A horror novel author has apologized and promised to look into the trigger warnings for her book's plot after a group of TikTokers accused her of being transphobic. Brandi Elise Szeker has written ‘The Pawn and the Puppet,' which includes a transgender pedophile character, who has sex with her own son. Though the book includes a long list of trigger warnings, 'BookTok' — the subcommunity on TikTok — has demanded inclusion of "transphobia" in the index.
According to reports, one of the book’s characters, named Charlotte, has angered the people of 'BookTok'. One such BookTokerer, bookdrunkinlove, in a TikTok video has reportedly talked about the issue. TikToker bookdrunkinlove said: “The only characterization we have of a trans woman in this book is someone who purchases their own child, has sex with their own child, and then gives them money. I think that this is extremely harmful, especially since they're the only person in the entire book that is in the LGBTQ community, especially with the current climate going on against trans people.”
The description of the novel, dubbed as “a new adult dystopian romance set in an asylum”, on Amazon read: “The Emerald Lake Asylum is not a place most desire to go. Nineteen-year-old, Skylenna, however, made a promise that she must keep. Once hired, she only has one purpose—prove to the council that barbaric treatments, such as waterboarding, scalding baths, and beatings, are no longer the answer. But that all takes pause when she meets the source of terror in the asylum. A patient with a split personality—on one side, he’s the bloodthirsty genius, Dessin. On the other, a hidden persona that is buried deep in his subconscious.”
‘The Pawn and the Puppet’, published by Red Oak Publishing, LLC in April, is reportedly for readers above 18-year-old and comes with trigger warnings, like “gratuitous violence, depression, suicide, torture, domestic violence, eating disorders, hallucinations, misogyny, poisoning, sexual assault, and more.” However, after the backlash, an update has also been added that stated, “misrepresentation and some triggers will be corrected in the revised edition.”
Szeker, who herself is a creator on ‘BookTok’, issued a lengthy apology on TikTok as she said, “First of all, I wanted to apologize to everyone who was negatively hurt and affected by the traumatic scene regarding a transgender woman. I swear, harming a community was never my intention and I am deeply ashamed that it did. I also regret not being even more thorough with my trigger warnings. That was naïve and short sighted error of mine. I have spent some time with sensitivity readers who are helping me pick apart offensive content in book one as well as in the rest of the series.”
She added: “This is just to make sure that this never, ever happens again. A revised version of this book will be up soon, as well as a new list of trigger warnings that is far more specific. I do understand that many people believe that these mistakes are a reflection of my own personal beliefs and I assure you that they are not, at all. I am an advocate of the LGBTQ community, as well as a liberal with all the according views. I truly hope that you can forgive this short sightedness, this complete arrogance.”
Szeker shared her apology on her Instagram account too, where she received a lot of support in the comment section. A user wrote, “The book is dark fantasy and me personally I loved it … I literally devoured it in one day … whoever doesn’t like dark should not read dark ffs.” Another user said, “Sending you all the love and positivity
.” “Thank you so so so much for sharing your story and this thoughtful apology I’m so excited to see where the story goes next! I’m so sorry that you have been hurt by this 
.”
