L. Marie Adeline's Blog, page 3

On the casting of Christian Grey, Ana Steele...and Scarlett O'Hara!!!

Casting the characters for the movie version of Fifty Shades of Grey was always going to be fraught–with such a passionate and vocal fan base. I wonder how E.L. James braced herself. I pictures a few belts of scotch, one of the producers on the phone, the screenwriter on speaker, she presses ‘tweet’ on her computer with the same nervy determination of a president pressing a doomsday button.

“There. Okay…here we go.”

They knew there’d be dissenters, but even I was stunned by the negative reactions, most laced with the language of betrayal and heartbreak. A petition even went up on Change.org, garnering thousands of signatures overnight, calling for the casting of fan favorites Matt Bomer and Alexis Bledel, as though they’d been waiting in the wings for fans to change the filmmakers’ minds.

Casting is a top secret, highly political dance. Having only been involved on a TV level, (and only reality TV at that), I can only imagine what strings are pulled, schedules are shuffled and favors are promised at that level in Hollywood to secure any stars in any movie, let alone a franchise as big as this. I do know this: if they weren’t perfect for the part, if they didn’t blow away the director AND Ms. James—who had full say in the selection—they wouldn’t have been chosen.

For the record, I think they’re both excellent choices, precisely because they are not what I expected. These are risky choices. But this is a ballsy franchise. After all, the book itself is popular because it took readers places they didn’t expect, made them consider things they’d never considered before and charged their imaginations in ways they couldn’t do on their own.

Charlie Hunnam and Dakota Johnson are perfect for the parts precisely because they’re not imprinted on readers’ imaginations. Fans, instead of rejecting these choices should consider rejoicing in a chance to experience the thrill of the book all over again—with new eyes, new reactions and new experiences.

I hope the filmmakers take comfort in this: America when into paroxysms when it was announced that their beloved Scarlett O’Hara from “Gone With the Wind” would be played by an unknown British stage actress named Vivien Leigh. She’s not American! She’s too pretty! She has dark red hair! She’s too old! No!!! Fans of the book wanted Bette Davis who would become synonymous with ‘Southern Belle’ after “Jezebel” was released in 1938. But that’s precisely why she wasn’t cast; she’d already played that part. Too many people had imagined her as Scarlett. There’d be no surprise. Fine, fans said, what about Katherine Hepburn? She’d be perfect. She’s thin, imperious, head strong! That too was a no-go, mostly for a perceived lack of chemistry between her and Clark Gable. Even Lucille Ball was considered. The producers remained firm: Vivien Leigh was their perfect Scarlett. The proof would be on the big screen.

And it was.

Can you imagine anyone other than Vivien Leigh in that role? I bet fans will be saying the same thing about the actors playing Ana and Christian. Which brings me to my final point: not many actors or actress would welcome the baggage that comes with taking on these iconic roles. Yeah, maybe your favorites weren’t cast in the film, but how do you know they even wanted the parts? They might be doing their own private celebratory dance and breathing a collective sigh of relief. I say keep an open mind; this cast has just added a few more interesting shades to the story.

Thoughts on Madonna...

Woke up thinking about Madonna and her new set of grillz. She's ten years older than me but had always served as a beacon in some ways, representing an extreme, theatrical example of what it meant to be a modern, potent feminist.

Today she is a brand (and I don't mean this as an insult, she just is) and as a brand her job is to court the next generation of fans. Hence, the grillz, the booty popping, and whatever she's doing to her face.

Yet, I can't deny her impact on my life and my work. Reading this article from Rookie this morning, I remembered it was quotes like these that I still laud her for, because she said them at a time when few equated sexual expression with feminism. Now it seems de rigeur, but it wasn't so in the '80, the naked hippy long left in the dusty wake of the stampeding yuppy.

“I may be dressing like the typical bimbo, whatever, but I’m in charge. I’m in charge of my fantasies…Isn’t that what feminism is all about?” MADONNA

I like this quote because it simplifies feminism, boiling it down to two essential ideas: Equality and Agency. "Pay me the same respect as men (and the same damn paycheck), and don't tell me what I can do with my body."

That's it. Madonna has always represented those two things powerfully. And for that, I will (begrudgingly) always love her.

http://rookiemag.com/2012/05/literall...

What do you find sexy?

What do you find sexy? Who’s your fantasy man? When you write a book about a secret society of women that recruits fantasy men, people are going to ask you this question. So here goes. There are two men who “do it for me”. This blog post concerns Fantasy Man Number One: Louis C.K. Obviously I don’t know the guy, but I’m a fan. Not just the “laughing-at-the-back-of-a-comedy-club” type fan. I’m a fan of how hard he works to be humane and funny, smart and funny, compassionate and funny, honest and funny. It’s so easy just to be funny at any and all expense. The Internet is built upon that shoddy foundation. But it’s damn hard to weave a bit of kindness into the joke, because it requires that you approach your work like a grown up and not take the easy route, ever. And that kindness shows through, becoming deeply sexy, thereby completely mitigating what he might find unattractive about himself. He calls himself out for not being traditionally handsome, (in the same vein as S.E.C.R.E.T. men) but even that’s sexy because he does it in such a funny (non-self-loathing) way. This man is sexy because he’s had to learn to be comfortable in his own skin. He wasn’t born that way. And he wears it well. Plus he seems to genuinely like women–when they’re not scaring the hell out of him.

I wish more S.E.C.R.E.T. readers were into red-headed, pasty-skinned, paunchy, freckled, morose, funny thinkers, with stained shirts, because I’ll tell you, if I opened the door of the Mansion and found Louis C.K. sitting on a firm sofa surrounded by a lot of big pillows, cable TV, take-out sushi and a bowl of microwave popcorn, I’d be a very happy candidate. Send me your thoughts on what you find sexy in a man via Twitter @secretnovels or Facebook /lmarieadeline

S.E.C.R.E.T Shared book covers

I’m am SO excited to (finally!) share the covers for S.E.C.R.E.T. SHARED, both the U.S. and Canadian covers. Seeing how your book is interpreted by designers is something that will never get old— and I feel really lucky to have two beautiful covers that express different aspects of S.E.C.R.E.T. Shared. Here’s my take on what I love about them both:

Canadian version: the red ribbon is a delicious detail since, as you’ll read, red is a very important color throughout S.E.C.R.E.T. SHARED and not just because Dauphine Mason (Daphne en Francais), our new S.E.C.R.E.T. candidate, has long, beautiful red hair. The restraints hint that the stakes are higher in this book, and Cassie’s sexual confidence, though welcome, brings with it another host of obstacles she must overcome in order to be with Will, the love of her life.

American version: we obsessed over every detail on this cover! It perfectly captures a key moment in the book that takes place in a dark tango club in Buenos Aires. It alludes to clothing and costumes which play a pivotal role for both Dauphine and Cassie, who must “shed” a lot of layers to find that essential sexual self at the center of every woman.

Here’s the facebook link  for the American and Canadian covers…please let me know what you think.

S.E.C.R.E.T. Shared !!!!

I'm am SO excited to (finally!) share the covers for S.E.C.R.E.T. SHARED, both the U.S. and Canadian covers. Seeing how your book is interpreted by designers is something that will never get old--- and I feel really lucky to have two beautiful covers that express different aspects of S.E.C.R.E.T. Shared. Here's my take on what I love about them both:

Canadian version: the red ribbon is a delicious detail since, as you'll read, red is a very important color throughout S.E.C.R.E.T. SHARED and not just because Dauphine Mason (Daphne en Francais), our new S.E.C.R.E.T. candidate, has long, beautiful red hair. The restraints hint that the stakes are higher in this book, and Cassie's sexual confidence, though welcome, brings with it another host of obstacles she must overcome in order to be with Will, the love of her life.

American version: we obsessed over every detail on this cover! It perfectly captures a key moment in the book that takes place in a dark tango club in Buenos Aires. It alludes to clothing and costumes which play a pivotal role for both Dauphine and Cassie, who must "shed" a lot of layers to find that essential sexual self at the center of every woman."

Here's the web link with both covers...thanks so much and please let me know what you think.

http://www.secretnovels.com/books/s-e...

Brazilian Book Trailer

Watch this video on YouTube.

Why the Pseudonym?

This is a question I get a lot. Why the pseudonym? I wish I had a better answer for why I chose to write the S.E.C.R.E.T. trilogy under L. Marie Adeline instead of my name, Lisa Gabriele. Truthfully when my editor and I were putting the bow on the first book, the conversation naturally devolved into, “So what’s your pseudonym going to be?”  Most current erotic novelists choose a pseudonym, and I’ve never heard one of them say it’s because they were embarrassed by the book they wrote. I certainly wasn’t. I’m a working writer. That’s how I like to describe myself; I’ve written books that have been deemed (not by me, by marketers) to be literary and commercial. I’ve written for radio, TV and film, largely uncredited, and I’ve ghostwritten book about varied subjects, some I knew little about (business!), but was paid handsomely for my ability to spin a good yarn. I write. And over the years I’ve realized that I have little control over how my books are marketed and sold. That’s for marketing experts. I write ‘em, they sell ‘em. Mostly, it’s been the right approach–though I often think  my first novel Tempting Faith DiNapoli would do well as YA, there just wasn’t that category back then.

As for not wanting to be known for writing racy content, I’ve written about sex (and my own sex life) for Vice, Nerve, and Glamour, using my real name. So that wasn’t it. Mostly for me it was about putting on another hat—quite literally. When I write “as” L. Marie Adeline, I get to be a different kind of writer, a different stylist. And it keeps the criticism about the book at arm’s length, which, as a writer, is key. And I’m not talking about external critics. You can easily learn to live with those. I’m grateful to be taken seriously by critics, even when they’re critical. As for haters? They’re gonna hate. Can’t do anything about that. I’m talking about those nagging internal voices that tell you can’t do something, that it’s not in your wheelhouse, that people will laugh at your attempt to try something new. Those voices. They’re ludicrous and they’ll keep you stuck. Mostly what I love about my pseudonym is that it’s my nana’s name. She was born in 1899. So I was raised by a woman who herself was raised by one born in another century. Sexual frankness was not at a premium in my mother’s house, nor the one she helmed. When I asked my sister if it was wrong or mean to give my novel nana’s name, she said neither. She said it was hilarious. I like to see it as a kind of corrective, that the name of a woman who probably had sex twice in her life (two kids) is now on the cover of a book that’s published in more than thirty countries. I think she would have loved that.

