What's in a name? The Big Fat Bitch Controversy.

Big Fat Bitch.

Did you recoil?

Truth be told, you were supposed to. That title was chosen *because* that phrase is so jarring, especially for anyone who has actually had this insult hurled at them personally. It hits you smack in the face. Like a fist.

There are a couple of reasons I specifically wanted to title this story this harshly, reasons that seemed like a good idea the last two years I was circling the runway of Sofie and Fletcher's romance. I mean, I'm writing a story based on Beauty & the Beast, which has the underlying moral that only if we look underneath a beastly exterior can we find something worth loving.

Giving it such an unlovable title seemed a no-brainer.

Truth be told, I've had some second thoughts about that.

My trepidation began in earnest when I attempted to coordinate advertising for my story. Thanks to the "profanity," it limits where and how I can promote the book. This was prior to publication, which threw me into crisis control immediately. Do I recover? Do I re-title? Do I really want such a minor thing derailing what could possibly be the best book I've ever written in my life?

After some back and forth, I finally decided to stick with the name. The reasons I chose the name were still completely valid. Not only that, but I believed in the vision of the book AND trusted my audience to understand where I was coming from when I wrote it.

Still, sales did not match the quality of the book. And that might have had nothing to do with the title. People buy and read books for a variety of reasons. They might not have been turned on by the blurb. It certainly doesn't adhere to any popular trope or trend. There are no vampires to be found. No millionaire businessmen to whisk a newly minted young woman away on a sexual awakening. It's not The Next Whatever Book Made the Biggest Splash Last. There's no hot sex, just a slow burn romance that gives flawed people a chance to find their way to their happy ending. It's a re-imagining of the fairy tales we grew up with, enhanced by the real world around us, rather than a mere escape.

In fact, because I'm me, I peppered my fairy tale with painful truths. Like all my other books, this book dares to throw spotlight on ugly realities. One of my favorite reviews thus far had this to say:

"This powerful book completely surpasses the breaking of boundaries, smashes them to smithereens with a size 10 heel, sets fire to the debris and casually walks away as the pile of broken boundaries explodes behind." - Awkword Reviews

Swoosh, dunk, amirite??

But yet, several reviews have stated that they had to work around the "unfortunate" title just to read the book. They ultimately gave the book 4 or 5 stars, and the book currently enjoys a 4.74 rating on Goodreads as well as a 5-star rating on Amazon and Netgalley.

What I had hoped would be that the first wave of brave readers would encourage others to look past the caustic title and get to the meat of this beautiful fairy tale. And it's still early in the game. That might happen the way I want it to eventually. The book is selling. People are reviewing. Slowly but surely people realize you can't get to the rose without suffering a few thorns.

It's a Ginger Voight book. Y'all know what to expect by NOW, right?

"Controversial topics are the main theme focused on in this book, and Ginger Voight does it well. There’s racism, sexism, homophobia, sexual assault and drug addiction to name a few. The author is unapologetic in her narrative of the worst of human nature. However; this book isn’t full of resentment, it’s full of the joys of rising above bigotry, bullies and your own self-doubt." - Awkword Reviews

Still. I'm impatient. And for the first time EVER, I want EVERYONE to read this book. Normally, I know what I present isn't all shiny and perfect. I'm gonna piss people off, it's a given. But this book? This book is the best I can do. It's one of the most emotional books I've ever read, in the most beautifully painful ways. It's everything I love and I know in my heart you'll love it, too. I'm so certain of this, I'd be pushing this book all over the place even if someone else had written it. It's a book begging to be read. This means that on any given day I'm half-tempted to recover and re-title just because I really want you to read the book and I don't want there to be any excuses for you to miss it.

Do I trust my vision?

Do I trust you?

Do I fold and attempt a softer touch with a prettier, more forthcoming cover?

Decisions, decisions.

So far, I haven't folded. The reason for this is because I truly, truly believe in the statement I was trying to make with this book. The reason that it is titled so harshly is because this was an insult I've heard my whole life whenever I dared go against the grain, and nothing is more "against the grain" than flipping the script on familiar narratives. Suffice it to say, I've heard this insult more than once. It's an insult that is supposed to keep me in a box, an ugly box of someone else's choosing, and this book was my way of breaking the fuck out of it. They gave me an ugly moniker, thinking I deserved it, and this is what I decided to do with it. For a society that wants to use descriptors like "fat" and "bitch" as weapons against us, I wanted to deliver the most beautiful tale I could and wrap it up in the trappings society has given to me as one of the outliers to the feminine ideal. I'm not pretty. I'm not soft. I AM a big, fat bitch.... one big enough and badass enough to pull a diamond out of an ugly clump of coal.

