Today, I have the pleasure of introducing you to B.D. Lawrence. He is part of the newly-launched, collaborative effort Brave Authors, a group of twelve fiction writers who have taken on the challenge of writing about tough subjects through a Christian worldview. According to his website, Brian’s favorite superheroes are Batman and The Punisher, but he prefers to write about heroes who handicapped with only human abilities.
I can think of no better time than Human Trafficking Awareness Month for B.D. to share. His passion is to raise awareness of sexual slavery, and he does so through his writing. In fact, a portion of the proceeds of every book he sells goes to support the victims of sex trafficking. So without further ado, I will turn the blog over to Author B.D. Lawrence:
When you think of prostitution, what comes to mind? If you’re a baby boomer, is it Pretty Woman with Julia Roberts? Or if you’re older, maybe Miss Kitty, from Gunsmoke? She was a madame. Hollywood has and continues to glamorize prostitution. It’s just another occupation a woman chooses.
Reality is far from this fantasy. Fortunately, authors are starting to get it right. I’ve read books by Brian Shea, Terry Toler, and Charles Martin, whose books show the true nature of prostitution, better known as sex trafficking or sexual slavery. Yes, slavery. This is the modern-day form of slavery.
The average age of a girl trafficked is thirteen. In Phoenix where I live over 60% of human traffic victims come from the child services system. However, this percentage is declining, which means more and more are coming from “normal” homes. One of every four trafficked children were part of a special education program.
I worked in a church youth group for eleven years. I had the privilege of knowing many amazing teenagers. One day when contemplating my next novel, I started thinking about sex trafficking and how angry I’d feel if any of the youth I worked with became victims. I decided that was a topic I wanted to focus on with some of my stories. And out came An Angel and a One-Armed Man.
I wanted to portray sex trafficking as it really is. Not a glamorous profession, but a trap that lures young victims, brainwashes them, hooks them on drugs, and potentially destroys their lives. And that idea spawned my private detective, Lefty Bruder. A former St. Louis County police detective, he had a high school friend who became a victim of human trafficking and disappeared. Lefty (who then went by George) ran into her later while working a case and they renewed their friendship. He tried for years to get her out of the life, but she never could leave it. Holly Day, Lefty’s friend, gave him the right perspective, that the girls on the street were victims, not perps. The ones using them and abusing them are the real criminals. You can read about how George Bruder became Lefty Bruder in the novella, A Vigilante and a Two-Armed Man. And you can read about Holly Day and Lefty’s first private eye case in The Finger Snatcher and a One-Armed Man, which is included together with the vigilante novella. In this story, his former lieutenant, a Christian, unlike Lefty, believes God’s purpose for Lefty is helping those who are victims of human trafficking.
One sad statistic around sex trafficking I mentioned above is the large percentage of victims that are or were part of a special education or special needs program. In the second book of The One-Armed Detective series, The Coyote and a One-Armed Man, Lefty is sent to Phoenix, AZ to rescue an autistic girl who was sold by her own father into sex trafficking. This is also a sad reality, that many victims are introduced into or sold into sex trafficking by family members.
Lefty Bruder in the printed word is helping fictional victims of sex trafficking. Therefore, I decided as the creator of Lefty, I should also help the real victims of human trafficking through my writing. Like Shea, Toler, and Martin, I want to show what human trafficking truly is. In addition to bringing awareness of this horrendous problem, I’m donating half of my royalties to an organization that helps these victims.
Therefore, you, as a reader, can also help victims of sexual slavery.
More about B.D.’s One-Armed Detective Series:
Lefty Bruder is a former St. Louis County Police detective who loses his right arm in the line of duty. He has always had a soft spot for girls trapped in sex trafficking. His former lieutenant arranges a private investigation license for him after his accident and convinces Lefty he has a calling to help rescue trafficked girls.
A Vigilante and the Two-Armed Man is the story of how Detective George Bruder becomes Lefty Bruder. This novella also includes a short story titled The Finger-Snatcher and a One-Armed Man. This is Lefty’s first case as a one-armed private investigator. His friend, Holly Day is murdered, and he is determined to find out who killed her and why.
An Angel and a One-Armed Man tells the story of Lefty’s rescue of a runaway teenager named Angel from Iowa. In this story, Lefty meets Eileen Seager, who becomes a partner and good friend of his.
Angel has a friend who is sent to Phoenix. In The Coyote and a One-Armed Man, Lefty goes to Phoenix to recuse an autistic girl sold into sex-trafficking as well as to Mexico to rescue a twelve-year old girl stolen by a highly placed cartel member.
Author B.D. Lawrence brings the cruel world of sex-trafficking to light with his One-Armed Detective series. He is currently working on book four where Lefty and Eileen help a family who lives in Navajo Nation try to find their daughter who Lefty suspects has been sold into sex-trafficking.
About the Author:
B.D. Lawrence has always loved reading fiction. Ironically, though, his worst subject in high school was English. One night, sitting in a master’s level computer programming class, daydreaming about vigilantes, he decided to give writing a try. Out of that came his first novel, which went nowhere. That was many years ago. During his writing journey he’s dabbled in several genres, including mystery, suspense, science fiction, fantasy, and literary fiction.
He currently is focusing on crime stories of justice, vengeance, and redemption. He hopes his Lefty Bruder private detective series will not only entertain lovers of P.I. fiction but will also help fight the scourge of human trafficking by raising awareness of the awful crime of sex trafficking. He also wants his books to bring hope to readers that may not know Jesus as Lord. Not all of his stories are Christian, but all his novels will be written from a Christian world view and present the Gospel in some form by some character or characters.
B.D.’s Links:
Brian’s Website: http://www.bdlawrence.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bdlawrencewriter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bdlawrence13/
X: https://twitter.com/BDLawrence3
Check out The One-Armed Detective Series on Amazon and KU: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09MMCBCJH
Aubrey Taylor Books 
Hello my Sister, I am taken by this writer and his commitment to helping the victims of sex trafficking. Thank you for sharing. I have written down the name of the author and want to read his books as well. God bless him as he reaches out to the sick and suffering. He practices his love for those less fortunate through his generous giving. May the Lord bless him abundantly.
I have not had the time to meet with you. I am so sorry. We are scrambling to get everything ready to leave for Florida. I am anxious to read your book and think it will be the right time to focus once we are settled there. I am going to go on Amazon and place an order for it there. My heart and my prayers are always with you and your family.
Love In Christ, Debbie Gonzalez
LikeLiked by 2 people
Wonderful, I hope you enjoy his work! Have a safe trip. We’ll be in touch.
LikeLike
Thank you so much. I hope you enjoy the books.
LikeLike
Excellent guest post by Lawrence. Grim topic indeed. If we Christians don’t talk about sex trafficking and write about it, that doesn’t mean it magically goes away.
LikeLiked by 2 people
You’re exactly right. It’s sad the lack of media coverage on this.
LikeLike