“To all the women who desire to be free from the bondage of abuse, may they draw courage from this passage: ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us,’ Psalm 2:3,” writes Carmen Peone in the dedication of “Broken Bondage,” her second book in the three-book “Seven Tine Ranch Romance” series.
Though “Broken Bondage” is a work of fiction, it’s based on an incident that hits close to her heart. Peone, author and domestic violence awareness advocate, had a family member who died as a result of domestic abuse, and she “doesn’t want anybody to go through what my family went through.
“I wanted to write a story not only to help me heal from the violent crime, but to help women who are in destructive relationships,” Peone writes in “Broken Bondage.”
“Abuse — whether emotional, mental, physical, financial, sexual or spiritual — is never love,” she continues. “Violence is selfish manipulation. It steals the victim’s self-worth and isolates them from family and friends. It lies, deceives and betrays.”
Peone was already an author with several published books geared toward young adults before she felt God’s leading to use that platform as one way to raise that awareness.
Then she had to decide how to proceed. Though there were already a lot of movies about this subject, there was not a lot of material in print. The true crime genre brought back flashbacks and the trauma of her family tragedy. However, nonfiction can be too clinical.
But one thing she was sure about. She had to do something.
Centered around horses and rodeos
After a lot of prayer, Peone decided to use the genre she was already experienced in — fiction. Knowing that the rate of murdered and missing indigenous women is much greater than in most other groups, she used her personal experience of marrying into the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation as a key aspect of the book.
With the setting at a working ranch on a Native American reservation and with the main characters’ experiences centered around horses and rodeos, “Broken Bondage” is also an interesting peek into another culture.
But above all, Peone wants the book to be focused more on what can happen through a relationship with God than on the tragic circumstances of abusive relationships.
Though Peone’s hope is that the topics addressed in “Broken Bondage” will help those experiencing domestic abuse and violence escape their abusers, it’s also relevant to those who aren’t in that situation.
As one who didn’t experience the violence herself, she recognizes that healing is important for not only those being abused, but also for those who love the one being abused.
“It’s nice to know, to have that message, that yes, God can heal. God is our healer. He wants to give us hope and a future. All of this from the enemy — it’s not from God because God is good.
“God walks us through healing and He restores faith. He restores trust. These three women (in the series) find their happily ever after with a nonabusive man — one filled with God, filled with love,” Peone said.
Learning to forgive
In Peone’s own journey, she still struggles with hating the man who was the abuser of her family member. She’ll release him and then realize she’s back to hating him and has to ask for forgiveness — again.
“But really, God is in control. That’s what both Rita (the main character in “Broken Bondage”) and I together have to learn. It’s just to completely let go and let God deal with it. That is the true meaning of forgiveness,” she said.
Though Peone is in no way thankful for what happened, she acknowledges that through it all she has experienced a deeper reliance on God, learning to “rely on Him for everything.”
It took a lot of prayer, crying while down on her knees, to work through all that happened in real life and to write “Broken Bondage” and the other two books in the series — “Captured Secrets” (Book 1) and “Renewed Hope” (Book 3).
“I know God is such a loving God. He doesn’t wish abuse on anyone. He really does walk us through those storms, even if we can’t feel Him, even if we’re just in the thick of it. We know from His Word that He is with us.
“He doesn’t ever leave us or forsake us, even through times like this,” Peone said.
Even beyond the lessons shared in her books, Peone is dedicated to helping those who need it. On her website, www.carmenpeone.com, she has a resources page under the tab “Connect with Carmen” that addresses topics such as:
- “How to Recognize the Signs of Mental and Emotional Abuse.”
- “What is Abuse and How to Call for Help.”
- “Get Help! Get Out! — Resource Page for Escaping Domestic Violence.”
- “Ways to Self-Care.”
- “Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women — MMIW.”
She also has a bibliography with outside resources.
In addition to spreading the message of how God can heal, Peone wants to spread awareness that there is help through the National Domestic Violence Hotline, www.thehotline.org or 800-799-SAFE (7233).
Share with others: