Inside the mind of Travis Maddox - The Difference between Men and Women

My previous four books were all written from a female POV, and had a fan not suggested that I write Beautiful Disaster from Travis’s POV, I might not have made the attempt. When I was about a quarter into the book, I sent the manuscript to Abbi Glines (author of Never Too Far), who is experienced and gifted at writing male POVs to make sure I was doing it right. Her response? “You must have been a foul-mouthed frat boy in a former life.”

Truthfully, writing Walking Disaster was the most fun I’ve had writing a novel. My female main characters could never be so brash, so vulgar, so brutally honest—and still be likable. Guys punch each other for no reason, they say the most hurtful things to the friends they love most, but that’s just the way some men communicate their feelings. It’s bizarre and amusing and liberating. 

Writing Travis, though, was a heavy responsibility. He’d caught quite a bit of hell for his actions in Beautiful Disaster. And I agree that not everything he did was excusable, but flawed humans aren’t born that way, they’re made. Each experience in his life—good or bad—shaped him, and I wanted readers to understand what molded him into who he is. It’s easy to condemn damaged people, but even with his shortcomings, Travis is inherently good. All of his fighting—for love, respect, and in the underground fighting ring—stemmed from one experience in his life. An experience that is revealed in Walking Disaster.

After publishing Beautiful Disaster, I was genuinely surprised by the reactions some readers had toward Abby’s indecision. Wavering is so common, especially at nineteen and certainly when it comes to relationships. When you’re barely an adult, the inability to commit to a choice when your heart is so strongly pulling you in the other direction, is part of the journey. 

But in fiction—as in life—women aren’t given the same number of free passes to make mistakes as men. Our choices become us, even when we’re still young and learning. It’s likely this is why many readers came away from Beautiful Disaster loving Travis and feeling annoyed with Abby. When Travis made bad choices, the reader could disassociate them from him, but Abby’s choices were perceived as her inherent faults.

I would definitely like to write a male POV again. In fact, I’m partially writing from a male POV in my current work in progress, Red Hill, which is told from three different POVs: a mother who has been separated from her children, a newly single father, and a female college student. I do find it more difficult to write from the male POV though. I was already familiar with Travis, so maybe that’s why writing Walking Disaster came so naturally to me. I’ll probably write the Maddox brothers books from a female POV like I did in Beautiful Disaster, but then again I’m never sure what’s going to work until I start typing.

Walking Disaster is out now in paperback and eBook.