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Friday, April 30, 2010

Author Interview: Laura Cullen




Show of hands. How many of you have read The List? Alright. Everyone put your hands down; that’s what I thought. Laura Cullen, author of The List and several other fan fic favorites, is an amazingly talented woman who I feel privileged to know in this fandom. She is also about to be an honest-to-God published author! And because she’s just such an amazing person, she’s agreed to share with us some of her secrets about writing her novel, getting her work published, and obtaining representation. Get out your pens and paper, ladies. This is going to be chock full of tips and information for all of you aspiring authors!

Laura's novel, a paranormal romance entitled Forever Freed, will be published by the Wild Rose Press in late 2010 or early 2011 under the pen name Laura Kaye. Forever Freed tells the story of Lucien Demarco, an empathic vampire, who unexpectedly falls in love with a young single mother and her daughter, whom he planned to kill: "Love can heal a broken heart, even one that no longer beats."

Did you obtain an agent before you began querying publishers? Do you have one now?

Though I have queried near and far, I have not yet landed an agent. While most of the big New York publishing houses accept only agented submissions (i.e., submissions from an author with an agent), many of the small to moderate-sized publishers and e-publishers accept unsolicited submissions. The Wild Rose Press falls in this latter category. After unsuccessfully querying to get an agent, I identified 6 publishers that accepted unsolicited submissions. The Wild Rose Press was the first I submitted to and they were interested almost immediately. When I finish my next novel manuscript (not related to the Forever series), I will begin the process of trying to get an agent again.

When, in the writing process, did you begin querying publishers? Was your manuscript complete or was it sooner in the process?

Only query agents and publishers with a complete and polished manuscript. I can't emphasize this enough. Only established authors can get away with pitching a story concept or an incomplete manuscript.

Could you tell us a little about the process of obtaining representation and publication?

The process of obtaining representation is a lengthy and time-consuming one, and one filled with a lot of rejection -- that's something people need to be prepared for. Here are the steps to obtaining representation:

1) Complete your manuscript then revise, and revise again, and revise again, and do some polishing, and then go through one last time to polish some more. Agents don't want to hear from authors unless their manuscript is completed. And, since the etiquette is that once an agent says "no" to a manuscript, you can't resubmit that same manuscript to them again even if you've made big changes/improvements to it, you should never query until the manuscript is as good as it can possibly be. There's a saying that goes something like, finishing a novel is 10% writing and 90% revising/editing, and there's a lot of truth to that.

2) Write the following marketing documents that will be necessary during the querying process: a query letter, a 1-page synopsis, and a longer/full synopsis (roughly 1 page of synopsis for every 50 pages of manuscript). A query letter is THE MOST IMPORTANT part of the querying process. Every agent expects to see this from you and most will determine on the basis of that letter alone -- and the story blurb it includes (along the lines of the one I used for Forever Freed above) -- whether or not they actually want to read any pages of your story. A synopsis is a summary of the entire plot, including the ending. These are not easy documents to write and the same care must be taken with them as with the manuscript. Agent Nathan Bransford has excellent how-to resources and tips on his blog: http://blog.nathanbransford.com/ . And agent assistant Jodi Meadows runs a query project on her blog where she tears apart/comments on actual query letters to show you why they do or don't work: http://jmeadows.livejournal.com/tag/query%20project

3) Identify agents who represent the kind of book you're trying to sell. There are guides to literary agents available to help you do this. You will waste your time if you send queries for your romance novel to an agent who only represents mysteries, for example.

4) Begin querying, noting from the agents' submission guidelines exactly what it is they want you to submit. Some want just a query letter, some want a query letter and a full synopsis. Some want a query letter and the first 5 pages. Some want a query letter and the first 3 chapters. Etc. The point is, with both steps 3 and 4, you have a lot of homework to do about the agents and their submission guidelines before you send that first query. And these steps are a lot more time consuming than you might imagine.

5) Sit back and wait to hear from the agents you queried, and try not to gnaw on your fingernails too much or overindulge in chocolate.

6) Expect one of three responses from the agents: 1) Rejection, 2) Interested, and they request a partial manuscript, often the first 3 chapters, and 3) Interested, and they request the full manuscript. Expect that most of the responses you get will be rejections -- and, because agents are inundated with queries, the rejections are entirely form letters or one-line "Not a good fit for me" responses. Getting a request for a partial or a full is great, and the possible outcomes from there are: 1) if they requested a partial and liked, they'll go on to request the full; 2) if they requested a full they liked, they might offer representation, or 3) if they didn't like either the partial or the full, they'll reject, often without much/any explanation as to why.

