What does the phrase “do no harm but take no crap” mean to you?
Some people interpret it to mean living your life on your terms but being sensitive to the needs, wants, and expectations of others. Or being empathetic, but not at the expense of your soul. Staying in your lane and minding your business but helping when and how you can. Being a good citizen but also taking care of yourself.
No matter what you decide, it’s a philosophy that is impacting a lot of people in many different ways. Self-care comes to mind for me when I think about how I apply this to my life...setting aside time to take care of myself and do the things that feed and inspire my soul. And yes, that means cutting out the toxic elements that pop into my world here and there. I’m the kind of person who likes to help others but I’ve learned over the years that there are people who will take advantage of that and will, without hesitation, drain you dry. So having a philosophy like this one makes it easier to draw the line when a situation is getting out of control. I still like to help people but with a lot of practice, I’ve learned when it’s time to say no and put myself first.
Both of my main characters in Keep Me Wanting have to tackle this philosophy in one way or another. To Maggie, who is pursuing her own career goals, it comes to mean putting her own desires ahead of her family’s once and for all. She has always been the best sibling to her sisters, making sure that everything they pursued was honored, even at the expense of her own emotional wellbeing. She agreed to wear ridiculous costumes, participated in boring lectures and put up with the constant judgment of not quite fitting into the space her sisters and her mom carved out for her. With Liam’s help, she comes to understand that it’s okay to put her own needs ahead of others, especially when she knows she isn’t causing them harm (even if they don’t see it that way because they’re all up in her business).
To Liam, who always seems to sacrifice himself for others in huge, life-changing ways, he must figure out a way to get what he wants even if his family and the people around him have other plans for him. He and Maggie are from such different worlds and yet they both have felt the pressure of expectation from their respective families. Liam also needs to come to terms with the reality that he does deserve nice things and that he is entitled to happiness in his life. Being the kind of guy who makes a lot of sacrifices for everyone else, it’s about time he starts to put himself and his needs first. Maggie is just the kind of woman to help him do that.
When you think of the philosophy of “do no harm but take no crap” what comes to mind? Do you live by this way of thinking? Can you see a better way to go about it?
All I’ve ever tried to do is keep the people in my life safe. That’s gotten me into hot water more times than I can count. Hell, the last time got me four years behind bars.
So when my favorite barista tells her mom that I’m her boyfriend to stop the woman’s endless criticism, I can’t stop myself from helping her out. But she’s too innocent and I’m too damaged for this to ever be the real deal.
I can’t allow myself to touch her, not when making her mine will drag her into my world and drown her in my messed up life. What I really need to do is stay away.
Except every touch and every accidental kiss breaks my control. I want her.
Then I find out her dad is the detective who put me away...and he’s trying to take down my family.
I don’t blame him. The secrets I’m keeping are big enough to destroy everything
Romance Contemporary [Entangled Embrace, On Sale: February 10, 2020, e-Book, ISBN: 9781640638938 / eISBN: 9781640638938]
Every day is Halloween for author Angela Addams. Enthralled by the paranormal at an early age, Angela spends most of her time thinking up new story ideas that involve supernatural creatures in everyday situations. She believes that the written word is an amazing tool for crafting the most erotic of scenarios. She lives in Ontario, Canada with her loving husband and children.
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