Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Contests, Giveaways and the RWA Con

I'm holding a July contest at Fresh Fiction and giving away a Vampire Shrink T-shirt:


Also, I've just sent in my information to participate in Fresh Fiction's August [all month] celebration of their 8th Anniversary. I'll be giving away either a Kindle Fire or a Nook Color, plus 6 of my Guided Hypnotherapy CDs and a signed copy of The Vampire Shrink. Check Fresh Fiction's contest page for details!

My Blood Therapy giveaway at Goodreads continues until September:


I'll be at the RWA conference in Anaheim, CA Wednesday, July 25 through Friday, July 27. You can find me at the Literacy Book Signing table 906 on Wednesday evening, and on Thursday, 2-3 p.m., giving my workshop, "Defining Psychic Abilities in Fiction." I hope you'll stop by!

Sunday, July 01, 2012

Thoughts About the Fifty Shades Trilogy


When I first heard about this series, I was very confused. What's the big deal about another erotic series? There are already hundreds of excellent eroticas on the market.

But that's not what this series is.

I read the Fifty Shades trilogy recently and was blown away. The author is frickin' brilliant. I'm not talking about the writing -- which is usually what people mention when they bring up this series -- or the erotic content -- which is secondary to the larger arc -- although I will say that the editing was highly questionable. No. I'm talking about the story.

E L James took inspiration from Stephenie Meyer's Twilight, Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, the movie Pretty Woman, aspects of the In Death series by J.D. Robb and a few other hugely popular franchises, then mixed the components together with a heavy dose of one of our favorite themes: redemption through love.

I totally see why this series is popular. How could it miss after combining so many previously successful plot points?

Brilliant, I tell you. Frickin' amazing. After reading the books, I just sat there, shaking my head, wishing I'd come up with the blended idea.

As a psychotherapist, I like dark psychological tales, so this one was right up my alley. I'd categorize this series as Dark Psychological Erotic Romance. And E L scored, big-time.

After reading the books, I'm now very confused by all the writers I've heard trashing the series. I suspect envy and jealousy (I certainly feel those things!). I really think I'm lucky to be able to enjoy a story that grabs me despite editorial challenges -- to see beyond the flaws. I know not everyone chooses to do that.

As author Kristine Katherine Rusch says in a recent blog post about perfection, there is no perfect story: http://bit.ly/LCBcs1

What are your thoughts about this series? No author- or book-trashing please. I'll just delete your comments.