7) My own stats for Forever Freed: I sent out queries to about 60 agents, and had 3 requests for fulls and 5 requests for partials, all of which were ultimately rejected. Out of the 60, 15 never replied at all.

8) The stats on agents and queries: There are a couple of agents who blog on their statistics. It's not at all uncommon to see an agent report receipt of 100-200 queries in one week, out of which they requested one partial.


Did you receive any rejections during this process and if so did they explain why your novel was rejected or was is just a blanket rejection?

You'll never meet a writer pursuing publication that hasn't experienced rejection. Writing is very subjective, and what may seem trite or unoriginal to one person could elicit a strong emotional connection from the next. Also, agents and publishers have other, outside considerations in mind as they take on new projects: if you're submitting a vampire romance and it's good, but they've just signed four other vampire romances, they may pass on yours regardless of the manuscript's high quality. Of the 8 full or partial manuscripts I've had read and rejected, only in one case did the agent bother to give me any substantive feedback about why she was passing. Agents are absolutely buried under unsolicited queries and submissions, not to mention ones that are referred to them or they've requested, so the best you often get is a form letter rejection. Here are a few typical ones from my own (thiccckkk) folder of rejections:


Thank you for taking the time to send your query and/or writing sample. While your project sounds intriguing, this is just not what I'm looking for right now. Please keep me in mind for future projects, although, due a backlog, I won’t be looking at queries again until after May 1st.

Thank you for sharing your work with me. Unfortunately, I feel that in today's market, I cannot take on projects unless I feel strongly about them. I'm sorry to say that it didn't happen with this one. This, of course, is just my opinion and others may feel differently. I wish you the best of luck with all your publishing endeavors.


Thank you for querying me about your manuscript, FOREVER FREED. I've read your sample pages, I'm sorry to say that the project just isn't a perfect fit with my current needs. This has less to do with your strengths as a writer and more to do with my goals as an agent and the trends of the current literary marketplace. I wish you the best of luck in your search for the right agent and publisher. Keep writing!


Sorry, not right for me. (Yes, that is the whole response.)


Thank you for your query. I didn’t make the connection with your material that I would need to request more, but please keep in mind that another agent may feel differently. I wish you the best of luck in placing your work.


Thanks very much for your query. I would be happy to take a look at a sample of your work. Please send the first 2 chapters to me electronically as a word attachment. Please allow several weeks to hear back from me. Thanks again for your interest and I look forward to reading your work. (YAY! YIPPEE! BREAK OUT THE CHAMPAGNE!) But then, 6 weeks later: Thanks very much for sending a sample of your story, FOREVER FREED. I very much appreciate the opportunity to take a look at your story, but unfortunately I didn’t find the first pages grabbed me in a way that I hoped they would and I am going to pass on the opportunity to read more. As I am sure you realize another agent may feel completely differently about the work, and I wish you all the best with your writing. Thanks again for giving me a chance to read your work.


What is one thing about this process that surprised you?

I've been most surprised by how important fiction writing has become to me. Before two years ago, I'd not written any fiction since high school (which was, erm, a while ago....). I couldn't imagine my life without it now. Writing fiction, I feel more intellectually alive than I have in years, and I say that as someone who makes her livelihood from a career based around ideas (I'm a college history professor). I have an idea file a dozen novel-length stories thick, and my brain is constantly percolating ideas for each of them. Inspiration strikes at odd times -- while driving and while brushing my teeth are two examples (?!) -- and it's not unusual for characters to insert themselves in my brain and hang out for a while. For example, I have Lucien (my lonely/tortured soul Italian vampire) to thank for my love of Linkin Park. I'd never once listened to their music before Lucien Demarco existed. The Beatles's "In My Life" has also become one of my all-time favorite songs -- and it's Lucien's as well. (Please don't send the men in white coats after me....) In terms of the process of trying to become published, though, the most surprising thing is just how long it all takes. And the best way to deal with the waiting? Keep writing.

Do you have any tips for would-be authors that want to make the jump out of fanfiction and into mainstream publishing?

There are a lot of very talented people writing in the Twilight fandom. So many times I've been reading a fic, particularly an all-human story (most of which would either fall into the historical romance genre or the contemporary romance genre, in terms of the romance market), and have thought, "Wow. They really should've made this into an original story. It's good enough to be published."

