Marita’s Comments (group member since Nov 02, 2011)

Marita’s comments from the Q&A with Marita A. Hansen group.

The book Gangs by Ross Kemp says New Zealand has more gangs per head then any other country,with approximately seventy major gangs and over 4,000 patched members in a population of about 4,000,000 people. (NZs population in 2010 was estimated at 4,367,800)

Please feel free to add books that are of a similar or very closely related topic to my book "Behind the Hood." I have added Once Were Warriors as a number of people have mentioned it when they talk about my book. Like Behind the Hood, it touches on suicide, rape, abuse, gangs, domestic violence and the lower socio-economic areas of New Zealand.

I have written 3 articles on my blogsite in regards to music being mentioned in my book:

1) http://maritaahansen.blogspot.com/201...

2) http://maritaahansen.blogspot.com/201...

3) http://maritaahansen.blogspot.com/201...

Carroll wrote: "Wow, good question, Marita. I think it depends. How relevant is the scene? I think if you describe something so horrific, do so to plant a clue that at the time, a reader may not pick up on - only ..."

I agree that full description isn't needed. I had an Orion editor tell me that she preferred this. Here is what she said about my book:

A quote from Natalie Braine: "I think it’s important that the violence and sex nevers feels gratuitous or too graphic. The opening chapter that sees Maia being pursued was tense and suspenseful, but you prevented it from becoming too uncomfortable by hinting at it rather than exposing the brutality and rage that is rippling beneath the surface of many of these characters.

This folder is for discussing the description of things that may be upsetting or troublesome, such as rape, abuse, suicide, etc. I don't like describing these topics, but when required I believe less is more effective than putting every detail in. Even more so just a line or two of dialogue can be all that is needed to tell a reader what's going to happen. Please share your thoughts with me on this topic.

Please feel free to talk about any book relating to the title's topic.

People often tell me that my book shocks them,that they thought New Zealand was sweet and safe. Well, every country has problems and gangs are a big issue in some areas of New Zealand.