The Wickedness of Sterotypes by Karina Bartow

WICKED WEDNESDAY

Please welcome my guest, Karina Bartow to Wicked Wednesday on Discover... She presents us with a wicked theme we see and hear all too often.

My new mystery novel, Accidental Allies, features several pretty wicked schemes and villains, but for the sake of keeping the mystery intact, I won’t reveal them. Instead, an underlying “wicked” theme wove into the story is one I know all too well: stereotypes.

Along with its forerunners in the Unde(a)feated Detective Series, Accidental Allies follows Minka Avery, a detective who’s deaf and wears a cochlear implant. Though Minka’s faced stereotypes throughout the first two books in the series, this installment truly shines a light on how other people’s biases about her disability have factored into her career, both in the past and the present.

Nobody personifies this better than Chief of Police Doug Friedman. Despite Minka’s history as an accomplished detective, Chief Friedman manifests a low opinion of her. In one exchange, he’s even bold enough to tell her that he only views her as a showpiece that attracts media attention.   

The mistreatment she faces may make many readers’ mouths drop, but in truth, I don’t have to reach too far to imagine this kind of rude behavior. Because I was born with Cerebral Palsy, I’ve struggled with being stereotyped for my whole life. Even in school, some attributed my honor-roll-worthy grades to the fact that I had an aide to attend to my physical needs, who must’ve been giving me academic help, as well. The majority of my aides readily admitted, however, that they didn’t wrack up the grades I earned, which propelled me to graduate seventh in my high school class.

As I was writing Accidental Allies, I faced a similar prejudice, which hurt yet more. My spirits were soaring high because I’d accomplished my dream of becoming a published author with the release of my debut novel. I thought my success would overturn the stigmas attached to me. To my disappointment, however, a guy who purchased my book at a signing had the audacity to imply that my mom wrote the book but gave me the credit! Given I type with just one hand and rarely, if ever, enlist assistance, this was quite a brutal insult.

Just the same, I don’t enjoy sharing experiences like this. I’ve also had many positive relationships with people who do appreciate my capabilities and treat me with respect. Thus, I never want to come off as ungrateful or even like I have a chip on my shoulder.

In fact, I told my editor those very words when she suggested I highlight some of the prejudices Minka encountered that contributed to her insecurities in Husband in Hiding, the opening novel of the series. Her encouragement to do so, though, helped me to realize what I could achieve with my platform as an author. While I wouldn’t load my books full of such negative instances, I could scatter a few in the plot to highlight the impact of stereotypes, in hopes of helping people view and treat others in a different light.   

Accidental Allies Blurb:

Everybody’s experienced a rocky start to a new job, but few can top Minka Avery's return to Orlando PD.

After six years as a stay-at-home mom, Minka’s nervous but excited to sit at a detective’s desk again. Before she has a chance to break in her badge, however, her career resumes with a bang when someone bombs the county courthouse.  

With many disillusioned with the justice system, several brow-raising suspects emerge right away. Minka and her new partner, Renee, follow several tips that lead to dead ends, until they zero in on the courthouse's former security guard. Their attempts to apprehend him send the city and police department into chaos. Meanwhile, Minka contends with the lingering suspicion of another party being involved. Could his accomplice be closer than she thinks?

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Karina Bartow grew up and still lives in Northern Ohio. Though born with Cerebral Palsy, she’s never allowed her disability to define her. Rather, she’s used her experiences to breathe life into characters who have physical limitations, but like her, are determined not to let them stand in the way of the life they want. Her debut novel, "Husband in Hiding," came out in 2015, followed by "Forgetting My Way Back to You," in 2018 and "Brother of Interest" in 2022. She may only be able to type with one hand, but she writes with her whole heart! 

You can find Karina here:

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