TELL ME WHEN BLOG HOP - Stalking Awareness Tips

Did you know that January is National Stalking Awareness Month?

In honor of Stina Lindenblatt's debut release, she's doing a blog hop to raise awareness of the dangers of stalking.  Kudos to Stina for writing a story propelled around a most well-needed talked about subject!

There are many forms of stalking and you don't have to be a well-known celebrity to become a target.

Here are a few tips to help protect you:

First of all, if you feel you are at risk and need help, please call the S.A.F.E., Inc. 24 Hour Crisis Line 1-800-527-7233

•  Intuition is everything. Do you get the feeling you're being watched? Do you sense toxic energy from a certain someone? Or maybe the place you are about to visit feels shady. Listen to that gut.

•  Be aware of your surroundings. You don't have to be paranoid to be aware. It's easy to become a target if you're unaware what's going on around you. Don't put your guard down. Pay attention. Especially if you are walking alone. Don't get distracted by your phone. Predators and stalkers look for easy targets, don't become one.

•  Don't post family photos to the public. This includes Facebook and Twitter, or any other social media. Save personal news and pics for a private profile. Then again, there really isn't such a thing as private. Use your own discretion. And remember oftentimes photos you post are also usable by the social media outlet you signed up with.  It's always a safe idea not to share the names of your kids too. Also, when sharing photos from a cellphone make sure you set your settings so that it's on private mode. Here's a video on how to stay safe. I've included an easy check list below.

Go under your settings to:

GENERAL

SETTINGS

LOCATION SERVICES

CAMERA

TURN OFF CAMERA

• Don't check into places while you're there. It's a perfect opportunity to, well, stalk you. Don't mention your location. Nobody needs to know where you are at that exact moment. If you really want to share you've been at a special place, share after you've left. Although, if you share it publicly, I advise not to share the exact location or city.

• Always keep a pen and paper handy or make good use of a Notes ap on your phone. Jot down license plates to suspicious cars. Better be safe than sorry. Months ago, I watched a true crime episode on TV and the only way they were able to track the predator down was by jotting down a description of the man and his license plate.

•    If something doesn't feel right, tell someone. Anyone. Unfortunately I once had encountered a stalker experience, and I'm thankful that I voiced my gut feeling to someone. And please don't be afraid to ask for security when entering a store if needed.

Call the police if something suspicious is going down. What you think may be harmless could very well be something worth letting law enforcement know. 

TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS!!! 

Don't question it.

Here are a few blogs offering great tips and stories:

Safety 101: STALKING by Sheri Larsen

Tell Me When Blog Hop: Stalking Prevention by Stina Lindenblatt

TELL ME WHEN: A Personal Stalking Story by Writers Helping Writers

Facebook Safety Tips Video

Stina's New Adult novel TELL ME WHEN releases on January 20^th!

Amber Scott should be enjoying life as a college freshman. She should be pursuing her dream of becoming a veterinarian. She should be working hard to make sense of her precalculus math class.

She shouldn’t be waking up her college roommate with screaming nightmares. She shouldn’t be flashing back, reliving the three weeks of hell she barely survived last year. And she definitely shouldn’t be spending time with sexy player Marcus Reid.

But engineering student Marcus is the only one keeping Amber from failing her math course, so she grudgingly lets him into her life. She never expects the king of hookups will share his painful past. Or that she’ll tell him her secrets in return, opening up and trusting him in a way she thought she’d never be able to again.

When their fragile future together is threatened by a stalker Amber thought was locked away for good, Marcus is determined to protect her–and Amber is determined to protect Marcus…even if that means pushing him away.