The biggest tip I could offer may also be the one fic writers least want to hear, and that is, stop writing fan fiction and spend the time writing your own stories.

I don't mean this to denigrate writing fan fiction at all. I've LOVED my experience writing fan fiction and made a lot of wonderful contacts and friendships. I found it a hugely rewarding experience. It's just that, once you've posted something as a fan fiction, even if you take it down and change the borrowed elements to make it purely original, it can be very difficult to get that story published (i.e., by a publisher, not self published -- the difference is that a publisher pays you to publish your work, whereas in self publishing the author pays to have their work published and/or the only distribution is print on demand (POD)). A lot of agents and publishers specifically state, in their submission guidelines, that they will not consider a story that is or once was fan fiction (the new Omnific Publishing is an exception). If you have no desire to seek formal publication, then this is obviously not a concern for you, and you should continue doing what you love, which is participating in this great fandom by writing fics. But, if your goal is to become a published author of original fiction, you need to focus on that. You need to treat it as a business. You need to write, and find a critique partner(s), and join the relevant professional organizations (for me, that is primarily the Romance Writers of America, but I also belong to several of their chapters, including my state-level chapter and their FF&P chapter, which stands for Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal), and attend writing workshops, and perhaps enter your work in some writing contests to get more feedback, and spend the time it takes to revise and query. Depending on the time you have, maybe you can find time to both write fanfics and work on your own original stories, but there's only so many hours in the day, and the kids always seem to want things like food and clean clothes....

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Twimp'd Teaser: Forsaken In My Mind's Past by WickedCurveBall74

Drama/Romance  Rated M
Bella Swan has been married to a man she’s not sure if she loves anymore for the last 10 years. She doesn’t want for material things and has 2 beautiful children, but she longs to feel the love and passion that she felt for only one man so long ago - the one man that tore her heart to pieces. Although she’s forced to see him once in a while, due to his rocky friendship with her husband, she’s promised herself to avoid him at all cost.

When a jaded and broken Bella decides to break that promise to herself one night after a fight with her jealous and overbearing husband, it turns her life upside down and sends her on roller coaster ride of lies, deceit, and revelations that test her morals as well as her knowledge of what’s real and unreal.

Will she follow her heart this time, in what might be a second chance at true love? Will she tear her family apart doing it? Will she even get that chance once the secret she’s kept from the man she left long ago is revealed?

To find out what happens, read more of
Forsaken In My Mind's Past on Fanfiction.net.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Interval Training by swimom7


Read Interval Training on FF.net here.

So, what’s sexier than a muscular Edward in tight black swim jammers stretching beside the pool? Wait. What was the question?

Interval training takes the love story of Edward and Bella, and moves it poolside. However this is not simply a Twilight rewrite making all of the vampires swimmers. The author takes Bella and makes her into a smart, goal-oriented young woman who knows exactly what she wants and works for it with everything she has. And no, Edward isn’t the only thing that she wants. Of course, she does want Edward, but she understands that he is not the be all and end all of her life. She wants to be a writer; swimming is the means to that end because it will get her the scholarship she needs to go to a top flight school.

I love this incarnation of Bella and Edward. They retain the loveable canon qualities that drew us to the story in the first place, but swimom7 makes them into real people with goals, flaws, and a love story all their own. Edward has his hang-ups. Namely, he thinks Bella should swim for the Olympics. He forgets at first that Bella has a say in this goal, but is able to see past his own desires to what Bella is really after: writing and him.

This is a beautiful story, unique in its setting and character portrayals. I guarantee that you will enjoy this love story. Go. Read it. You won’t be disappointed.

Dying by Degrees by Reamhar (AU/New Moon)



Ever wonder what might have happened if little, fragile Bella had had more guts? What if she wasn’t quite so easily pacified upon returning from Volterra from her epic trip to save dear Edward from himself? What if she didn’t give in so easily into Eddie’s sparkly charms, but instead confronted him about his blatant self-hate and his unwillingness to change her?

Well, if you were wondering all of the above and New Moon left you slightly dissatisfied with the route Bella chose, then Dying by Degrees is your story.


