Francine Saint Marie

CONTAINS SPOILERS>>>

The Secret Trilogy affected me in such a very disturbing way. Where to start? If it were in a positive way, I would be aglow with so many wonderful things to write…there are things I am awash in, alright, but they are not positive.

Besides the overall underlying nastiness of every character but the two main women (and even they can be trying and very one-dimensional , at times) there is this huge biggie for me: the {false} claim that THE SECRET TRILOGY is an epic love story between two women, Lydia and Helaine.

Not only do they not end up together forever, what time they do get is full of sex, sex and more sex, plus a menage a trois. Everything they feel for each other is purely (or, more accurately, impurely) physical. I don’t think they have one conversation or do one thing that reflects a common interest…I don’t think they talk about anything but sex.

Now, obviously, being gay can be partly about sex, but it’s by no means all about it. It’s also romantic, emotional and mental and it really bugs me that the author (whom I highly suspect is a straight male, not a woman) did not spend one single moment expanding beyond sex.

The books has a 1980s Sidney Sheldon as written by Larry Flynt vibe to it and I was left feeling so disappointed (by the lack of a genuine love story) and disgusted (humanity, especially male humanity, does not come off well at all here) it took me hours to see past the red in my eyes.

The writer has moments where her writing is either quite funny or keenly observant...but most of the time I felt cheapened by the whole experience. I cannot understand how this novel won a Lamdba. I don't think it reflects what it's genuinely like for a woman to be in love with another woman.

Ironically...I was reading the 50 SHADES trilogy around the same time and that (S&M themes and all) comes across as much more romantic and more honest than SECRET TRILOGY.

If I could talk to the author I'd say, "Where is the love, man?"
… (altro)

Good, solid, no-nonsense advice to get you back on track. The information she providesis nothing new, bit a good refresher to authors.

"As you're already aware by now, writing is a craft, a discipline, and you've probably also heard that you should undertake to do it everyday. I'm not going to contradict this because it is essentially the truth—the more you write, the better you become at it. But, for some writers, even the most prolific ones, writing on a daily basis can prove to be a daunting task. And, since writing is such a solitary activity, there's no one else on earth that can make us do it. Here are a few useful tools and some simple tricks that I rely on to keep myself focused and motivated everyday."

Saint Marie, Francine (2009-05-15). WRITE NOW! How To Write That Novel--Today (Kindle Locations 58-59). FifthColumnBooks.com Discount eBooks. Kindle Edition. "

Saint Marie, Francine (2009-05-15). WRITE NOW! How To Write That Novel--Today (Kindle Locations 55-58). FifthColumnBooks.com Discount eBooks. Kindle Edition.… (altro)