Behind Three and a Half Weeks...
Well, I blogged the reason I wrote Complements so I suppose I should do the same for Three and a Half Weeks. A reviewer called it a blatant rip-off of 50 Shades. She didn't read the front matter, obviously. You know, when I read 50 Shades, I almost went into cardiac arrest at the multitude of exact details that trilogy shared with my original novel and its sequel (Complements). True, we both used Twilight as a template but the common ground James' books shared with mine was entirely original. I started counting them and stopped when I reached thirty. So perhaps we might conclude that that author and I think alike?
Well, not for Three and a Half Weeks because that book began its life as a spoof on 50 Shades. After my husband yelled at me for having a messy desktop, I started cleaning online house and was about to delete the few chapters I had of this story. But then I said, hmmm. Wonder if it would make a good fan fic story? So I posted it there and it got an amazingly robust reception.
When it was finally done—and I wrote the whole thing chapter by chapter, making it up as I went along—I had over 600 pages. It seemed a shame not to publish it, especially when it had things to say, not the least of which was the horror of human trafficking, particularly for women. And it presented characters who enjoyed kink and made no apologies about it nor claimed psychological damage. Plus, it had some great lines (e.g. "Every good criminal, be he investment banker or Russian mobster, knows the importance of diversifying").
Another reader sniped that Natasha was a paint-by-numbers caricature. No, she was modeled after an eponymous cartoon character. So there!
Three and a Half Weeks is a book within a book. The first-person narrative is the main character, Ella, writing a sequel to her bestseller—the crux of the novel. The third-person narrative is the book about Ella's book and its origin, her meeting with the irresistible Ian Blackmon.
Hey, it's not high literary fodder but it's a fun book, decently written, if I say so myself. I've always been told by professors and other authors alike to trust that readers will "get it." But every time I read a negative review and see how far from getting it some readers are, well, it's downright depressing. To my 4- and 5-star reviewers: bless your hearts and minds for "getting it." For my own peace of mind, well, thank God for blogs and for my cheerleader readers. Love to y'all.
Peace out. :D
Well, not for Three and a Half Weeks because that book began its life as a spoof on 50 Shades. After my husband yelled at me for having a messy desktop, I started cleaning online house and was about to delete the few chapters I had of this story. But then I said, hmmm. Wonder if it would make a good fan fic story? So I posted it there and it got an amazingly robust reception.
When it was finally done—and I wrote the whole thing chapter by chapter, making it up as I went along—I had over 600 pages. It seemed a shame not to publish it, especially when it had things to say, not the least of which was the horror of human trafficking, particularly for women. And it presented characters who enjoyed kink and made no apologies about it nor claimed psychological damage. Plus, it had some great lines (e.g. "Every good criminal, be he investment banker or Russian mobster, knows the importance of diversifying").
Another reader sniped that Natasha was a paint-by-numbers caricature. No, she was modeled after an eponymous cartoon character. So there!
Three and a Half Weeks is a book within a book. The first-person narrative is the main character, Ella, writing a sequel to her bestseller—the crux of the novel. The third-person narrative is the book about Ella's book and its origin, her meeting with the irresistible Ian Blackmon.
Hey, it's not high literary fodder but it's a fun book, decently written, if I say so myself. I've always been told by professors and other authors alike to trust that readers will "get it." But every time I read a negative review and see how far from getting it some readers are, well, it's downright depressing. To my 4- and 5-star reviewers: bless your hearts and minds for "getting it." For my own peace of mind, well, thank God for blogs and for my cheerleader readers. Love to y'all.
Peace out. :D
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