Publishers: McCall Books Imprint of Archangel House Publishing

WICKED AFFAIR

January 1, 2025

A similar story was told to me by several women who each said they had lived a version of it. It was about the effects that certain disturbing incidents in their foundational years had on their lives, and how they dealt with the fallout. These were not happy, safe, how-I-overcame-it-all tales. But some were riveting stories of kick-ass victory. I asked them their thoughts about my writing a book to address the vile abominations they were thrust into by no choice of their own. Many were firmly against the idea, out of fear of their perpetrator. Others initially raved about the idea, only to have a deep dread creep in. A few declared it an epidemic that needs to be exposed, only to later balk, unable to fully shake off their terror of the wicked character who had set the course of their lives in motion. One woman, a renowned international journalist, told me she wouldn’t read any story even remotely reminiscent of what she’d endured as a child. We engaged in lengthy discussions about self-protection and self-loathing. About misogyny and what defines true manhood. About Edmund Burke’s saying about the only way for evil to triumph. All of them said they were too afraid to tell their story publicly or felt they lacked the ability to write it in a way that would prompt meaningful action. They each warned me that if I did write a book, neither they nor their perpetrator were to be identified “in any way whatsoever.” And I agreed. Now I had a decision to make. Write a redacted reality compendium? Too clunky. Abandon their stories altogether? Too important a topic to walk away from. That left me only one path. This novel is dedicated to the “Katies” of the world. And to their children, who often get no opportunity to know and love the mother who could have been—indeed, should have been, in a better world—but for certain incidents in her life. A note to the language squeamish: Some words and scenes in this novel may seem offensive. For the sake of authenticity in portraying activities perpetrated against Katie, her expressions and descriptions of her in-the-moment rage and pain at what was being done to her during her formative years are presented as honest representations of what she thought, said and felt, during and after these incidents. This story can feel depressing. Also funny. Angry. Exciting. Sad. It roils with emotion, and so will you. So, read Wicked Affair as a caution: What you sow, the innocent may reap. - M. Rutledge McCall