FIFTY SHADES OF GREY by E.L. James

The fifty shades of phenomenon we love to hate. Could there be a success targeted more than E.L. James’ FIFTY SHADES of GREY?

For a time, I was aware yet, innocuous to the story’s actual premise. Influenced by chatter, I was naively under the impression it was nothing more than an erotic tale. Then suddenly, everyone is talking about it. The rumors were and still are brutal: “She can’t write. It’s repetitive. The main characters are a couple of schizophrenics. It’s the worst book I ever read.”

This combined with experience and my background left me baffled and far too intrigued. How could a book sell 20 million copies generating 145 million dollars of revenue in such a short period of time have nothing to offer? It simply had to be striking a deep seated chord within the reader’s psyche. As soon as I could muster the time, I downloaded the unabridged audio version and set out to see what all the fuss was about.

The truth is; FIFTY SHADES of GREY is a well thought through story about a deeply wounded man and the very young and naïve woman he longs to share a relationship with…At the root of his wounds, like many wounded individuals, everything is a magnification; an extremism that becomes the personal norm. In Christian Grey’s life, power, sex, money, and particularly trust are all contorted inside a man that is basically good.

For the reader FIFTY SHADES of GREY delves into the question: how far would you go to form a pact of trust with another human being?

Outside of sitcoms, society is familiar yet, shaded and bored with stories about the abused child that grows to become a deviant criminal, but they are mostly unaware of the stories about the alternative coping mechanisms. However unexpected the looming reality is individuals often learn to adapt in order to deal with the two war powers sparring within their damaged souls.

Christian Grey was born the son of a crack whore. Her evil pimp inflicted vile pain upon the young Christian. Compounding the abuse was his lack of basic needs being met. He was hungry and neglected. Abused and starving, upon the death of his mother, Christian is adopted by and affluent “good” family. Despite his good fortune, through adolescence he continues to find himself tossed into the darker side of humanity by yet another abuser.  Unfortunately, this does happen all too often.

The author brilliantly portrays an all too common syndrome that society prefers to overlook. Hyper-sexuality is a very real result of many types of abuse. On the other hand, trust is an issue the vast majority of the population longs for, and is acutely aware of their own deprivation. 

  

The story is told by Anastasia Steele the winner for better or worse of Christian Grey’s misunderstood affection. The two are very young. Anastasia in particular is only 21 years old. Staying true the character’s age and immaturity the verbiage is often repetitive, and perhaps for the love of the reader, should have received one more edit. However, the way it has been left is more true to life, sometimes it is about story not about a literary masterpiece.

FIFTY SHADES of GREY is a mature story teetering on the extremes. It peeks into a place where the dark needs and wants to meet the light halfway. 

My copy:
Version: Unabridged
Publisher: Random House Audio

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY is Available on Amazon!

PRESS RELEASE: The Wilde Passions of Dorian Gray by Mitzi Szereto

Book release: The Wilde Passions of Dorian Gray—the new novel by Mitzi Szereto

Publication date: Nov. 2013 (North America); Dec. 2013 (UK, Mainland Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, Asia, etc.)

Trade paperback

288 pages

ISBN # 978-1573449656

Publisher: Cleis Press, USA

(From the back cover):

What if Dorian Gray Faked His Death and Led a Secret Life?

Inspired by Oscar Wilde’s classic novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, Mitzi Szereto’s The Wilde Passions of Dorian Gray continues where Wilde left off with the Faustian tale of a man of eternal youth and great physical beauty who lives a life of corruption, decadence, and hedonism. The story begins in the bordellos of Jazz-Age Paris, moving to the opium dens of Marrakesh and the alluring anonymity of South America. In his pursuit of sensation and carnal thrills, Dorian’s desires turn increasingly extreme as he leaves behind yet more devastation and death. He ultimately settles in present-day New Orleans, joining forces with a group of like-minded beings known as the Night People. They inadvertently return to Dorian his humanity when he falls in love with a young woman he rescues from becoming their victim. Will she be his redemption? Or will she be his final curse?

Oscar Wilde’s iconic character Dorian Gray has captured the imaginations of readers for well over a century. A Gothic classic in the tradition of Faust, The Picture of Dorian Gray tells the tale of a young man who barters his soul in exchange for eternal youth and beauty, leading him down a pathway filled with vice and sin. Of course in a moral world such an existence couldn’t continue indefinitely, for those who commit terrible deeds are inevitably punished.

Or are they?

What if Dorian Gray hadn’t died? What if he’d staged his own death so that he could continue to live a life brimming with every decadence and debauchery the imagination could conceive of—and then some?

“Dorian Gray has fascinated me ever since I first read the novel when I was ten years old. The quintessential bad boy of Victorian literature, Dorian’s sex appeal doesn’t diminish no matter how evil he becomes. He’s an erotic villain no one, either male or female, can resist; perhaps I too, fell a little bit in love with him!” says author Mitzi Szereto, who boldly picks up the story where Oscar Wilde left off, chronicling Dorian’s whirlwind journey around the world and through time as he indulges in an endless orgy of corruption, depravity, and sex.

From consorting with the self-obsessed glitterati of the literary and art worlds in jazz-age Paris to enjoying a life of extreme sexual degradation as a war-refugee in Morocco to his calculated seduction and destruction of a monk in 1960s South America—Dorian continually searches for the next thrilling sensation until he eventually encounters another creature even more corrupt than himself when he joins forces with a group of like-minded beings in modern-day New Orleans.

The Wilde Passions of Dorian Gray is Gothic decadence at its best and will titillate and shock you until the very last page!

