On bullying...
My coming of age story concerns a young man who's been bullied. I think bullying is a topic that is relatively common in the mainstream media, meaning one can see stories on large outlets like the U.K.'s Daily Mail, and news pages and sadly all too common in every day life.
Yet the perspective I present in my story is of a young man who's life is changed - at least initially for the worst, then later for the better having survived an attack. Since
Son of Thunder is a work of fiction, principally set in a world where Norse gods are common and active, nothing in the writing proposes a solution, other than the changing understanding my young hero has for himself, and understanding his true nature.
I suspect that targets of bullying are frequently of better character than their attackers. Yet when we consider bullying, we should think of the cost.
There are no easy answers; the environment in schools isn't always focused on education and developing good character. Parents must be sympathetic and supportive, yet not every child will reach out, sometimes unaware.
Unlike the character in my story, the typical young person can't journey to other worlds and fight monsters; instead I think he will have to find the
inner strength to endure and prevail.
And in drawing upon that inner strength potentially within each and every one of us and describing it, that aspect of my novel isn't as "fantastic" as the fantasy elements.
