By Megha Agarwal:
“My friend’s mother cringed at her reflection in the mirror as she throws on makeup over the bruises circling her eye. She has been experiencing severe abuse from the father of her children from past 22 years. Her children are crying watching her from the peephole. She knew it’s time to move out from that terror enclave and she tried to get over with it again and again but she failed.”
I was reading The Hindu at 10 p.m. one night and found the story of a woman who was brutally beaten and raped. In the three years I’d been reading the paper there had been no change in the atrocities undergone by women and the violence faced by them. Somehow, that moment triggered me to write a book. That very night I got to work on the plot of the story. After coming across way too many incidents of domestic violence, I chose to focus my novel on that topic. Behind the closed doors of homes all across the world, people are being tortured, beaten and killed. Scars may never disappear but the haunting memories can be erased. Death In Every Stride was born out of my urgent need to wake today’s youth up. It felt like it was my time to step forward for everyone whose lives can be redefined with colors of joy and elation.
This novel allowed me to learn more about who I am. It allowed me to meet characters I’d never get to in real life, characters that were so much more than mere descriptions on paper. While I was writing, I could experience the feelings of all the characters and that’s when I realized that this was the right platform for the voice within me.
When it came to publishing, I chose Authorspress. This publishing house accepted my manuscript and gave me the incredible opportunity to become a published author. It wasn’t as long a process as I had thought it would be. The editorial team offered much support and encouragement, appreciating my effort to change people’s thought process.
Let me tell you what the book does. In a unique style, the protagonist’s monologue with her diary takes the readers through the horrors of domestic violence; and makes them live and feel that fear. Death in Every Stride is a dark saga of atrocities that a young woman faces at home and an awful journey she embarks upon, from wedding to motherhood. Experience the battle that is Krisanne’s journey and be ready to have your thoughts shaken.