Ages ago while in college, I had to do a research paper focused on something in my chosen field. That field was social work.  I took my topic statement, The Effects of Child Pornography, to my professor, and without hesitation she asked, ‘The positive or negative effects?’

I imagine some of you have the same facial expression of disbelief or confusion that I had. Then she said something that’s stuck with me all these years. ‘If there weren’t positive effects, if someone wasn’t benefiting from this, there wouldn’t be a market for it.’ I felt sick to my stomach and chose the easier way out. I researched the detrimental effects.

My friend, author Carla Damron, didn’t take the easy way out with her award-winning novel, The Orchid Tattoo, about child porn’s ugly sister, human trafficking. During a recent reading and book signing, Damron talked about her book, her research, and gave trafficking statistics for South Carolina, where her story takes place.

From the book’s back cover: Social worker Georgia Thayer can balance her own mental illness with the demands of an impossible job. Mostly. But when her sister vanishes in the dead of night, her desperate quest to find Peyton takes her into the tentacles of a human trafficking network– where she encounters a young victim called ‘Kitten.’

Kitten is determined to escape. She won’t be trapped like the others. She won’t sell her soul like Lillian, victim-turned madam, feeding the dark appetites of international business moguls and government leaders. But the Estate won’t let her out of its lethal grip, and her attempts at freedom threaten her very life.

Aided by Kitten and, at times, by the voices in her head, Georgia maneuvers to bring down the kingpin of the Estate and expose its dark secrets, but her efforts place her–and the few people she allows to get close–in grave danger.

Damron exposes the fear, brutality and far-reaching scope of this world without being so graphic one can’t read her book. Georgia is a force, but also brings a needed bit of lightness to the narrative. I loved Kitten and was pulling for her as she prepared for that chance to escape…if it ever came. I even found myself pulling for Lillian. The Orchid Tattoo reads almost like a spy novel as Georgia follows leads and uncovers secrets, all while barely staying one step ahead of those who don’t want those secrets out. But through her well-developed characters, the reader is reminded there are real Georgias, Kittens, and Lillians out there.

Carla introduces the reader to an uncomfortable topic, but it’s a topic we need to be more aware of. During her research, she asked why ‘buyers’ and ‘suppliers’ don’t have their names and photos in the paper like those charged with DUIs or for selling drugs. The response she received was, ‘to not traumatize their families, and because of who some of them are.’ So even after all these years since my college days, there are positive effects. If there are no real consequences, there’s a real and viable market.

A portion of Carla’s royalties are donated to Doors to Freedom, which helps survivors recover and reclaim their lives. They offer housing, treatment, education, and support. www.doorstofreedom.com

You can purchase Carla’s book at Koehler Books or Barnes and Noble or Amazon.

I hope you have a wonderful week! After I shut down my computer I head to a weeklong writers’ workshop in the NC mountains, Table Rock Writers Workshop. Maybe I’ll finally get back to that novel I’m working on …