Calia Wilde – Author

Upfront, I’m going to say… TRIGGER WARNINGS. If you have been paying attention to the news, CNN did an exposé on an online community of men planning and committing se* crimes. So…stop and take a pulse check right now. Here’s the trigger warning: Dark content summary: SA. Men behaving very badly. Some men behaving so badly they’ve been arrested and put in jail.

To that I say: GOOD.

Moreover, it’s a start. But the work is far from done.

Disturbing Content, mind the trigger warnings, click the little arrow to expand.

If you already know about this content and understand the subject matter involves not only spousal rape, but also cybercrimes of posting VIDEOS and PHOTOS of that violence, then the following shouldn’t be a surprise.

I’ve written about spousal rape before. If you’ve read “Dueling Flames” or “Blue-Eyed Jacks, then you know that those perps were villains. There was no question that on the scale of “good” to “bad” spouses who resort to raping their partners shot well past murder for hire.

Yes, that’s the Calia Wilde scale of badness.

In some instances, being raped by a complete stranger seems a bit less horrific when you really think about the deed. For one, the spouse promised… DUDE, PROMISED!!! To love, honor, cherish, and respect their partner. There is absolutely NOTHING about this kind of violation that isn’t breaking that vow/oath.

Ditto for people with POWER over their victims who take advantage of that. There’s a special place in evilness for folks who do this kind of premeditated, horrific, and vile acts.

They shouldn’t be allowed anonymity.

They should be charged at a higher level or at the very least at the same level as a predatory stranger.

But that’s a really funny thing about society, isn’t it? There is inequity in justice. If you know your attacker, there’s higher doubt. More opportunities to weasel out of the consequences of committing a crime.

And the criminals aren’t judged just on the crime, but on their “prior or future contribution” to society. You may want to read the image (or alt text) again. And if a certain word in there doesn’t make your blood boil, then you’re not on the same page as I am.

Fucking church.

Yes, good “God-fearing” folks performed rape on their wives, recorded it, and shared it with others including tips on how to get away with it.

Where is a good vigilante biker or more when you need one?

Is the platform to blame?

“Oh but Calia, isn’t your content is disturbing because it depicts the villains doing the same thing?”

• Yes. Yes it is. That’s why you should read the trigger warnings posted at the beginning of each book. That’s also why I put and 18+ age limit on those books. It’s about consent. Okay?

The difference is a deep, dark gray line. The villains in my books are the creepos who don’t take no, don’t even allow a no. The gaslighting narcissist (as in Dreams in the Dark), the physically abusive spouse (Blue-Eyed Jacks, Dueling Flames, Biker Queen), and even possibly someone you know or are related to (Restore the Night, Destroyers Soul, Roses Are Dead, Lights Camera Mayhem, The Town Princess, Legacy of Smoke) comprise a good portion of my villain set. But mostly, if you don’t listen for that no, you’re slipping over the line. Hello.

While, in contrast, my “heroes” are the guys who can, and will take those villains’ bodies out to feed to the bears.

The not-good-guy heroes ARE the bear. They are dangerous. But women are safer with them because they aren’t douchecanoes with zero self control. Fictional characters like Jackson do crimes, and that is not a great thing. But the line is there. You’ll see it.

My not-good-girl heroines embrace their inner bear as well. There are a few of them who fight back, hard. And I love them for it. See my bad girls: Down in Blood, Biker Queen, O’Mega’s Revenge, or even Lights Camera Mayhem, Truth as Poison, and Blue-Eyed Jacks. And before you do, please read those trigger warnings.

As a writer, I explore the dark and allow my characters to take on the flaws and oddly, also take on the power to enact CHANGE on a corrupt system that takes advantage in real life. This very well could be construed as “wish fulfillment” novels and I’m okay with that label. Because maybe someday we won’t have to wish for that outcome and it will be a more just system.

Because some darkness is pretty damn evil. It really shouldn’t be allowed to flourish freely or be encouraged through monetization of criminal acts… and I’ll go as far to say, actual crimes, and the planning of it shouldn’t be protected by copyright laws. (see: https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-investigate/lawful-access )

And I KNOW there’s a fine knife edge here.

Q&A TIME:

Should we go after the host sites of unlawful content?

• My guts scream YES. Then I remember that adage, “be careful what you wish for.” Because I then ask, what about book sellers who don’t monitor every book on their platform? What about book sellers who don’t AGREE with your definition of romance vs. pornography? Hum… easily abused. Needs more clarifying guard rails before implementing.

Where does the takedown line get drawn?

• Some are calling this pornography. (A misnomer by the way, the word they want is documentation of criminal acts.) Dum dums can’t tell the difference? Pah-lease. We know you know and you’re just being obtuse. And we also know that if you’re pretending to not know the difference, you ARE complicit.

• Can certain dark-themed novels be banned from sale because they depict this content? Probably. And the “cure” would silence novels like mine which villify this type of action. So, “Purity Culture” isn’t the answer either. And considering some of these perps go to church, labeling it “purity” or any holier than thou word version thereof certainly doesn’t up my trust factor. Duh.

Does that mean I defend these criminals?

• Hell no.
• Little known US legal trivia: You can be charged with an attempt to commit a crime even if the act was never completed, provided you took a direct action toward it. So… purchasing a date rape drug from a website user where you both watched criminal acts on that same website, with intent to use it on your wife so you too could monitize on her violation? Yeah. Dude, you’re guilty. I hope you rot.

Deep breath. We made it to the end. YAY. TL;DR? Read my bad boy/bad girl books to witness the demise of asshats who don’t take no for an answer. Get some good old-fashioned wish-fulfillment fantasies. But please mind the triggers.