Still thinking about Love and Sex

The characters in my books have lots of sex. Big surprise; S.E.C.R.E.T. is an erotic trilogy. But unlike other erotic novels, my characters generally have lots of sex with lots of different people. I had no idea it would generate so much talk, the idea that women would have multiple partners in her quest to accumulate sexual experience, expression and freedom, perhaps in an effort to bring all that knowledge into an exclusive sexual relationship. Or not. But it’s a question that comes up. And it goes counter to the current crop of popular novels that feature one pairing: Ana and Christian in the wildly popular 50 Shades Trilogy, and Eva and Gideon (great name!) in Sylvia Day’s magnificent the Crossfire Series.

At the heart of S.E.C.R.E.T. there is a pairing– Will and Cassie. But getting together isn’t easy for them. Intimacy is a rocky road. And while they are not together, they are with other people. Many people, in Cassie’s case. And it’s brought up the word “slut” in several conversations. Men can experiment widely and often, without wearing that ugly label. Women, it would seem, not so much—a heinous double standard that has yet to disappear. I remember in the heyday of Sex and the City, a friend of mine saying she didn’t  “buy” the Samantha character’s promiscuity. It was as if a woman who led with sex was some kind of libidinous unicorn. I don’t think she meant that a woman who had a lot of sex was unbelievable, or unattractive. It had more to do with the fact that love was not Samantha’s initial pursuit. Still, Samantha often found herself in a love relationship, she just went about it differently; she didn’t employ Charlotte’s traditional courtship rituals that included delaying sexual gratification. Mostly if she never heard from the guy again, she was smart enough not to take it personally.

Sex creates a chemical, oxytocin, in the body that can create a kind of intimacy. But it isn’t real intimacy unless both partners agree to call it that. Women are cautioned to hold off sleeping with someone they really like for all sorts of reasons. In S.E.C.R.E.T. participants are simply cautioned about that chemical. It can trick you. It can turn an otherwise specious partner into the ideal mate, just because being around them “feels good”. Cassie experiences that with her Step Three “bad boy” Jesse, and almost derails her journey in S.E.C.R.E.T. She’ll get the opportunity to explore that relationship in S.E.C.R.E.T. Book II, “Secret Shared”. And she’ll grapple with that issue some more in Book Three of the series, on the road, hopefully, to lasting love.

Am I saying that sex is the key to intimacy? Sometimes. Mostly, I think self-knowledge is the key to intimacy. And vice versa. We learn a lot about ourselves when we’re vulnerable with others. That’s why “numbers” matter less than the depth of experience. Some are shallow encounters because they’re meant to be shallow. But I think they tell us less about the other person than where we are and what we want in a given moment. That’s why “waiting” might be important, if a long-term intimate relationship is what you want. You need to sleep with people who also want that, and that takes time to suss out. Sometimes you get lucky. You sleep with someone on the first date who is on the same page as you, and wham, you’re set for life. It happens quite a bit more than we realize. But the deeper encounters—those often take time. And they’re worth risking everything for. Some people—like Will and Cassie—will eventually figure that out. They’re just taking the long way there.

Do Characters in Erotic Novels have to find Love?

It’s a question I’m asked all the time: Will Cassie end up with Will?  Can they have a happily ever after? In the S.E.C.R.E.T Trilogy (yes, it’s going to be a trilogy—so be patient), love’s an accidental outcome of great sex; it’s not the goal. It isn’t that I’m against love. I just don’t think it’s a vital ingredient for sexual exploration. In fact, sometimes love’s an impediment during that exploratory time when it’s hard to be selfish about what pleases you physically and sexually if your priority is another person’s feelings.

In case you aren’t familiar with the premise, my erotic novel S.E.C.R.E.T. is about a women-run sex club that trains and recruits all manner of men to satisfy the sexual cravings of one lucky woman they choose. The group believes that if you open yourself up (so to speak) sexually, its positive affects can cascade into other areas of your life—your confidence increases, generosity abounds, and you learn to be fearless—all which have a palliative affect on your life, and your ability to seek out (healthy, real) love.

Obviously many readers do want love with their sex. BUT I also think many readers just want sex with their sex–sex between adults who don’t have a whole lot of issues to work out except for how to get the other one naked, now. They’re not working through childhood trauma, they’re not healing deep sexual wounds, they’re just looking for physical intimacy with other game individuals. In S.E.C.R.E.T., love happens—it just happens eventually. Love is the lucky byproduct of sexual intimacy. It’s not the only ingredient. Unless you count self-love.