How sexy is too sexy?
In this Edition:
Quote: From my most recent read
Update: Minor publishing news & an upcoming holiday short story!
Motivate: I have movie star friends.
Book Review: Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
Holiday gifting: PJ pants.
Final thoughts
Update:
Good morrow to you!
Here’s what you might enjoy knowing about my week:
I’m 30,000 words into my 6th novel. Thanks NaNoWriMo! It’s not even pretending to be women’s fiction. It’s just straight-up romance.
My agent will soon read The Love Pentagon. It’s the next thing on her list! Woo!
I have finished my Christmas Short Story! It’s currently just shy of 12,000 words. I’ve asked a few women’s fiction writers to read it for typos and general story-line to make sure I’m not about to send out a flop of a tale, but after that feedback, I’ll turn it into a downloadable story! I also plan to narrate it to offer an audio version as well!
This story is exclusively for my newsletter subscribers, so if you want access to the written and/or audio versions, you’ll have to sign up to receive my weekly emails.
I’ve been wanting to do this for a while, so I’m excited.
The summary is below.
Short story summary:
When Marley Peters, a business owner who helps the underprivileged, thinks her husband is cheating on her with her best friend during the holiday season, she prepares for a life without her other half and a business without her partner and friend. But Santa has secrets. Unfortunately, so does Marley.
Motivate:
Recently, I got to meet an A-list actress and screen play writer wife and husband duo. They were AMAZING to talk to. He’s (the movie creator) made major motion pictures, working with big named actors like Jason Statham! I was blown away by the pair. Needless to say, I hung on their every word because I was fascinated. Though, I’m not typically star-struck.
The screen play writer gave me advice, and I was inspired by his journey to movie writing.
One thing he told me was if you want something, you have to go after it. It will eventually happen if you do the right things for long enough.
I know this. I live by this, but when people who have been successful remind me of this, it gives me a boost.
I’ll be honest with you, sometimes life and people and circumstances can make me feel like my dreams/desires/goals are impossible or aren’t going to happen.
But this man was a regular guy once (and still is really). But the only reason he got where he is now, a successful movie writer, is because he worked hard and he didn’t give up.
He also said while it was important to be kind, it was equally important to avoid being a pushover.
I tend to be a nice person, but at times, I’ve definitely been a pushover. I don’t like pushing back because there’s the potential for confrontation, which I loathe. So much.
But people who lead have to have a sense that their thoughts and opinions are worth something. It’s not arrogance, but it’s a willingness to accept/know what you want and not settle, show people that you won’t settle.
It was another excellent reminder for me.
It also made me want to be around people who have already achieved what I want to achieve. Success breeds success. And the people you surround yourself with can lift you up or bring you down.
Who are you keeping company with? Those that support you and lift you up in your everyday endeavors? Or are you hanging with people who pull you down? And if the answer is yes, can you change that?
How sexy is too sexy?
This topic is inspired by the romance novel I just finished reading (review below). Everything was going along fine, a seemingly innocent romance and then boom: sex! Lots of it. Too much of it.
Heat levels in romantic women’s fiction and romance:
Heat level 1: Clean. No strong language used. Maybe a kiss, some hand holding, but nothing more.
Heat level 2: Sweet. Kissing, sex likely happens, but it’s off-screen or “fade to black”. We see the moments leading up to or the moments after the deed.
Heat Level 3: Sensual or Middle of the road (PG/PG-13). Might go to second base or third. Nothing too explicit. Sex happens on-screen, but no explicit language is used. The focus is more on the emotions and the characters are usually in love.
Heat level 4: Steamy. sexual intercourse happens on-screen, body parts described, everything’s described in detail. The sex is usually a part of the character’s arc (characters may move from having sex to making love over the course of the novel.)
Heat level 5: Erotic or Spicy. Lots of on-screen sex that is explicitly described. More than “normal” sex occurs here. Graphic. (This also include multiple partners, aberrant sexual practices and…well, surely you get the picture.)
Romance in women’s fiction usually doesn’t go past a 2-3.
For my books:
The False Flat is heat level 2.
The Love Pentagon is heat level 3.
The novel I’m working on now is also likely to be a 3.
I can’t see myself going higher than heat level 3. I’m pretty sure that’s my comfort zone.
I don’t mind reading heat level 4, but I do not enjoy heat level 5.
What’s your comfort level?
