Becoming Magic by Michelle Garren Flye (VNBtM, guest post, excerpt, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

It is my pleasure to share a guest post by author Michelle Garren Flye, who gives shares her opinion on the fact that...

Sexism Ruins Everything

by

 Michelle Garren Flye

Before I began writing romance, I tried a little of everything. Scifi, fantasy, horror, even a little Southern literature. My objective in writing was always to make things better. When my second son was born, I decided rather than by showing my readers how bad things could get, I should show them how beautiful things can be.

Over the years, my perspective on my chosen genre has morphed. I feel like romance as a genre has been twisted to mean sex. And not just sex, but sexual practices that should probably remain on the fringe of our literature, not showcased on the bestseller shelf. Anyone who thinks that Fifty Shades represents a new sexual revolution needs to pay attention to the headlines. Women are more objectified and abused than ever, and in many cases, it can be traced back to the practices that are glorified in that particular branch of romance.

The truth is, sexism ruins everything. It ruins tennis. Look at what happens on the court to the best women players versus the best men players. Sexism ruins politics and government, movies, comedy—and it’s on the brink of ruining love in general. The reason for this is pretty simple. The war between the sexes is a very real thing. But every time our side wins a battle, the other side pitches a fit.

I persist in optimistically believing I can somehow convince the world that love is a beautiful thing. That romance and sex between two consenting adults has the potential to be uplifting, and that even flirting, when done right, can be fun. I do this by creating characters I hope my readers can relate to and putting them in situations I hope my readers will aspire to. That’s where I believe my genre can make a difference.

Of course, if I wanted to, I could paint a different picture. One where one sex has finally won the war. Where one sex enslaves the other and uses them for procreation only. I’m fairly certain there would be buyers for such books. Probably more than there are for my straighter view of what romance is and can be. Because we all want our side to win the war, and love is about compromise, not winning.

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Becoming Magic

by Michelle Garren Flye

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GENRE:   contemporary romance

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BLURB:

Carole Barnes once believed she would make her own way in Hollywood, but those days are long gone, leaving behind only a dark, slimy secret that Carole has never shared with anyone. Now she hides in the bright sunshine of the Crystal Coast of North Carolina. As far away as she can get from Hollywood. But what to do when Hollywood comes knocking in the form of a sexy movie star?

Connor Wallace has everything going for him—looks, talent, a successful career—but what he really wants is to perform magic on stage. His love of magic leads him back to his mentor Walt Bryson. At first, he’s pleased when Walt suggests his assistant Carole produce a documentary of his transformation from movie star to magician. He’s worked with Carole before—but the ambitious girl who had a crush on him is gone now, leaving a beautiful, withdrawn woman.

It’s the perfect arrangement. Carole knows she can make a success of the movie and Connor wants to work with her. But as they grow closer, Connor determines to find out her secret. Can love overcome the boundaries of fear? Or will Carole’s past return to plague them both?

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EXCERPT

  

She looked around, spotting Connor almost immediately. She took a half step toward him and froze, stumbling a little, her eyes on the dark-haired man at the next table. He was the large, powerful type you got used to seeing in Hollywood. The kind who worked out at a gym first thing in the morning and then again at night. He was good-looking in a slick, well-kept way. Nothing about this man was an accident.

And nothing about his appearance should make her want to find the nearest potted plant and puke in it, but that was exactly how she felt, nonetheless. She felt hot and cold in quick fluctuations. She swallowed hard against the bile that rose in her throat and wheeled around, knocking into a waiter with a tray full of glasses as she did, sending them flying with a crystalline clatter.

The icy water erased the need to throw up, but not the need to flee. She wanted to look over her shoulder, to see if Connor had seen, but nothing mattered except getting away now. The world whirled and refocused on a narrow aisle leading her away and she followed.

Buy links:

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Michelle Garren Flye is an award-winning romance author of eleven novels and counting. Her short stories have been published by the romance anthology Foreign Affairs, Opium.com, SmokelongQuarterly.com and Flashquake.com, among others. She has served on the editorial staffs of Horror Library, Butcher Shop Quartet and Tattered Souls. Michelle has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is the mother of three and lives in North Carolina.

Links:

Blog: BREATHE

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