Reamhar, the author of this beautifully written story, has taken it upon herself to come up with a new ending to SM’s New Moon. After Bella and Edward return from Italy, Bella is faced with a multitude of issues. Charlie is upset at her for leaving without informing him where she was headed and Jake refuses to talk to her. But those are the small, everyday problems Bella faces. The biggest problem she has to confront is how to fix her relationship with Edward. While she’s still in love with him, she’s also angry. She’s livid that he lied to her, mad that his absence came at the cost of almost losing her mental health, and she’s irritated that he’s still unwilling to change her so she may become his equal.


The story follows Bella as she works out the conflict, pain and damage Edward caused with his departure in order to eventually build a new relationship with him. The story has seventeen chapters up so far and let’s just say: Edward and Bella still have some issues to resolve.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4764125/1/Dying_By_Degrees">

Monday, April 26, 2010

Twimp'd Teaser: Tell Me by blahblahblah

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Rated NC-17 AU/AH

He struggled with his keys, jangling the metal as he searched through the mass of gold and silver. His hands tugged at his hair in frustration and the copper strands flew around his head. Bella wrapped her arms around his waist and placed a kiss on his neck.

All she’d wanted was to calm him down, and get him to stop hurting himself in a futile attempt to find a needle of a key in a haystack of jagged metal. But when her hands slid across the hard planes of his stomach, she couldn’t stop herself from pressing her breasts into his back and digging her fingers into his skin. He stiffened beneath her. She could feel his labored breathing against her chest.

He turned to face her, his expression indecipherable. She read the lust buried in his eyes and the surprise stretched across his open mouth. But something softer lurked behind his features, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

She decided she didn’t care as he lowered his lips to hers, his kiss as light as a falling leaf. His hands slid up her arms and cupped her shoulders, pulling her small body closer to his own. His lips became more insistent, moving faster, harder. She melted into him for brief moment before pulling away.

“Are you going to let me in, or take me in the hallway?” she joked.

His eyes darted from one end of the hall to the other as he licked his lips. He was clearly considering it.

“I guess I’ll have to let you in,” he retorted with a smile in his eyes.

Tell Me can be found on Twilighted.net.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

BelleDean



Just like Jen, I'm pretty new to the world of fanfiction. I read the original Twilight books at some point last year and, yeah, I admit it -- I was hooked. I liked them, but ultimately not as much as the fanfiction I discovered subsequently. After lurking on the ff-site for a while and reading an awful lot of stories, I figured I give writing a crackfiction story a try. I started posting my story last year and I still haven't completed it. Needless to say, thinking that I could handle cranking out a half-way interesting story turned out to be a hell of a lot easier than actually doing it. I also discovered that there are a lot of good stories out there without much traffic and with little reviews. In an effort to give small time writers on the ff or twilighted site a shout-out and an opportunity to pimp their stuff, I joined the team of this wonderful little site.

You can find me on ff at http://www.fanfiction.net/u/2095104/BelleDean

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Twimp'd Teaser: Bless the Broken Road by funkymunky2511

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Rated M Drama/Romance
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5040627/1/Bless_the_Broken_Road

Bella has lived with a jaded perception of love, mainly because she and her family were/are con artists. When her path crosses with Edward, a handsome, rich doctor, the opportunity is too great to pass up, and he becomes her next mark.

Along the way, she falls in love, and quickly changes her plans to be with Edward. But fate has different plans for her, taking her away from her beloved.

Edward always knew that there was a mystery surrounding Bella, but it will take one hell of a bachelor party, two marriages, a funeral, a chance encounter, and a lot of mistakes for him to find out what she has been hiding for so long.

After all is revealed, will Bella and Edward be able to forgive one another?

Monday, April 19, 2010

Twimp'd Teaser: North Star by wonkeygirl

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It's five years post Breaking Dawn and the Cullens have settled in New Hampshire. Life seems quiet, but Edward is still wary and has things tightly under control to protect his family.

Renesmee falls unexpectedly ill, and the Cullens are thrown into a race against time to save her life.

An unexpected offer of help comes their way - and decisions are made that are not entirely agreed upon. The little fractures that were already there are forced wide open and the Cullens suddenly find themselves fighting each other, a fight that they may never recover from.

FanFiction link to North Star

Rated M Drama/Angst

Friday, April 16, 2010

Twimpage Staff Spotlight: javamomma0921

Total déjà vu, right?

Still, we think by the time you finish reading this post, and the handful of others that will be coming afterwards, you’ll feel a bit closer to the girls here at Twimpage. All of us are small-time authors just like you, which is why we feel so strongly about pimping out your stories so that you can get the attention that you deserve.