There are people who think we give insults power by claiming them as identifiers. They don't find defiantly claiming words like slut or bitch or any other hateful slur an act of empowerment. I am not one of those people. When it comes down to it, these words are mere descriptors that only have as much power as the hearer gives them. And let me tell you something about my big fat bitch, Sofie Vincent. She doesn't give a rat's ass if you call her fat OR a bitch. It's her world, yo. We're just living in it. And it was a world she crafted by being in your face, not changing a damn thing you don't like about her and not playing nice about ANY of it.

If I fold to fear and change the title, Sofie HERSELF would come kick my ass. And rightfully so.

Here's the thing about writing a Beauty & the Beast type of story: You can't be fearful of the beast. I mean... he's a BEAST, FFS. He's not even all the way human. He has claws and fangs and fur, with a ferocious roar meant to keep everyone away. Yet lovely Belle is tasked with finding the beauty of him anyway, which is supposed to make her even lovelier. It was a testament to the strength of her character she could look beneath said fur, fangs and claws and see a vulnerable man worth loving. She had to do it every single incarnation of the B&B story, whether animated, live-action, or the 1990s goth romance TV show. Belle from Once Upon a Time had to look past Rumpelstiltskin and find the man inside.

At no point did ANYONE think to change anything around to "Beauty and the Difficult to Love Guy". At no point did anyone "pull back" to give this story a softer touch. No. He's a beast. The worse he is, the grander her love - the more miraculous the love story. His beastly exterior makes the whole thing more beautiful. Hence why there are romance novels titled with "douche" or "bastard," and nobody blinks an eye. And let's not even get started with "cocky."

You see where I'm going with this. The rules are different for heroes and heroines, and I'm totally not chill about that.

To me, the most feminist thing I can do is unflinchingly present to you the most beastly woman I can, on par with the beasts we've seen in this fairy tale. The whole reason I wrote the damn thing was because I was pissed off that (beautiful) women are continually tasked with taken broken, fixer-upper dudes with a ton-o-baggage and using their (beautiful) love to transform them into (beautiful) romantic heroes.

Granted, Belle isn't getting it on with the furry guy - she waits until he's human again. BUT, the love story started way before that, in all his scary imperfection.

Where, I wondered, were the romantic heroes that could look past a beastly FEMALE exterior and do the same?

Why is that story discouraged in our culture? Why is it SO unfathomable that we can tell the tale of a girl falling in love with a literal ANIMAL but we can't find a good guy to love a big fat bitch without her transforming FIRST to attract him?

I set out to prove that this kind of fairy tale was, indeed, possible. I braved Sofie's beastly bitchy exterior to rip a fairy tale right out of her frozen heart. I can do this, because I'm a big fat bitch myself. She doesn't scare me. If I was a reader and I saw this title, I would have been ALL OVER IT. I grew up in the 80s, y'all. Bitch was the standard. Who did you really want to be? Krystle Carrington? Or Alexis Colby?

If you want to be where the power is, you get used to the idea people are going to call you a bitch. You can either ignore it or embrace it. I think my choice in this matter is crystal clear.

I kinda had to for my own personal reasons. The die was cast in 1985, when I misplaced a book of poems I had written at school. It sucked hard losing them because this was before computers. I had no backups. Just a notebook full of earnest poems written by a hopelessly romantic teenager. And anyone picking up this book would have known exactly who that hopeless romantic teen was, because my name was on every page.

I finally got that notebook back before the end of the year. I think somehow it got circulated around to someone who was kind of a friend. She was more popular, but she was nice to me when the occasion called for it. And she liked my poems and knew what it meant to me to lose them.

I was so happy to get them back again, but of course the happiness was tainted by the fact "Big Fat Bitch" was written all OVER that book. Some anonymous dickwad decided to shit all over the work I had painstakingly created with hateful graffiti I couldn't help but miss.

It is because of this person I have not yet (and likely won't) re-title my book. It would take someone offering me a LOT of money to do so, and even then I'm likely to put up a fight.

It is not every day in one's life they can take an insult and transform it into a beautiful fairy tale, but that's exactly what I did. They will tell you that living well is the best revenge, but nuh uh. I'll take this ANY day. Talk about your mic drop.

