Home  >  Blog Index  >

On Writing Torn – A Little Backstory

On Writing Torn – A Little Backstory

Opioids abuse is one of the hot-button topics I chose for Torn. The sky-rocketing overdoses dominated the media for at least a couple of years. In 2017 while watching a 60 Minutes special on Opioids in America, I was startled by the reports.

By then, I was deep into Torn. Since the hero in my story is a soldier, and the army is no stranger to drug use, I thought integrating this real-world issue into the plot line was the perfect way to focus on the problem. Also, forensic personnel are some of the first and the last group in our culture to witness the negative effects of a death epidemic. In Torn, I barely touch on the issue.

In the U.S.A., the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports staggering numbers:

70,237 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States in 2017. The age-adjusted rate of overdose deaths increased significantly by 9.6% from 2016 (19.8 per 100,000) to 2017 (21.7 per 100,000). Opioids—mainly synthetic opioids (other than methadone)—are currently the main driver of drug overdose deaths. Opioids were involved in 47,600 overdose deaths in 2017 (67.8% of all drug overdose deaths).

— https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/statedeaths.html

Canadian overdoses, though lower, are still disturbing. Figures released by Health Canada report 8,000 apparent opioid deaths since 2016. . Last year The Globe and Mail reported that “more than 11 Canadians are dying every day [on opioids].”

What to do in such an epidemic? Raise awareness.

 

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on email
Email
Share on linkedin
LinkedIn
Share on print
Print

About the Author

Hi Im Angela

An indie Romantic Suspense author with a passion for love and comeuppance.

Writes thrilling and emotional Romantic Suspense stories, starring determined heroines with devoted and sexy heroes.

Get Exclusive Access

To Brand New Content And More…

Become a RWM (Romance With Motive) Club Member today.

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
We will only send you awesome stuff!

Privacy Policy

Angela Applewhite, Virtually Published Media, VP Media and are based in Canada and we operate under Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL).

Our Mailing Address is:

Angela Applewhite c/o Virtually Published Media
300A-219 Dufferin St.
Toronto, ON
M6K 3J1
Canada

Data Retention and Use

When you opt-in to the mailing list we store your name and email with our backend mailing list software provider (currently Aweber). We will not sell, lease, lend or otherwise divulge your email list to any third party.

We will occasionally send you email updates about new books, short stories, novellas or blog posts.

Cookies

This site uses cookies for session management.

Troubleshooting & Abuse

If you want to report some kind of problem with using this site, or something here is being abused (such as the mailing opt-in), please send a note to webmaster@applewhite.ca and we’ll unleash the geeks to sort it out.

Content Advisory

My novels are Romantic Suspense stories containing varying degrees of violence, consensual sex, drugs, and foul language. Kidnapping/abduction. Character recount of miscarriage, assault weapons (guns and machete), incarceration. Murder. Sexual assault (occurs off-page during the story). Threats of violence. Past loss of a loved one.

Experience The Book Now

Get the first two chapters of Torn: A Forensic Romance and see for yourself how addictive it is!

First Name(Required)
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
We will only send you awesome stuff!