Ever since I have released this series, when people ask me about it and I tell them that it has an anti-bullying premise to it, they always praise me and say that it’s a wonderful idea that more stories should focus on.
The problem is that it’s a lie, a good portion of stories at least include an element of bullying in it, either from peers, superiors, or even family members. Where the problem lies is that it shows bullying, but it doesn’t really show a way to stop it.
In full honesty, nobody knows how to stop it. I even mention that in my books, nobody knows. You can tell people that they shouldn’t do something, that it’s bad, but it doesn’t mean that they will stop. People don’t work that way. That is why I approach this issue from a different angle. Instead of talking to the bullies, I address the bullied. Don’t get me wrong, I do say that bullying isn’t the way to go, but it isn’t the focus. I mostly talk to the kids who are being bullied by others, explaining how they can personally solve their problems.
For example, in the second book, The Fury of Tigerclaw, the girl who becomes Tigerclaw, Jade Elizabeth, gets made fun of for her shyness. When Silver Dove confronts her as Tigerclaw her advice is to focus on herself, if she wants to be confident then she would have to work at it. You have to put in the effort if you want to improve yourself.
For Cheyanne in Chasing the Sprinter, the advice Silver Dove gives is that if her friends abandoned her after a fall from grace, then maybe she needs to get better friends who will support her.
It is very hard to fix a bully sometimes since the bullying gives them a sense of power, so maybe the focus should be placed on the bullied person instead.