This fan of my Ryan Lock series wrote:
"I wanted to thank you. I have a 13 year old who likes to read some of the same books that I do. We have always bought her books. With today's technology it can be hard to keep up with what is going on with authors. Some of her friends are reading "50 shades of grey". I was shocked. After reading what you have posted I looked into the book and told my daughter it is not appropriate for her age. Thank you for keeping your readers educated."
I also have a daughter. She's eleven. She's a huge fan of The Hunger Games. No doubt spurred on by EL James's cynical leveraging of Twilight, and the lack of any legal action by Stephenie Meyer, some aspiring writer is out there now penning a BDSM porn version of that series too.
So, leaving aside the intellectual property issues and all the ethical and legal implications that may arise, let's be clear about the kind of material we are dealing with here:
In Master of the Universe (which was what Fifty Shades of Grey was called before the character names were changed from Bella and Edward to Christian and Anastasia), there is the following passage:
"When did you start your period, Isabella? he asks out of the blue, gazing down at me.
"Err... yesterday," I mumble in my highly aroused state.
"Good."
He releases me and turns me around.
"Hold on to the sink," he order and pulls my hips back again, like he did in the playroom so I'm bending down. He reaches between my legs and pulls on the blue string... what! And gently but firmly tugs my tampon out... Holy Fuck... and tosses it into the nearby toilet.
And believe me that is mild compared to some of the porn fan fiction currently being passed off as original work and generating serious revenue right now - rape 'fantasy' appears to be another favourite trope.
With Fifty Shades of Grey currently sitting on Amazon next to Twilight and The Hunger Games in the also bought lists, parents need to be made aware of the nature of this 'Twilight for adults' series, and the cynical marketing campaign that has accompanied it.
Erotica for adults who can make an informed choice may be fine. Free speech is important. However, using well known YA fiction to sell 'mommy porn' to tweens and teenage girls isn't. So if you're a parent, or you care in any way about the unrelenting sexualization of young people, then please make others aware of the issues surrounding this book. The real story is free today as a Kindle book on Amazon worldwide.
You can download it for free here (free period ends at Midnight PST on April 24th):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Million-Shades-Green-Behind-ebook/dp/B007O5WVDS/
http://www.amazon.com/Million-Shades-Green-Behind-ebook/dp/B007O5WVDS/