Let’s take javamomma0921, our Jen. Jen was the first staff member to answer the initial post on the Twilighted threads. Honestly, without her, I’m not sure that Twimpage would be holding together so nicely.

As the small-time author of The Life (and Death) of Edward Anthony Masen, Jen understands how much reviews and love is appreciated for any story in the fandom, no matter how many readers it has.

fanficcustom Having read Masen myself, I totally have to vouch on her amazing writing skills. She takes a canon fact – Edward as a teenage boy in old Chicago – and expands on it, giving us a realistic, often humorous young man that someday will become one of the most popular vampires in America.

Jen also recently entered a period-piece entry into A Very Sexy Un-Birthday Contest. To keep from ruining it for you, let’s just say it involves Edward, Bella and a lot of citrus.

*Sigh*

With all that amazing talent going for her, it’s no surprise to any of the staff members that Jen is up in the running for a Faithful Shipper award. The competition is tight, and as a small-time author, I know how it feels to be running alongside the big names of the fandom.

That being said, go ahead and check out Jen’s writing, and please – if you love her as much as I do – leave her some love in the Faithful Shipper Awards.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Fear of Fire by Chicory



Guest Review Submitted by KCerena

Read Fear of Fire here.

Victoria, James, and Aro all have their moments as Twi-archvillains. Moments of wimpitude in the extreme, that is. Enter Chicory to the badass-ness rescue, writing about the one Twi-villain who seems to be built of stronger stuff. A vampire so scary that Stephanie kept her shut up in flashbacks.

Fear of Fire is a pre-Twilight take on the time Maria visited the Cullens in Calgary. Cryptically referred to as 'eventful' in Midnight Sun, the visit is usually represented in 'fic as a one-shot-worthy killing spree. Chicory gives the event a much more interesting, elaborate treatment, developing Maria's character to a depth I haven't seen before. An author's note relishes the fun of writing a character who has no morals, who kidnaps Alice for her own dark purposes and hasn't even bothered to learn her current boy toy's name. He is her second in command, like Jasper was; we, like Maria, know him only as Second.

Second is darker and livelier than Jasper, at peace with his vampiric nature if not with his current livelihood. He is in love with Maria, who doesn't realize that she has met her match in him, though she seethes over the attention he appears to be showing Alice. That attention, in case you're wondering, is part of Second's private scheme, a scheme that is only beginning to unfold as the kidnappers run from their pursuers. Second would rather Maria be ruined than have her apparent indifference to his charms go unpunished.

Alice is torn between her sympathy for Second and her fear that Second will betray her if it suits him. She is occasionally beset by visions of what will happen to Jasper if she dies. Their concern and longing for one another are poignantly written, Jasper being a delicious fountain of angst, as always. He is going crazy with guilt at the prospect of losing Alice to a demon from his past, with definite New-Moon-Edward-esque qualms about dragging a wife into his screwed-up existence. Come follow to find out how their story will play off of Second's and Maria's!

The Black Balloon One-Shots by YellowGlue



(blinkie by RoseArcadia)


Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep and Saints Who Died as Children


Rated M; Edward and Bella, Angst/Hurt/Comfort


I will admit it. When it comes to fanfiction, I usually steer clear of the ‘questionable’ genres – Angst, Hurt/Comfort, and (worst of all) Tragedy.


(Yes, I am a total hypocrite when it comes to reading. Give me a good serving of fluffy smut any day.)


In this vein of thinking, you’d assume that I’d run as far away in the opposite direction from the Black Balloon contest entries as possible, and honestly, I would have – but for two things.


1) The fact I actually wrote an entry


2) The fact that YellowGlue wrote two entries


Many of you already know that I’m YellowGlue’s protégé. However, this review has nothing to you with blind love, and everything to do with utter masterpiece… the fact that both one-shots go hand and hand, and yet can still be read and relished alone, for one thing.


YellowGlue seamlessly weaves together the story of Edward, searching for his Bella, with angst that brings you to tears, and love that makes your heart ache. The fact that it actually does have kind of a happy ending doesn’t hurt either.


Read it – by the time you finish, I think you’ll see how both of this girl’s one-shots made it into the top 20. And please, don’t forget to go ahead and read the other wonderful entries as well – and remember to say where you came from!

Accouterments of a Vampire, by BMSequestrian




Read "Accouterments" on FF.net here.

