Please know that I don't write characters who would willingly hurt each other; I don't believe that has any place in romance.
Most of the potentially triggering material occurs in the characters' back stories, is not graphically or gratuitously depicted, and is there to explain how each character came to be who/how they are as the story opens, and how they process information and make decisions in the story.
Curves for Days (Rose & Angus's story, Book 1 in the Galway series, out now):
Curves for Days is mostly an upbeat, lighthearted story, largely because of the sturdy and optimistic Rose. Her life has been shaped by growing up as a member of the working poor, the only child of a struggling single mom who died when Rose was 20. Rose has been a loner by choice, out of fear, rather than by personality type, because in the past she was severely bullied after an incident she later came to recognize as acquaintance rape. These things are behind her as the story opens and are mostly revealed through her brief reflections years later and in conversation with Angus as they grow close. Her ability to spot people in dire economic straits (facing cutoff of utilities, food insecurity, health crises, etc.) is due largely to her own earlier experiences.
One of the inciting incidents for the story is the loss of Rose's only real friend, an elderly man who dies just before the story opens, leaving Rose lost and terribly lonely.
In the story itself, Rose is the target of some fat phobia, but it is not constant and is not a major focus of the book. Because of her experiences with bullying and fat haters, she has an acute awareness of how society views and judges bodies like hers, but she does not buy into that or agree that she should be the one to change. She does not hate or denigrate her own body and she never contemplates weight loss.
Angus, too, has some tough elements in his back story; his mother died when he was little and so he was raised by his grandparents. He had joined the military straight out of high school, lost buddies there, and come home with relatively minor physical injuries and a whopping case of PTSD, which helped destroy his marriage. This all emerges gradually in the story, through snippets of Angus's current work counseling troubled veterans and in conversations with Rose as the two of them grow close.
Sexual assault in the military is discussed as it relates to Angus's counseling work and a current client, but no specific incidents are described or discussed.
Resources:
* 24-hour National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
* RAINN (Rape and Incest National Network) for information and other resources for non-military folks
* Safe Helpline for military sexual trauma hotline and resources:
* Veterans Crisis Line for 24/7 confidential crisis support for Veterans and their loved ones. You don't have to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care to connect.
What She's Having (July & Joe's story, Book 2 in the Galway series, available now):
July and Joe's story is a little more serious, a little more poignant. July's back story contains a struggle with depression and a serious eating disorder. Joe's back story contains abuse of him and his mother by his father. Both of these are revealed mostly in conversation, with no graphic depictions or descriptions.
There is some mention of fat phobia and of July's past struggle to love her body, but now in adulthood she has made peace with her size and considers it a source of strength and power and her ability to accomplish the things she wants to do (for herself and for Galway).
Issues various characters face over the course of the story include homelessness, young people in trouble, homophobia, death of a loved one, rejection by family. These are shown not by graphic descriptions but by their effects on the characters.
Resources:
* The Trevor Project for LGBTQ young people, for resources and help 24/7 call/chat/text links
* Psycom for emergency mental health hotlines/textlines for various situations/needs including domestic violence & suicidal feelings
* NEDA (National Eating Disorders Association) for emergency resources and information
* USDHHS (US Dept. of Health & Human Services) resources & programs for people facing homelessness
* Nursing Home Abuse Center (not related to this story, but still an important resource for vulnerable elders & their families)
Hard to Get (Andi & Kevin's story, Book 3 in the Galway series, coming March 2025, available for preorder now):
There is an unintended pregnancy in this story. It's a healthy pregnancy. The resulting child is mentioned in the epilogue but never seen on page.
Kevin's backstory is pretty mellow-- no need for trigger warnings there.
Andi, on the other hand, has a tragic backstory which includes domestic violence and death. This is hinted at earlier in the book but not fully revealed till near the end. She has no memory of the events but they have shaped her attitude toward relationships.
She now heads Galway's women's shelter for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. DV dynamics and effects are discussed in the story, but no specific examples are described. There are children in the shelter but there's no mention of what they have witnessed or experienced.
Andi receives anonymous mailed threats at work in the story; near the end, the threat-sender attacks. A non-pregnant adult is injured (GSW) but will recover. The attacker is quickly subdued.
Resources:
* 24/7 National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233. They speak English, Spanish, & 200 other languages thru an interpretation service.