Book Review:
Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
Category: Rom Com (Romantic Comedy)
Published only in August of this year, this is a very popular book, which is why I decided to try it out. I started reading The Love Hypothesis, another book by this author, long ago, and I can’t remember for sure, but I don’t think I finished it.
This one is a really tough book for me to review.
Because I come from a science background, I enjoyed the science/medical influence. It feels like a smart read because there’s a lot of, what seems to be, factual data within the pages. Ali Hazelwood has a Ph.D. in Neuroscience, so she’s able to effectively weave believable nonfiction into her fiction work.
I was drawn into this book and curious. I believed I was enjoying it. Then I started talking about it aloud, and I realized there were a lot of things I was overlooking in order to recommend it.
1. Man vs woman: While I wouldn’t call myself a feminist, I appreciate and strongly advocate women being treated fairly with equal opportunity and pay. And I think calling out injustice is how change happens. This book may represent exactly what happens in the real world, but, for me, it’s a little too hostile. It borders on “man bashing.” Some men deserve to be bashed, and sometimes the semi-disrespectful humor is just funny, but occasionally, I’d find myself looking the other way, focusing on the pearls instead of what I didn’t like.
2. The sex. When it comes to romance, I love steam, but I’m also very aware that what steam is to others, is just too much for me. This book was filled with sexual tension (the good kind) until the 65-75% mark, and then…wow, it got graphic, too graphic for me. It went from little heat, to heat level 5 (see above)
3. Crude humor: I just don’t care for potty humor. But so many people do! Maybe you’re one of them, and I say, everyone has a right to like or dislike anything they want. Some of the humor in this book rubbed me the wrong way. Now, because of the way it was handled, even I found the levity in some of it, but if I had my way, there would’ve been less of it in this book.
This book is well-written. It’s smart and funny, and I did enjoy the concept as a whole. Will I recommend it?
Well, that’s really for you to decide given everything I’ve said above.
Here’s what other people think:
On goodreads, this book gets high marks: 4.03/5
122,288 ratings 19267 reviews
Goodreads summary:
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis comes a new STEMinist rom-com in which a scientist is forced to work on a project with her nemesis—with explosive results.
Bee Königswasser lives by a simple code: What would Marie Curie do? If NASA offered her the lead on a neuroengineering project - a literal dream come true - Marie would accept without hesitation. Duh. But the mother of modern physics never had to co-lead with Levi Ward.
Sure, Levi is attractive in a tall, dark, and piercing-eyes kind of way. But Levi made his feelings toward Bee very clear in grad school - archenemies work best employed in their own galaxies far, far away.
But when her equipment starts to go missing and the staff ignore her, Bee could swear she sees Levi softening into an ally, backing her plays, seconding her ideas... devouring her with those eyes. The possibilities have all her neurons firing.
But when it comes time to actually make a move and put her heart on the line, there's only one question that matters: What will Bee Königswasser do?
Gift season:
The cozy factor
As you’re picking out gifts for your female (or male) loved ones, I thought I’d share my favorite place to buy pajama pants.
Fun fact: I wear flannel PJ pants to bed every night. Summer, winter, doesn’t matter. And my favorite place to purchase them is the store Aerie. That’s also my eldest child’s name (we did not name her after the store. Just a happy coincidence.)
One of the models on the website has a large gap in her teeth, probably another reason to buy them. (winking emoji. For those of you who don’t know, I sport a gap between my front teeth you can suck an elephant through. I’m self-conscious about it, but not enough to actually DO anything about it.)
I usually buy a pair every year. This year’s version isn’t as nice as last, but they’re still a fantastic gift to give and better to receive.
The Aerie Flannel Skater Pajama Pant is made of 51% Cotton, 49% Rayon (viscose), has an elastic waistband, is available in LONG sizes, and has POCKETS!
I refuse pajamas without pockets. They’re horrid. Forgive me if you have no pockets in your pajamas. I still love you, even though you’re living life wrong. And for those of you who don’t wear pajamas…phew, I got nothing for you.
Final thoughts:
This week I hope you read well, surround yourself with positive influences, get cozy, and concerning the other thing…you’re already sexy, so just keep being you. ;-)
And don’t let people push you around, you sexy thing, you!
p.s. Loving this blog? Get my weekly content: timely updates, book reviews, book bonuses, essentially, ways to love yourself, others, and books! And get email-only specials. Sign up for my weekly newsletter.
Until next week, much glitter,
Melissa