There are plenty of reasons people won't read me, that's nothing new. I break the Rules often, with cheaters, cliffhangers, I even kill off people occasionally, putting the HEA right in the crosshairs if the story calls for it. I dare to talk about "real" things in escapist places, delving into issues like body image, fat shaming, food disorders, sexual abuse, cheating, trauma and violence. I've even written about a mass shooting at a L.A. area nightclub, long before that became a horrific reality. I have stated early and often that if you need a trigger warning to read a book, my books probably aren't for you. I go THERE, wherever "there" happens to be for the story I'm telling.

And I go there OFTEN.

Even in my beautiful fairy tale, there are some jagged edges as I tackle the #MeToo crisis on a Hollywood set.

I combine it all. I throw hope, love, despair, hatred, violence, sex, kindness, empathy, abuse into the blender and hit "frappe" on a regular basis. I talk about politics and religion in my books because NOTHING is as ripe and full of conflict. Besides, I've always liked to play with ALL the crayons in the box, and I always buy 64-count or higher because I want more options, not more limitations. You'll get it all in my books and I rarely ever apologize for any of it. Obviously I don't want to add to anyone's pain, so I'll warn you if I think you need it, and hug you in case it hurt. It hurts me too, so I understand.

Basically it's a blanket warning that covers everything I write, because I tend to write all the things I've been through. Let's just say my entire LIFE has needed a TW and leave it at that. If writers are tasked to "write what you know," I'm forced to remove my own bandages hair by painful hair. It's gonna suck.

But it's gonna get better. It all has a point, I swear.

Be comforted that you have a big fat bitch at the wheel. I'm used to slaying monsters on the regular. We may drive through some dark places but I'll get you to the other side safely. You have my word.

I guess all I'm really asking is that you take another look. See past the thorny exterior. The best fairy tales always ask us to look a little deeper, so why should my books be any different? Open the cover. Find the beauty inside.

It's there. I promise.

BELLE would read (and love) the book, as is. Just sayin'.

Towards that end, I have decided to enroll BFB in Kindle Unlimited so that if you're still on the fence, you can take a chance on it for free within the service. You don't have to risk your money on this. I'm perfectly prepared to earn it. And I'm 100% certain if you read this book, you'll "get" what I was doing with it.

Good luck my brave readers.

And if you have ever taken a chance on me, know how grateful I am that you saw all the thorns but held out hope for the rose anyway. Like I said, there are a LOT of reasons you might not want to read my books, and I've heard them all. That so many have read my books and championed my stories and all my imperfect characters gives me hope for the world in general. It is because of YOU that I knew I could release this book, even with this jarring title, and still create a fairy tale worth reading.

Enjoy BIG FAT BITCH and hang on tight.

SHATTERED, the Scar Trilogy is up next. N' you ain't seen NOTHIN' yet.

Until then... be my guest for the only fairy tale I could write.

Series vs. stand-alone novels

Most people who know me got to know me thanks to the popular Groupie series. That book was never intended to be a series at all, but the characters decided there was a lot more story to tell and one book just wasn't going to cut it.



That spun off to my highly rated Fierce series, which I knew from the first outline was going to be told in three books.



I'm also planning a new trilogy featuring a triangle with two powerful, rich brothers for release in 2014. How I plan to do that should get people talking, but that's a blog for another time. Suffice it to say, series are a great way to spread one's wings and explore so many different subplots and recurring and supporting characters. In fact, the first novel I ever wrote had enough story outlined to be told in three books. I love having the room to gallop. It's one of the reasons I always leave the book on a hopeful note that the story could continue, though generally speaking I've resolved that book's plot and the story is complete. If there's enough fan interest, however, any book could become a series. And I really like the idea of that.

Granted, many people have a love-to-hate-it attitude when it comes to series. Most of the time this is because you have to wait so long for resolution to the story, in particular the Happily Ever After (or HEA.) It has a lot more power when it does come after it took two, three or even five books to get there, but as long as there is a series in play, the HEA is generally the carrot on the stick for you to keep reading and keep buying books.

When I realized that Groupie was going to spawn additional books, and in effect end on a rather unapologetic cliffhanger, I started researching how well series romance is received, since most of what I published beforehand were stand-alone novels with the room to grow if there was ever a demand. Even though I got the occasional request to tell a story beyond the one book, I figured many were not too pro on the idea of a series because of the postponed HEA. However, as far as best-sellers go, series were the ones topping the charts. A casual glance at the current NYT Best Seller list shows Unlocked by Maya Cross at #10, which is the third book in that particular trilogy.

Bringing up the rear at #20 is E.L. James and Fifty Shades of Grey. Twilight, Harry Potter, and more best-selling romances than I can shake a stick at finally convinced me to give the series a try.