* Local domestic violence resources by U.S. state (with instructions on how to safely leave the website quickly)
* NCADV (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence): links on domestic & other forms of violence and abuse (many topics)
Most of the potentially triggering material occurs in the characters' back stories, is not graphically or gratuitously depicted, and is there to explain how each character came to be who/how they are as the story opens, and how they process information and make decisions in the story.
Curves for Days (Rose & Angus's story, Book 1 in the Galway series, out now):
Curves for Days is mostly an upbeat, lighthearted story, largely because of the sturdy and optimistic Rose. Her life has been shaped by growing up as a member of the working poor, the only child of a struggling single mom who died when Rose was 20. Rose has been a loner by choice, out of fear, rather than by personality type, because in the past she was severely bullied after an incident she later came to recognize as acquaintance rape. These things are behind her as the story opens and are mostly revealed through her brief reflections years later and in conversation with Angus as they grow close. Her ability to spot people in dire economic straits (facing cutoff of utilities, food insecurity, health crises, etc.) is due largely to her own earlier experiences.
One of the inciting incidents for the story is the loss of Rose's only real friend, an elderly man who dies just before the story opens, leaving Rose lost and terribly lonely.
In the story itself, Rose is the target of some fat phobia, but it is not constant and is not a major focus of the book. Because of her experiences with bullying and fat haters, she has an acute awareness of how society views and judges bodies like hers, but she does not buy into that or agree that she should be the one to change. She does not hate or denigrate her own body and she never contemplates weight loss.
Angus, too, has some tough elements in his back story; his mother died when he was little and so he was raised by his grandparents. He had joined the military straight out of high school, lost buddies there, and come home with relatively minor physical injuries and a whopping case of PTSD, which helped destroy his marriage. This all emerges gradually in the story, through snippets of Angus's current work counseling troubled veterans and in conversations with Rose as the two of them grow close.
Sexual assault in the military is discussed as it relates to Angus's counseling work and a current client, but no specific incidents are described or discussed.
Resources:
* 24-hour National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
* RAINN (Rape and Incest National Network) for information and other resources for non-military folks
* Safe Helpline for military sexual trauma hotline and resources:
* Veterans Crisis Line for 24/7 confidential crisis support for Veterans and their loved ones. You don't have to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care to connect.
What She's Having (July & Joe's story, Book 2 in the Galway series, available now):
July and Joe's story is a little more serious, a little more poignant. July's back story contains a struggle with depression and a serious eating disorder. Joe's back story contains abuse of him and his mother by his father. Both of these are revealed mostly in conversation, with no graphic depictions or descriptions.
There is some mention of fat phobia and of July's past struggle to love her body, but now in adulthood she has made peace with her size and considers it a source of strength and power and her ability to accomplish the things she wants to do (for herself and for Galway).
Issues various characters face over the course of the story include homelessness, young people in trouble, homophobia, death of a loved one, rejection by family. These are shown not by graphic descriptions but by their effects on the characters.
Resources:
* The Trevor Project for LGBTQ young people, for resources and help 24/7 call/chat/text links
* Psycom for emergency mental health hotlines/textlines for various situations/needs including domestic violence & suicidal feelings
* NEDA (National Eating Disorders Association) for emergency resources and information
* USDHHS (US Dept. of Health & Human Services) resources & programs for people facing homelessness
* Nursing Home Abuse Center (not related to this story, but still an important resource for vulnerable elders & their families)
Hard to Get (Andi & Kevin's story, Book 3 in the Galway series, coming March 2025, available for preorder now):
There is an unintended pregnancy in this story. It's a healthy pregnancy. The resulting child is mentioned in the epilogue but never seen on page.
Kevin's backstory is pretty mellow-- no need for trigger warnings there.
Andi, on the other hand, has a tragic backstory which includes domestic violence and death. This is hinted at earlier in the book but not fully revealed till near the end. She has no memory of the events but they have shaped her attitude toward relationships.
She now heads Galway's women's shelter for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. DV dynamics and effects are discussed in the story, but no specific examples are described. There are children in the shelter but there's no mention of what they have witnessed or experienced.
Andi receives anonymous mailed threats at work in the story; near the end, the threat-sender attacks. A non-pregnant adult is injured (GSW) but will recover. The attacker is quickly subdued.
Resources:
* 24/7 National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233. They speak English, Spanish, & 200 other languages thru an interpretation service.
* Local domestic violence resources by U.S. state (with instructions on how to safely leave the website quickly)
* NCADV (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence): links on domestic & other forms of violence and abuse (many topics)