Gabriel’s Redemption Cover Reveal Plus Q and A With Sylvain Reynard

Posted on April 22, 2013 by 17FL

*puts finger to lips* Shhhhhh. Don’t tell Fifty, but today’s post is about our other book boyfriend – Professor Gabriel O. Emerson.

Fifty Shades of Grey

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I am indebted to the following people for their help and support:

…..

To SR, thank you for all the helpful advice from the start and for going first.

For those of you who don’t know, SR is the one and only Sylvain Reynard…friend and confidante of E L James, former Twilight fanfiction writer (The University of Edward Masen [UoEM]), and bestselling author of Gabriel’s Inferno and Gabriel’s Rapture.

Gabriel’s Inferno and Gabriel’s Rapture left old fans and new fans alike wanting to read more about the beloved main characters, Gabriel and his Julianne. SR’s response?

Summary:

“Professor Gabriel Emerson has left his position at the University of Toronto to embark on a new life with his beloved Julianne. Together, he’s confident that they can face any challenge. And he’s eager to become a father.

But Julianne’s graduate program threatens Gabriel’s plans, as the pressures of being a student become all consuming. When she is given the honor of presenting an academic lecture at Oxford, Gabriel is forced to confront her about the subject of her presentation – research that conflicts with his own. And in Oxford, several individuals from their past appear, including an old nemesis intent on humiliating Julia and exposing one of Gabriel’s darkest secrets.

In an effort to confront his remaining demons, Gabriel begins a quest to discover more about his biological parents, beginning a chain of events that has startling repercussions for himself, Julianne, and his hope of having a family.”

The final installment of what is now known as Gabriel’s Trilogy will make its debut on December 3, 2013. You can pre-order via Amazon (print and ebook) here.

We asked SR to take part in a game we played with Ms. James (here), offering him six ‘Would you rather . . .’ questions. Of course we had to throw in our 50 cents. ;)

1. Fun night out at a Maple Leafs game or classic rock concert? I’m a Habs fan so it would have to be the concert. The Leafs…. (shakes head).

*We wonder how many times SR has seen The Police in concert…

2. Buy a lady jewelry or shoes? Jewelry. Definitely. Although I can admire footwear as much as the next person, provided the next person is not the Professor.

*We’re of the opinion that one can never go wrong with gemstones.

3. Fancy yourself more like Indiana Jones or Hans Solo? Indiana Jones. He has the better sense of style – specifically, glasses and argyle socks.

*Ah, yes, we see the resemblance! Hmmm…inspiration comes in many forms.

4. Ballroom dancing or slow dancing at home? Slow dancing at home, clothing optional.

*Oh my!

5. Tropical island paradise or quiet lake house retreat? Quiet lake house retreat in a remote location untouched by civilization, but with indoor plumbing, air conditioning, and wireless so I can stay in touch with readers. Oh, and a self-catering, fully stocked bar. Let me know when I can pick up the keys. Thank you.

*We can accommodate you here in the US and provide you with fresh-baked cupcakes! Please have your passport ready!

6. Kid at heart or Wise beyond your years? Depends on the day or my proximity to the Thinkgeek website.

*Just when we were thinking Indiana Jones may have inspired SR when he created The Professor’s choice in bow ties… Now we are left wondering if it was really Doctor Who’s influence.

photo courtesy: http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/ec8a/

To keep track of SR and his argyle socks, click on the links: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads

Thanks to SR and SR’s publicist Enn Bocci (@ennbocci) for letting us be a part of the cover reveal for Gabriel’s Redemption!

If you’re a fan of The Professor, like us, then go check out the six ‘Would you rather…’ questions with The Professor here.

Fifty Shades Phenomenon Continues With Phenomenal Sales

Posted on March 27, 2013 by 17FL

It’s hard to wrap your head around the fact that combined sales (print, audio, digital) for the English, German, and Spanish versions of the trilogy is over $70 million — a figure reached in less than a year (March-December 2012).

According to Bertelsmann, the German media company that owns the trilogy’s publisher Random House, Fifty Shades is “the fastest-selling series in the company’s history.”