Remarkably, and unexpectedly, Groupie offered me moderate success. I broke into the Amazon best-selling lists after the release of the second book in 2012. Despite the fact I released the first book in 2011, in fact nearly two years ago, it continues to be my biggest seller, surpassing even new releases. The first book, Groupie, has sold at least ten times that of my top-selling stand-alone romances.

I'm as surprised as you are, frankly. I thought for sure I'd go down in flames by breaking up the story into three books and throwing my characters in the blender of my twisted psyche and hitting "Frappe." That so many people love these characters is mind-boggling. That so many people want more and more of these characters, even more mind-boggling still. That is one of the perks of writing the Fierce trilogy, because I get to hang out with Vanni and Andy beyond their happily ever after... when they're actually, y'know, happy.

They don't have be dragged through the muck. It's not their story anymore. They can actually make smart choices and we can love them fully and truly.

It's awesome.

It's awesome to write happy, lighter stuff, especially after spending the last 5 books I've written in gut-twisting angst. To put that in perspective, that's nearly a half a million words that turned my emotions upside down way before I hit the "publish" button. I still have about 70k to go before I put this second trilogy to bed, and I just needed a break.

I needed a story that stood alone. I could have written an erotic horror, which I went to Connecticut to research earlier this year. I could have written a couple of screenplay ideas that were either heartwarming or comedic (or both.)

I decided instead that I needed a fun novel, a sexy novel... one that didn't take itself too seriously, one that wasn't out to make a social statement or change the world (like I hope Fierce will do.) I wanted a sexy alpha male and a bitchy, unlikable heroine he could put into her place. And I wanted, most of all, to be done with it. No cliffhangers, no waiting to see how it all shakes loose in book #3. One and done, folks. This is it. Whether we hit a HEA or a HFN or nothing at all, this is the story in its entirety, as authentic as I can write it.

The Undisciplined Bride is the titillating tale of power-swapping seduction with ambiguous morality. A frustrated socialite bridezilla named Peyton meets a working-class chef named Mateo, and sparks instantly fly. These two people aren't interested in falling in love, but they can't WAIT to fall into bed. Their antagonism toward each other fuels this fire. While I'm not one to write a true BDSM novel, I definitely get off on the dual domination that comes from two powerful titans out to best the other throughout the chase. Neither are nervous virgins who lack any self-esteem. These are two hot-blooded people who hunger for each other in the truest, rawest way possible. Who will win? It's anyone's game.

Here's an excerpt:

***

Each minute ticked audibly by and no one, from her parents to her best friend to her fucking fiancé, came to see what was wrong. It made Peyton even angrier and more petulant as each passing moment stole a little more thunder from her hissy fit. With a scowl, she plopped down onto a stone bench and preened to listen in to the riotous laughter coming from her parents’ formal dining room.

They were all having the time of their lives… without her.

She hopped up and began to pace again, only this time all she could see were those dark eyes that twinkled whenever they danced brazenly over her like a piece of meat. Electricity surged through her as she thought about how innocently he brushed against her when they stood beside his food van. And this thought led to the memory of how he looked in a tight pair of jeans and no shirt… like a bronze Adonis that looked more at home among the statues in her mother’s gardens than the wait staff in the kitchen.

After another involuntary shudder, she cornered another server. “Do you have a cigarette?”

“I do,” a deep, masculine voice said from behind. She whirled around to find Mateo leaning against the open door frame in his tuxedo like some leading man from a move from the golden age. She watched his hand reach deep into his pants pocket to withdraw a pack. His fingers were long and strong as he withdrew a cigarette for her, offering it just a few paces away from where she stood, making her cross the final steps between them.

She snatched it from his hand and he had the nerve to chuckle. “What’s so funny?” she demanded.

“You don’t strike me as the kind of person who smokes,” he shrugged. His eyes fell on her mouth as she put the cigarette between her lips.

For a split second all the humor was gone. Instead Peyton saw something else there… something she could control. She saw his hunger. With a slow smile she met his eyes and said, “I guess I have an oral fixation.” To her delight his eyes darkened. “Have a light?”

He withdrew a lighter and this time he closed the scant inches between them to light her cigarette. He watched her suck in a breath as his eyes locked on her mouth. “So what did you think of the food?” he asked softly. "You left in such a hurry," he added with a teasing smile.

She shrugged. “I don’t see what the big deal is, personally,” she offered evilly. The food had been exceptional, but there was no way in hell she’d let him know that.

He chuckled again, the warm sound of his rich, deep laugh tumbled across her senses. “Guess we’ll have to do better next time.”