What others have to say:

“How could I not have loved Mitzi Szereto’s new novel about the very much live afterlife of Oscar Wilde’s wonderfully dissolute character? It touches all my buttons and begs to be read after dark...”—Maxim Jakubowski

“A debauched adventure through time and decadence! Szereto brings an authentically ‘classic’ voice to this modern tale of Dorian Gray.”—John Everson, author of Siren and NightWhere

"The Wilde Passions of Dorian Gray is a hedonistic rush that doesn’t shy away from the darker side of passion. I loved it!”—Sam Stone, author of The Vampire Gene Series

“Sizzling erotica that would make Oscar Wilde blush!”—Lucy Taylor, author of The Safety of Unknown Cities and winner of the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel

“With extraordinarily lyrical prose, (Mitzi Szereto) paints a portrait of Dorian that will stay with you forever.”—Janice Eidus, author of The War of the Rosens and The Last Jewish Virgin

About the author:

Mitzi Szereto (http://mitziszereto.com) is a bestselling multi-genre author and anthology editor, has her own blog “Errant Ramblings: Mitzi Szereto’s Weblog” (http://mitziszereto.com/blog), and is the creator/presenter of the Web channel “Mitzi TV” (http://mitziszereto.com/tv), which covers “quirky” London. Her books include Thrones of Desire: Erotic Tales of Swords, Mist and Fire; Pride and Prejudice: Hidden Lusts; Normal for Norfolk (The Thelonious T. Bear Chronicles); Red Velvet and Absinthe: Paranormal Erotic Romance; Getting Even: Revenge Stories; and In Sleeping Beauty’s Bed: Erotic Fairy Tales. Her anthology Erotic Travel Tales 2 is the first anthology of erotica to feature a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. She divides her time between the UK and USA.

Press Release: VENGEANCE IS NOW by Scott D. Roberts

SCOTT D. ROBERTS DEBUTS HIS FIRST EROTIC-THRILLER AND JOINS THE RANK OF NEW MALE EROTIC NOVELISTS

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – With the New York Times bestseller 50 Shades of Grey becoming such an immense success, interest in erotica has grown. In the past, most male erotica writers (aka as “romantica”) would write under female pseudonyms not only to attract what

is a predominantly female marketplace, but also to protect their identities — erotica didn’t always have mainstream appeal. But with the success of Shades and other big sellers like Jennifer Cruisie’s Tell Me Lies, authors like Scott D. Roberts have not only stepped out of the shadows under their true genders but have also kept their pen names.

Roberts released his first novel Vengeance is Now, which is defined by the author as an “erotic-thriller.” The book takes readers into the life of Tate Holloway, a disgraced former police detective and secret gigolo, who goes on the run after his arch nemesis and serial killer “The Eye” successfully frames him for murder.

“First, erotica has broadened and is no longer a well-defined genre,” said Roberts. “Many other genres including my book Vengeance is Now is primarily a thriller and mystery about a serial killer where the protagonist Tate Holloway happens to be a private investigator and a male prostitute. With the economy being what it has been, it’s not unusual for people to‘moonlight’; but in this case, the second ‘job’ involves sex and adds the erotic elements to the book.”

Since many male erotic writers often disguise their genders under female pseudonyms, Roberts felt that with the rise in interest and mainstream acceptance of erotica as an accepted literary genre, why hide behind a woman’s name or even hide at all.

“It’s slowly becoming more acceptable and credible to write erotic action,” said Roberts.“With the worldwide success of novels like Shades, resistance by the reviewer community is crumbling. I am trying to build a career as a serious artist and adding the erotic element means a greater chance for market success. I don’t see anything wrong with it. Most people have sex and enjoy reading about it. I think a legitimate story with erotic elements offers the perfect mix to satisfy readers who like their action to be sexy, too.”

Roberts comes from the Hollywood film community where he wrote, produced, and co-directed the award-winning documentary, “Gas Hole,” narrated by Peter Gallagher. He has written several screenplays and has had projects optioned or bought by Paramount, Columbia, MGM, EUE/Screen Gems, and New Line.

“Making a film is such a collaborative, creative process with many people’s hands in the cookie jar,” said Roberts. “Writing the book allowed me to escape into Tate’s world and enjoy the process of sharing the words on the paper with an audience. When you hand in a screenplay for a film or TV show, you have no clue how the final product will stray from your vision. 3L allowed me the freedom to do what I do, but also assist in the final product in a very ‘artist-friendly’ environment. This has truly been one of the great creative

relationships I’ve ever encountered.”

Vengeance is Now launches nationally on Amazon and into bookstores in May. Pre-sales and early release copies are available on the book website at www.vengeanceisnow.com or the 3L Publishing website at www.3LPublishing.com. The eBook version will be available on Kindle, Nook and iBook.

Get VENGEANCE IS NOW, today on Amazon!

ABOUT 3L PUBLISHING

3L Publishing offers limited traditional publishing services and acquires select manuscripts.

Each year, we select 3-5 manuscripts we will traditionally publish based on specific

criteria related to market demand and interest in book category areas for both action

and non-fiction. Other manuscripts will be consider under our hybrid publishing services,

which cross business practices of traditional publishers with self-publishers to produce

a creative and innovative publishing service. We help businesses and authors based on

our expertise in publishing books that sell take manuscripts or custom publications and

turn them into beautiful, perfect-bound books and eBook for all platforms, including Nook,

Kindle and Apple iBook. We DO NOT publish just any manuscript submitted to us. We

only consider books that we believe will sell in the marketplace and will offer a quality

reading experience. We are NOT a self-publisher. For more information, visit the website

at www.3LPublishing.com.

THE SHADOW OF THE MOON