L.V. Lewis's Blog, page 38

I have no idea what I expected when I penned my little parody. Naively, I suppose I believed I would write it, publish it on CreateSpace and Amazon, and just let it sink or swim. This hasn’t happened. As readers began to review it on Amazon, I began to get more excited about it myself, and now I have a rather unhealthy obsession with checking the various sites to see what’s happening with it.

Mind you, I haven’t become one of those individuals who believes one’s own press. Far from that. I’ve just grown to care more because my early reviewers, most of whom I don’t know, have placed their trust in my ability to deliver the rest of this story in a manner they’ll enjoy as much as they have the first installment. Which is why,even if I only please the first ten fans I’ve ever had, I will consider it a success.

On November 9, 2012, my book will be FREE. Go ahead, snag a Kindle copy while it’s free and take a moment to review:

http://www.amazon.com/Shades-Jungle-Romance-Quadrilogy-ebook/dp/B009ZL7DJQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352421938&sr=8-1&keywords=fifty+shades+of+jungle+fever

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16081136-fifty-shades-of-jungle-fever

L. V.

A day ago, I decided to arrest my fears and do what I’ve been threatening to do since I conceived  this idea about four months ago. I actually posted the cover, sent the ARC off to pre-readers, and decided to start some buzz for it by hosting a “Giveaway” on GoodReads.

There is something immensely scary about putting yourself out there for people to love or hate you, fan or pan you, review or screw you. The first eight “reviews” I received were people skewering me for jumping on the Fifty Shades bandwagon, for writing a racist, sexist and just wrong story, for being politically incorrect, for daring to exercise my constitutional right. You name it, it was said, and will probably continue to be said. It’s quite possible I’ll be wholly vilified before all is said and done.

I knew going in I would get all types, simply because I chose to parody the Fifty Shades Trilogy. If ever there were polar opposite camps, and not very much in-between for a series of books, Fifty Shades is that series. People either loved it, or hated it. Ms. James, meanwhile, is not crying in her beer over it. She got her payday regardless of people’s feelings for the books. A six-figure book deal, and six-figure movie deal may not make her a literary genius, but there’s some validation in being paid well for something you created.

As a new writer, I’m not expecting lightning to strike twice, or even thrice if you consider the Crossfire Series by Sylvia Day, and On Dublin Street by Samantha Young. Erotic romances are doing well, and I just wanted to strike while the iron is hot, and add a little diversity to the mix of this new breed of contemporary erotic romance.

It may not be your genre. You may be downright offended by the subject matter. But I love living in America because regardless of your race, sex, or national origin, here in this country, you can write whatever the hell you want. As an African American, I don’t take myself too seriously that I can’t poke fun at stereotypes that used to offend me. Despite the title, I think many will be surprised if they actually read it to see what it’s really about, and come away having been entertained. If that happens for only a few people, I will be proud to have put myself out there.

My challenge to all the nay-sayers is: HOW DARE YOU READ THIS!

When the wildly popular Fifty Shades of Grey books took off into the stratosphere, I wondered how a similar scenario might have gone with a woman of color? That question wouldn’t stop nagging me, so after a marathon of writing for about two months, I came up with the following parody of the famous trilogy from the viewpoint of a young woman from the south side of Chicago. This is Fifty Shades meets “Keisha from the Block,” if you will.

Follow Keisha on her journey into the world of BDSM. This story takes readers further into the lifestyle and in some instances makes the vanilla original FIFTY SHADES BLACKER.

This story is not intended to offend, but to entertain, and get you hot and bothered. Enjoy!