Her perfectly tweezed eyebrow arched. “What makes you think there will be a next time?”

It was his turn to shrug. “Just a hunch,” he said. His eyelids drooped lazily as he inspected her. “You don’t seem like a woman who will give up on anything until she’s completely satisfied.”

Her chin jutted out. “You’ve got that right, at least.”

His eyes traveled over her face, then down across the exposed skin of her chest and arms. “Damn shame you have gone unfulfilled for such a long time already,” he said softly.

She gulped. “What is that supposed to mean?”

His voice was quiet but powerful. There was a cadence to his speech, as though he was striking every word with a hammer. The softer the words, the harder the hit. “You tell me. When is the last time someone fully met every aching need?” He wanted to know as he stepped closer. “I’ll bet never. And that’s why you’re so pissed off, isn’t it, Princess? You can have everything you want… yet, you never have.”

She shuddered despite herself. “You have a lot of nerve talking to me like that. Don’t you know I could have you fired?”

He stepped even closer, until their bodies were a breath apart. “But you won’t.”

She glared at him. “You’re a cocky son of a bitch, aren’t you?”

Before she realized what was happening his arm snaked around her waist and he pulled her to his rigid body. “You tell me.”

Her brain scrambled as he manhandled her. His grip was strong and true, and if she struggled she would feel every inch of his hard body contained in that fine tuxedo. “Let me go,” she gritted between clenched teeth.

His face was next to hers, his mouth mere inches from her ear. “Is that what you want, princess?” His hand slipped down from her waist over the graceful curve of her ass.

It was inappropriate as hell, and no one – absolutely no one – had ever treated her in such a disrespectful manner. Instead of the anger she would normally feel, for one insane moment she was tempted to reach the remaining inch between them and crash her mouth against his, to taste the raw hunger of this stranger’s kiss once and for all.

Her eyes widened as she pushed against that rigid chest, rippling with muscles she had never experienced so close before. “Fuck you,” she breathed as she stumbled away. She nearly lost her footing and it was Mateo who prevented her from landing face first on the hard concrete.

“Maybe someday,” he said with that same damnable smirk. “But not today.”

With that he left her alone on the terrace as he disappeared back into the kitchen. She nearly snarled with rage as she tossed the cigarette off onto darkness.

***

Needless to say, I'm having a LOT of fun writing their story, especially since in my head, Mateo looks like this:

And you know I never make you wait for long. So save the date, because we're serving this stand-alone on October 1st. #lickyourlips #Mateoiscoming

The "Mogul" party begins early!

"Mogul" drops in only 9 more days, y'all! We got a lot of fun stuff happening between now and then.

The amazing and wonderful Brandee at Brandee's Book Endings is featuring me along with author Michelle Warren all this week (Jan. 27 - Feb. 2) on her blog. There will be TONS of goodies, including a giveaway of the Complete Groupie Trilogy soft cover book. (A $24.99 value!) There will also be interviews (maybe even a character interview?) and sneak peeks of my books, including an exclusive teaser for my next book, "Fierce," which is a spin-off of the popular Groupie series. Andy's and Vanni's journey may be complete in "Mogul," but you're about to meet a brand new superstar who fights hard to carve out a place for herself in the pop music scene. Thanks to some of your favorites in "Groupie" and "Love Plus One," she'll get her best chance to do just that!

So go "Like" Brandee's Facebook page. She's a powerhouse who loves books, authors and readers. She's also hosting the Blog Book Tour of "Mogul." So many blogs, so many great reviews/interviews/giveaways. It's going to be spectacular. Details to come!!

Meanwhile... enjoy this little diddy from my "Mogul" playlist. ;)

Special Holiday Pricing for Groupie and Rock Star!

Christmas is my favorite holiday and has been since I was a child. I love to make it special, and this year I get to make it special for all the readers who have so graciously and generously made me a part of their library. I want to make it that much easier for you to give - and get - the books you love most.

As my gift to you I've dropped the prices on GROUPIE and ROCK STAR just in time to fill those holiday stockings for those readers on your gift-giving lists. The best bargain is still the bundle, giving you two books for almost half the price of many Kindle best sellers.



And don't forget, for the holidays only you can get three books for only $4.99 with my Rubenesque Romance bundle for LOVE PLUS ONE, UNDER TEXAS SKIES and PICTURE POSTCARDS.



Keep an eye on this blogspace in the coming days. There's a special holiday surprise coming, including some free Kindle releases as my Christmas gift to all of you!

Happy holidays, y'all. You are my gift this year. :D