Hey Everyone!! :-)
If you read my work, at all, you've probably noticed that there are little bits of social analysis sprinkled here and there throughout them. Below I've posted an excerpt from Taken By The Huntsman that's an example of this. I think fiction can be a useful tool for examining some of the assumptions and "givens" we surround ourselves with. It gives us room to step back and look at our world from the perspective of someone who isn't immersed in it. I hope you find the reflections in this passage interesting. :-)
Excerpt from Taken By The Huntsman:
Cassie realized Maeve thought she was threatening to fire her and she instantly felt sorry. She wasn’t used to having authority over other people, and she hadn’t thought how Maeve might interpret her questions. “No Maeve, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that I thought you should leave, I only wondered if you were being forced to stay here against your will. I don’t have any intention of firing anyone who wants to be here.”
Maeve looked at Cassie a moment longer and then patted her arm. “No harm done, then. The master wouldn’t keep me here if I didn’t want to stay. The Erlking is a good master. He isn’t given to beating his servants in fits of anger, he treats his people fairly, and when someone belongs to the Erlking other Fae do not threaten them. In all the years I’ve served here, I’ve never seen the master dismiss or discipline a person who didn’t deserve it.”
Cassie thought about that. The idea that an employer could beat an employee just because they were angry disturbed her. But, then, didn’t similar things happen in some of the places she had worked? Oh, none of her bosses had ever physically assaulted her, but some of their verbal assaults were nearly as hard to bear. And how many companies thought nothing of exposing their employees to danger and failing to protect, or even warn, them? Many bosses routinely harassed, bullied, browbeat, and otherwise abused their employees. And even though employees could theoretically leave, many people felt trapped because they needed employment to survive.
And, even though she personally had never been physically assaulted by one of her employers, she had certainly heard plenty of stories from her coworkers. Some bosses seemed to feel they had the right to touch their employees however, wherever, and whenever they pleased. And to fire any employee who had the temerity to object. Yes, theoretically there were legal protections in place for such abuses. But many employees, especially those in the lower income strata as she had been, had neither the time nor the resources to pursue such avenues.
The laws always seemed to be structured to protect those with money against those without. And finding the "proof" that the courts wanted wasn’t always possible. What was an employee supposed to do? Tell their boss, "Wait just one moment before you grope me, so I can set up some recording equipment?" And, of course, anyone who dared to complain about, or expose, a dangerous situation would instantly become a target for reprisal. Cassie knew there were laws that ostensibly prevented such retaliation; she also knew there were plenty of ways for employers to get around such laws. No, the Fae's system might not be perfect, but neither was the one she was used to.
She’d just have to wait and see how Cadeyrn handled such matters, and how he treated his people.
I hope you enjoyed that little snippet. If you'd like to read more, you can get your copy of Taken By The Huntsman at the link below. Happy Reading! :-)
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