Beauty in the Bruises

On the left: Scarlet Montgomery, the heroine of my debut novel Path to Ashes. On the right: me, R. A. Moritz, after a recent Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition.

Scarlet was born from pieces of me: the fighter, the dreamer, the woman who knows the beauty in the bruises.

This is my first full-length novel, and it should be no surprise that I see a lot of myself in Scarlet Montgomery, my main female lead. Splitting my time between so many responsibilities leads to endless hours of driving and mountains of audiobooks that I absolutely devour.

I’ve always been drawn to strong female leads like Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter by Laurell K. Hamilton (highly recommend giving them a read). During my time in the Marine Corps, the Army National Guard, and in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, I learned to handle problems head-on—and often with my hands. It’s no surprise I connect so strongly with Hamilton’s writing, as she, too, is a practicing martial artist.

What Anita Blake, Laurell Hamilton, Scarlet Montgomery, and I all have in common is a love for physical combat sports and the understanding that liking such things doesn’t automatically throw you into the tough “masculine” stereotype that women in contact sports often get labeled with. These women and characters are deeply faceted with qualities I often find myself reflecting on in my own life.

Scarlet is physically strong, yes, but she’s also intellectually curious, a loyal friend, and someone who still loves to go out in a tiny dress and have a little fun. You’ll see more of that in Path to Ashes. She’s not perfect. But what woman is? That’s what makes her so real to me.

In Path to Ashes, her greatest challenge isn’t throwing a punch. It’s figuring out how to face problems she can’t solve with her fists. Imagine being physically capable of handling every obstacle in your way, but being forced to find another way to resolve your issues. That tension between her power and her restraint is what makes her story so gripping. Who is Scarlet Montogomery without her strength or her marriage to fall back on? And who, or what, is she willing to become to find out?

Those questions take on a more personal tone when I reframe them for myself: Who am I in the civilian world, where I can’t rely on physical strength to solve my problems, and without the military to fall back on?

Truth is, I’m still figuring that out. Like Scarlet, I’ve had to adapt when the skills I once leaned on no longer fit the environment around me. I don’t have all the answers, and neither does she. But what I do have is a story I can’t wait to share with the world.