We have a visitor today. Friend and sorority sister LaConnie Taylor-Jones is dropping by to talk about one of the themes from her latest novel, When a Man Loves a Woman: betrayal. At the end of the day, she’ll give two copies away to lucky commenters.

Thanks for stopping by, LaConnie! Here she comes …

What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the word betrayal?

No doubt most people associate the term with infidelity, which is my heroine’s conflict in my latest release, When a Man Loves a Woman.

The issue of betrayal came front a center for me a few weeks ago when MSNBC re-ran their Headliners and Legends segment, which featured Susan Smith. Everyone remembers the twenty-three year-old, South Carolina mother who betrayed an entire nation for nine days before finally confessing to the drowning deaths of her two young sons, right? Well, the first time this piece aired, I viewed it through the eyes of a mother. I felt the full range of emotions betrayal causes: fury, resentfulness, heartbrokenness, numbness, humiliation, and rejection. However, it wasn’t until that night, when I allowed the maternal side of me to rest for a moment, that I began to see betrayal from a much broader perspective.

Think about it for a moment. Whether betrayal results from the unfaithfulness within in a relationship or is triggered by an unfaithful co-worker, or boss, or from the disloyalty of friends, the emotional impact is often severe.

And for every cause, there’s an effect. When betrayal occurs, we become distressed and it prompts an immediate reaction of anger. The person who was betrayed feels repulsed towards the person who committed the act of betrayal. Next, fear comes to the forefront because the probability that the relationship will be lost is quite high.

Also, betrayal forfeits trust. Trust is the foundation of any relationship, and once it’s been fractured, it becomes difficult for the person who was betrayed to trust, again. Finally, justice is more often than not, sought by the person who’s been betrayed. Every now and then you just want to give the person who betrayed you a good beat down or as I occasionally refer to it as justifiable revenge.

However, that night, at the end of the Susan Smith broadcast, I think I was more hurt by her betrayal to the world than if someone had come along and whacked me up side the head with a bat.

Am I crazy here, folks? Can an act of betrayal hurt as much, if not more, than a physical injury?

Until next time – stay well and be blessed,

LaConnie

About the Author
LaConnie Taylor-Jones, is a health educator consultant and holds advanced degrees in community public health and business administration. She has been an active member of the San Francisco Area Chapter of RWA since 2003 and received the Romance Slam Jam 2008 Emma Award for her debut multicultural contemporary romance, When I’m With You. When a Man Loves a Woman is her second novel and she’s hard at work on her next novel due to be released Spring 2009. Married, she is the mother of four and resides with her family in Northern California.

To learn more about ‘ When a Man Loves a Woman’ and LaConnie Taylor-Jones, visit her online at www.laconnietaylorjones.com
To join the Virtual Book Tour visit her blog at www.laconnietaylorjones.blogspot.com or visit TheGRITS.com Virtual Book Tour site - http://thegrits.com/virtualbooktour/?cat=105 – for more information!

When a Man Loves a Woman
LaConnie Taylor-Jones
Genesis Press, 2008
$6.99 US; ISBN: 1585712744