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Wow! I got so many responses to last week’s article about using improvised weapons. Thank you to everyone who took the time to write to me. You sent me so many new ideas that I’m compiling them into a part 2 episode on improvised weapons. If you have an idea and didn’t send it in, you still have time!

For today, I’m starting a series on one of my favorite topics I teach in self-defense seminars: How to recognize behavior that might warn you of an attack.

I learned these from the amazing book “The Gift of Fear” by Gavin de Becker, which I recommend all women read at least once. (There is some scary/realistic content, so screen it before giving it to your daughters.)

Mr. de Becker’s premise is that an attacker will behave in certain ways to influence a potential victim before the attack. No single one of these seven behaviors predicts that an attack will come, but if you see multiple ones, be warned.

Here’s the first one, illustrated in story form . . . because I love telling stories. 🙂

Discounting the word “No”

“How about I give you a ride home,” Anthony said with a smile, waving a hand toward the dimly-lit parking lot as he and Julie walked out of the art building on the first day of their evening class.

“No thanks,” Julie said with a polite smile. She shifted her backpack and turned to walk toward the bus stop a block further along the busy road.

“Really,” Anthony said, hurrying after her. “I don’t mind. And it’ll be much faster than taking the bus.”

Julie stopped and looked at Anthony, his charming smile and handsome features making her reconsider. But, no. She didn’t really know him and would rather wait until they’d been in class together for a while before going with him.

“I actually like the bus,” she said. “But thanks for the offer.”

“Oh, I’ve spent many hours on buses,” Anthony said, walking beside her instead of heading to his car. “The people you meet are so fascinating, aren’t they? They’ll probably give you some great ideas for our art class, don’t you think?”

Julie nodded, but something was feeling off about this guy. Why did she suddenly feel uneasy?

“Hey, it’s pretty late,” he said, turning as he moved a bit ahead of her. “I can drive you home a lot faster than the bus and I’ll drop you off, safe and sound. I promise. What do you say?” He spread his arms, his charming smile still in place.

But all Julie wanted was to get away from this guy.

Analysis:

Was Julie right about Anthony? What warning signs was she picking up on?

• There is a possibility that Anthony was just attracted to Julie and determined to pursue her. But, his refusal to accept her “No” doesn’t bode well for a future relationship.
• When Julie refused a ride the second time and said, “Thanks for the offer,” this would be when a person without ulterior motives would give her a friendly wave and move to his car. Everything after that was suspect.

What warning signs did you see in the story? What should Julie do in this situation?

There are no right answers. Just the process of thinking it through will help you recognize this behavior in the future. And hopefully help you feel more prepared with what actions to take.

Check out the next episode of Warning Signs for a few of my ideas.

Stay safe out there!

______________________ 

Misty’s Writing Update:

By this time next week, Steph and I will have finished our second post-apoc book in our new storm series and it will be close to 100K words – about a 350-page book.

We’re hoping to start releasing this series early next year and are doing all this writing ahead of time so we can publish them every month.

It’s a marketing strategy called “rapid releasing”, but what do you think?

Would you rather have the books one at a time as they’re finished, but months apart?

Or have the series set up for pre-order so you can see the books will be coming out, one every month, right to the final book? Does the schedule and knowing the series will be finished make a difference?

I’m just curious — thanks to anyone who takes the time to respond. I really enjoy hearing from you!

Happy reading this week,

— Misty 🙂