“It’s a gigantic number,” said Wall Street Journal reporter Jeffrey Trachtenberg. “It’s the kind of series that every publisher dreams of having.” He goes on to wonder why these three books in particular broke out, answering that “People really don’t know.”

We think he’s just asking the wrong people ;) E L James wrote an epic love story that took the Twilight fanfiction world by storm. That loyal fanbase supported her when she self-published and continued to support her when the story went mainstream, a voice that helped introduce the characters to a whole new audience. Critics can say what they will about the books, but millions of fans ~~can’t be~~ are not wrong.

Source: Wall Street Journal Speakeasy

THR’s 2012 ‘Rule Breakers’ Includes E L James

Posted on December 21, 2012 by 17FL

According to The Hollywood Reporter, “No one had more of an impact on publishing in 2012 than E.L. James.” The FSoG fandom couldn’t agree more!

WE LOVE THIS PICTURE!

The books’ success got publishers to take fan fiction and the threat of self-publishing seriously. (Grey began as a Twilight-inspired online story before snagging a seven-figure advance from Vintage.)

“I didn’t go through an agent and wait six weeks while they decided,” says the married mother of two teenage sons of her nontraditional path. The great thing about being an author, confesses James — even a best-selling one — is that “I can still get on the [subway] without being recognized.”

Those of us who have been a part of the fanfiction world for a long time know that E L James has now become the Oprah of fanfic. (Ironically enough, there are four different covers for the ‘Rule Breakers’ issue, and Oprah is featured on one of them.)

The door was only open a crack for fellow fanfic writers before Fifty Shades came along and flung it wide open. We’re thrilled to see other authors/stories getting mainstream recognition, such as Sylvain Reynard (Gabriel’s Inferno/Gabriel’s Rapture), J M Darhower (Sempre), Debra Anastasia (Poughkeepsie), Alice Clayton (Wallbanger), and Christina Lauren (Beautiful Bastard).

Hollywood is clearly taking notice too, having recently secured the rights to Sempre. With the support of a built-in fan base behind them and a growing number of new fans, we won’t be surprised if more fanfic authors find themselves landing a major publishing deal and/or getting an ”I nearly fell off my chair” email that Hollywood has come calling.

To read the complete THR article, click here.

One more time… Congrats, E!

E L James Nominated for TIME’s Person of the Year 2012

Posted on November 26, 2012 by 17FL

TIME magazine has announced its nominations for Person of the Year 2012, and our very own E L James has made the prestigious list of 40!!

Time.com “Let’s review, shall we? E.L. James — or, as friends call her, Erika Leonard — is not a prose stylist. Her work did not have the publicity machine of a major publishing house behind it. Her story was originally fan fiction; in other words, she openly lifted the characters and basic premise from another series (Twilight). It’s not a book one could read in polite company. But the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy sent tremors through the publishing world, became the talk of its mostly female readers, spawned dozens of copycats, brought S&M sexual practices into the mainstream and got her a movie deal. Oh, and it sold. It’s hard to argue with 31 million book sales.”

TIME’s editors choose the Person of the Year, but they want readers to weigh in by casting their vote for the person they think most influenced the news this year.

To check out all of the nominations and to vote, go here.

Voting closes at 11:59 pm ET on December 12th. The winner will be announced on December 14th.

Congratulations once again, E L!!

Fifty Shades of Neutral: Addressing the Controversy

Posted on March 27, 2012 by kitt

We realize there is a lot of controversy surrounding the success of these books because of the author’s unusual path to publication. It originated as a Twilight fanfiction and there are several direct comparisons (mostly the built-in character infrastructure) that can be made between the two stories. But as with any movie adaptation, several changes could be made to the characters and/or setting. So perhaps in developing the script, some of those comparisons to Twilight will be changed to lessen any similarities.

Even as Twilight fans who originally found our way to E.L. James’ story via fanfic, we remain Fifty Shades of Neutral. The question of possible copyright infringement is something that the authors, publishers, and their lawyers will have to work out. If anyone lawfully decides to halt production of this story becoming a movie, then we will observe such a ruling.

I think what we would all love is for Stephenie Meyer herself to release a statement about how she feels about the issue.

The bottom line? We are fans of both series, separately, (there’s no Team Twilight versus Team Fifty Shades here) and we will continue to be fans of both.