In the Twilight Saga, there is a vampire who lurks in the corners. He is always there, just behind Alice, calming a room with his very presence. But the only time he’s given center stage is when someone needs to lose control. Perhaps when a clumsy someone gets a paper cut.

Of course, I’m talking about Jasper. He was woefully neglected in the Saga, reduced to stilted lines and dark, longing stares. What a back story he came with! Changed during the Civil War, Jasper Whitlock was one of the youngest soldiers to make Major. Do you want to know more about Major Whitlock? Join BMSequestrian as she journeys back in time to tell us about the last human days Major Jasper Whitlock and the newborn days he experiences with a vampire named Maria.

If you were wondering what the title refers to, “accouterments” are all of the tools that an officer has at his disposal. The author gives us the story behind how Jasper built up his accouterments for becoming the vampire we meet in the Saga. We learn of his last days defending the town of Galveston and the way that he handled his men. And, when it comes time for Maria to enter the picture, don’t expect the watered down version that Jasper fed to Bella. No, this will be Jasper’s own words and the raw emotions that he felt as he was transformed from Army officer into the general of an army of newborns.

This story is well written, painstakingly researched, and in canon. The author has made it a point to retain the character and maintain the canon timeline. Her Jasper jumps off the page and you get a clearer picture of the vampire who the Saga relegates to a thirsty wall-flower. Definitely check out this wonderful fic and leave her some love! Tell her Twimpage sent you!

Review: Weighing In: Losing to Gain by HEAR





Weighing In: Losing to Gain by HEAR


I think we're all familiar with the popular show "The Biggest Loser" on which the story "Weighing In: Losing to Gain" is loosely based. While most of us struggle with weight or body image issues at some point in our lives, as viewers we're mainly attracted to the train-wreck unfolding on the TV screen. On a personal level, we distance and separate ourselves from those contestants by saying with relief:"ha, at least I don't look like that!"

The author of this amazingly well written story has taken the opposite approach as she takes her readers on the often painful journey of two protagonists battling obesity and food addiction. Her incarnation of Bella is an overweight and insecure contestant of the fictitious show "The Big Fat Chance." Edward, though no longer overweight, is a hot-shot trainer on aforementioned show, and is still struggling with the emotional scars left behind from years spent as an obese teenager. While HEAR's initial one-shot "Weighing In" explains how Bella is hoodwinked by her best friend Jane into creating a video application for the show and her initial meeting with Edward, the continuing story explores Bella's journey towards acknowledging her problem with food and Edward's lingering feeling of alienation from his crowd of thin and pretty friends.

HEAR's story so far truly gives an insightful perspective into the life of a person suffering from obesity. Her descriptions of Bella's struggles with her ever increasing waistline and the conflicts with her friends and family who ultimately want to help feel so authentic that you cannot help but empathize with Bella. Personally, I think this will be one E/B love story that I cannot wait to see evolve.


http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5704444/1/Weighing_In_Losing_to_Gain

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Review: Electric Blue by Winkle101



Electric Blue by Winkle 101


Winkle 101's amazing story "Electric Blue" is named appropriately after the strip club where Edward and Bella first meet. The story is set in modern day Chicago where Bella earns a living as a pole dancer and Edward works as an up-and-coming sports writer. Both Bella and Edward have troubled pasts, but it's Bella who is still actively battling with the demons of her sad and traumatic childhood. As their paths intertwine the story gets ever more intriguing and angsty and we soon find out they share common acquaintances outside the world of the strip club scene.


The story contains graphic descriptions of the comings and goings in a strip club and deals with issues of neglect and substance abuse. The author brings her characters dealing with those heavy issues alive with carefully detailed descriptions evoking vivid images of Bella's life in the strip club and her very different life outside of it, which allow the reader to connect and emphasize with the protagonists of this all human fanfiction story.


Winkle 101 describes the pitfalls and daily routines of Bella's profession with accuracy and without sugar coating them. As a reader, you don't walk away feeling like something horrible is happening to Bella and only Edward can save her; instead the author takes a more realistic approach to the subject matter of her story. We know that Bella's path to a new life may be more complicated and troublesome than just finding the right guy who makes everything better. In fact, while Edward initially appears to be squeaky clean and nice, the observant reader will discover little hints here and there that point to a rather unsavory past.


How Winkle 101 will continue to spin the story remains to be seen, but so far she is taking her readers on one fascinating angsty ride!



http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5806050/1/