Elise Marion
‘Mom, I Want to Write Erotic
Romance’. Coming Out of the Closet
Guest Post
She sat in the dining room, in her usual spot, reading a book
on her iPad, cup of tea untouched in front of her. She looked as she always
did: quiet, reserved, conservative. Mom. Yet for some reason in this moment she
was the most intimidating I’d ever seen her. My palms were sweating and I wiped
them on my jeans nervously, drawing her attention to me.
“Hey Sweet Pea,” she said, calling me by my childhood
nickname. That did it; I was going to be sick. I had something to tell her and
this definitely wasn’t a ‘Sweet Pea’ moment.
How do you tell your mom that her little girl is writing sexy
stories for a living? How do you say, ‘hey Mom, read my book, there’s lots of
graphic sex in there by the way’?
I know what you’re thinking. Mom’s are loving and supportive.
Why wouldn’t she be thrilled that her daughter was getting published? I’ll tell
you why. Because, when I was a teen/young adult, Romance novels were considered
trash in my parents’ house. I had to hide them under my mattress and read them
in hiding for fear they’d be thrown away. I’m sure all the true booklovers out
there are cringing at the thought of seeing a book in the trash. I feel your
pain, trust me; many of mine made it to the dumpster.
Yet, there was no reason to hide it. I’m an adult now … for
God’s sake I’M someone’s mom now! You’d think I’d be able to just say it and
get it over with. Yet some part of me—the part of me that cares what my parents
think of my choices—was pee-your-pants scared.
I think I must have hemmed and hawed around it for a few
minutes before finally spitting it out. Mom listened quietly and watched
closely … probably for some sign that I was joking. Yet she knew I wasn’t. As
much as she knew I loved Romance novels, she also knew I’d been a writer my
whole life. This actually made sense to her.
To this day, she is my biggest cheerleader and is probably
the only person I know who has read every one of my books (some of them
multiple times). She does raise her eyebrows at the sexual scenes and tells me
often that I ‘scorched her eyebrows off’, but her support and love never
wavers. I will always be grateful to her for making it easy to do what I love
without having to hide.
Title: The Secret Life of Avery O'Dea
Author: Elise Marion
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Website: www.elisemarion.com
Length: 29,000 words
Description: Photographer Dominic Ramsey is having a bad year. His car won’t start, the rent is weeks overdue, his girlfriend dumped him, and photography jobs have been few and far between. Moonlighting as a paparazzo to scrape up some extra cash isn't exactly going well; there’s only so much money to be made in photos of tacky celebrity outfits.
Avery O’Dea has led her life in front of the cameras since shooting to stardom in her first romantic film. When her on-screen romance becomes something more she and her Hollywood beau are, at least the way the magazines tell it, a match made in heaven. So what if Avery’s had to convert to Ryan’s vegan lifestyle publicly in order to solidify the relationship to the public eye? So what if she’s had to make a few sacrifices in order to achieve the Hollywood dream?
When a daring photographer catches her in a lie and exposes the truth of Avery and Ryan’s relationship to the world, Avery realizes just how tired she is of being ‘America’s Sweetheart’, and the elaborate cover-up becomes a burden that she no longer wishes to bear. As she locks eyes with the photographer that set her world on fire with a single photo, she begins to long for more from life; passion, love, and the freedom to live her life as she pleases.
Review
Absolutely loved this story! I really felt the intense immediate
chemistry that was flowing between the two main characters. The Secret Life of
Avery O’Dea is a fun, sensual and very realistic read that will have you
turning its pages until the very end. This is a book any romance reader will
have fun with :)
Avery is a woman that many can relate to, even if they are not movie
stars or famous in any way. She’s a tough as nails woman that does not take
what she has for granted and has had it with the whole Hollywood scene and all
of its falsehoods. She is tired of portraying someone she is not, especially
since she is very proud of her roots, success and all around what makes her,
her. Now she just has to find a way to get her life the way she wants, no needs
it to be and soon!
Dominic is a very talented yet struggling artist. He loves to photograph
and while he’s waiting for his big moment to come, he earns his living by
taking photos of celebrities and selling them to magazines and such. He does
not do it to be malicious, nor does he do it as a career. It just something to
help make ends meet, for now. When he sees a perfect opportunity to get himself
out of his current rut, he takes it (of course). But what happens from there is
shocking, hilarious and very passionate. Dominic’s life is about to change for
good.
You feel the intensity of these two characters right from when they
first meet. There’s no denying it. They both have different lifestyles they
live, but want to change, make it real to themselves. Together they make it
happen (even without meaning to) and then some! A completely satisfying story that
I’m very happy to have read!
Heat rating of 4 pillow mints
Buy Links:
Bottom Draw Publishing: http://www.bottomdrawerpublications.net/#!book-detail-pages
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Life-Avery-ODea-ebook/dp/B0093P2C9K/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1353377543&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Secret+Life+of+Avery+O%27Dea
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Thanks so much for hosting Elise and "The Secret Life of Avery O'Dea" today, Ava. I'm sure Elise will be very happy with your fantastic review.
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It's my pleasure! I love her work and am honored to host :)
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