The mother of a student killed in the school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas, said that the shooter was rejected by a female student who he had harassed for months. 

This prompted Elizabeth May, author of fantasy trilogy The Falconer, to tweet yesterday asking women to share frightening responses from men after turning them down. 

She tweeted saying: "Hi ladies!

RT if you've have had a frightening response from a man when you've rebuffed, rejected, or otherwise ignored his advances.

If you feel comfortable enough to share your experience in the comments, I want to hear you."

Elizabeth was prompted to tweet after a man told her (obviously) that she was wrong to say women are afraid of rejecting men. 

It went viral, with many women grateful for a space to share these stories and to support each other.

Some women revealed how they had been verbally and physically abused, while others have had to call the police.

Several told of how they had been cat-called and harassed by men, and a theme developed showing how men often mistook friendliness for romantic interest.  

Here's their stories:

"Too many to count. Some of the worst ones were when I worked at a bar during uni, it was usually men twice my age, and I didn't get to work behind the relative safety of the bar because I had to sell shots on a tray, my manager told me "Just let them touch you, you'll sell more"" - AlexLHardaker

"I turned down a guy at a party in college by mentioning my bf was in the next room. The next weekend my bf was away & dude followed me into a bathroom & blocked the door & said, “where’s your boyfriend now, bitch?”" - britnidic

"Someone I met on Twitter a few years ago. We spent some time together and I realised there was no chemistry from my side. When I told him that, furious screaming, demands that he come to my house and talk it through (nope) and an abusive text barrage as a finale." - KateOfHysteria

"A man attacked me right after I told him I just wanted us to be friends, he pushed me down, grabbed my wrists and, as I yelled "No!" he whispered "You saying 'no' turns me on more". I don't really remember how I managed to escape, but I did." - JoeyJPTerror

"I broke up with him and he started hanging around the front of my building, which he claimed wasn't "really" stalking. He "joked" about wanting to kill me, couldn't understand why I didn't see the humor in it. I quit my job, sub-let my apartment, and moved to England." - liza_hughes

"Was sexually assaulted after a date in a small racist town in north Alabama. Went to report it and got arrested for disturbing peace b/c his family is prominent" - lizsutton12