our noses.
When I was doing my research, human trafficking was considered the third largest crime industry in the world. In 2007, human traffickers made more than Google, Nike and Starbucks combined. While the vast majority of trafficking involves sexual exploitation, there are countless tales of children being sold into slave labor in the manufacturing and fishing industries. The clothes on your back could very well be made by a slave who was forced to work 16+ hours a day in deplorable conditions. (A good way to be sure this isn't the case is by shopping fair trade. To learn more about fair trade, visit the World Fair Trade Organization or Fair Trade USA.)
Recently, I came across a story that said human trafficking has surpassed drugs to take the top spot: it is now the most profitable crime industry in the globe. Whatever its ranking, the more stories I heard, the more I knew with every fiber of my being that I was given the words in my head so I could become a voice for the voiceless. I knew that this fight was my own.
And though the problem is vast, there is light in the darkness. Next week, I will post several victories from various organizations. Each is an organization I support in some fashion – whether through partnerships to raise awareness or through donating my own private funds.
Together, we can make a difference in this battle.
To learn more about human trafficking, I recommend checking out some of the websites below. These aren't organizations I'm affiliated with, but they are wonderful sources of information:
Polaris Project: http://www.polarisproject.org/human-trafficking/overview
Not For Sale Campaign: http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/about/slavery/
Demi & Ashton Foundation: http://demiandashton.org/get-informed
