Sometimes quitting means finishing

Have you ever believed in something so much that you quit your job so you could spend all your time on it?

Yeah, me too.

For me, it was writing a book.

Some of you know that I’ve been working on a nonfiction book about human sex trafficking for a long time. I finally realized it would take years to finish the book if I didn’t find a way to devote more time to it.

I put extra money into my savings account for almost a year until I was finally able to quit my great welding job at Altec and write full-time for a few months.

The great news is that the manuscript is finished. The book isn’t published yet, but it is finally written. It has been edited by several wonderful people and I plan to get it edited by a few more wonderful people. When it finally gets out there for readers, I want it to be right.

Here’s a little about the book: It follows the story of a real sex trafficking survivor I’m calling Angela. Angela agreed, with much grace and kindness, to share her experience with me about her life before, during and after she was trafficked. She wants her story to help others, and it already has.

In addition to Angela, I interviewed several anti-trafficking advocates, mental health professionals, law enforcement officers, a forensic interviewer and others. I also attended conferences, where I gathered valuable information from subject-matter experts.

The book is well-researched. It contains information about:

·         What is and isn’t sex trafficking

·         The tactics that traffickers use to trap kids and adults

·         How traffickers target kids and teens through smart phones, apps and online video games

·         What makes some people more vulnerable than others

·         The link between pornography and sex trafficking

·         The role of trauma

·         Trafficking laws in the United States

·         And much more

The book also shatters some common myths and misconceptions about sex trafficking. For example, fewer than ten percent of victims are kidnapped by strangers—most people are trafficked by someone they know. Also, traffickers target boys as well as girls and women.

I’ve thought of a few great titles for the book, only to find out other authors had already used them. But I’ll let you know as soon as I get a title pinned down.

I wish I could write full-time forever, but unfortunately the state of my bank account forced me to go back to work in January. Actually, I love my new job. I’m teaching evening welding classes at Wallace State Community College-Hanceville, where I have excellent colleagues and outstanding students. I’ve found that I truly love teaching.

If it sounds strange that a welder is writing a book about human sex trafficking, I should explain that welding is my second career. Before I went to welding school (at age 41), I was a journalist for almost twenty years. I stopped writing for a couple of years, then realized I just couldn’t stop writing forever. I like it too much. It might be a strange combination—welder, teacher and writer—but it works for me.

There’s an indescribable sense of satisfaction from finishing the book manuscript, but now begins a whole new journey into getting it into readers’ hands. When I get the publishing process figured out, you’ll be the first to know.

-Melanie Patterson

© Forged in Words 2022