Guest Blogger: Claire Avery

It's been a little while since I've had a guest blogger. Well today I have two... sort of! Claire Avery is a sister writing duo that has recently released their first book Hidden Wives. Today they are going to talk a little about their book and it's difficult subject matter.



First of all, we wanted to thank Jennifer for her gracious offer to host our guest author post and a giveaway of our debut novel, HIDDEN WIVES. We are so honored to contribute to your blog, Jennifer! We are frequently asked why we chose to write about the topic of polygamy and did it have anything to do with our own childhood experiences of being raised in a fundamentalist Catholic community in Chicago. We grew up in a religious commune, and we were exposed to extreme ideas. When we watched a documentary on polygamy, our first thought was that at least our father hadn’t been a polygamist. Our second thought was: how can the forced marriage of underage girls to much older polygamist men go on in 21st century America? Our third thought was: that could have been us, if our father had chosen that particular religion. As we delved into the topic
further, we realized that these girls have been brainwashed from early childhood. They are isolated, and it’s the only thing they know. We were able to identify with the fear, confusion and anxiety these women and girls experience growing up in a world of religious extremism. We also understand how frightening it can be to reject the beliefs that are ingrained in you from childhood, even if they are clearly harmful. We wanted to demonstrate that there is a systemic brainwashing which goes
on from early childhood in these types of groups that makes it very difficult for these women and children to ask for help, report abuse, or to escape. We hope that our book can help keep the plight of these victims of polygamy in the media spotlight.

If you would like to know more about HIDDEN WIVES or about our conventional childhood,please visit our web-site at www.claireaveryauthor.com .

Thank you so much for sharing that with us. There has been so much about polygamy in the news, and on TV that I think it's been sensationalized a bit. I don't think people always relate what really goes on in these young girls lives. I am really looking forward to reading this one! I should be starting it soon!

There will also be a giveaway for this title. I am not at home right now, and I forgot to copy my templates to bring with me, so I will have the giveaway posted when I get home tomorrow...

Thank you for reading!
-Jennifer