Promising Young Woman And The Right Ending For A Story
Spoiler Alert: This post will contain spoilers about Promising Young Woman. If you haven’t yet watched this wonderful yet so-NOT-a-romance-ending movie, consider skipping this post.
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I watched Promising Young Woman and we both enjoyed it. It was clear why it had won an Oscar for Best Screenplay. The writing was tight and fresh and the heroine’s character arc was well-formed.
Promising Young Woman deals with rape. If you have any sort of triggers around that type of violence, avoid this movie.
Despite the dark topic and a strong social message, it contained humor and was extremely entertaining. I couldn’t stop watching it and I loved the ending, which is unusual for me because…
This movie does NOT have a Romance Novel ending.
At all.
Normally, I want happy endings in the books I read and the movies I watch. But with Promising Young Woman, a happy ending would have been a cheat. It wouldn’t have fit with the story and with the reality of any female-facing person watching the movie. We wouldn’t have believed it.
There IS justice, however. And that was extremely satisfying to see.
A high price was paid for that justice. That aligns with what female-facing people expect also. The heroine was fighting a society and systems that favor male-facing people. Heavily. We know, from the beginning, it will be a struggle for the lead character in Promising Young Woman to get any sort of closure.
It happens but with great sacrifice.
Was a happy ending possible for the heroine?
Of course, it was. She deserved happiness and love. Everyone deserves happiness and love. But she couldn’t have obtained that happy ending without giving up her main goal. And that would have destroyed the movie.
Not every heroic character is destined for a happy ever after.
Before writing a new story, I always ask myself, “Can this character achieve their primary goal AND also have a romantic happy ever after?”
Sometimes, I can’t figure out a way to accomplish this. If that is the situation, I park the story idea to the side and work on something else. I only write Romance and romantic happy ever afters or happy for nows are a must in this wonderful genre. I’ll return to the story when or if I can secure that ending.
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Baring Grudge
No one in the universe is more determined than a cyborg warrior tracking his female.
***
Grudge, a C Model cyborg, has been assigned a mission – safeguard a Humanoid Alliance space station for his kind. Honor was once all he had, and he is determined to fulfill his duty.
That resolve is tested when a tiny human female enters the space station and sets the prettiest little explosives the warrior has ever seen. She is Grudge’s genetic match, the one being manufactured for him. He wants to touch her, kiss her, claim her in all ways, but first he has to stop her from blasting him into the next galaxy.
Taelyn has a self-appointed mission—to destroy every battle robot the Humanoid Alliance has ever manufactured. A huge gray-skinned, blue-eyed cyborg warrior with mismatched arms won’t prevent her from achieving her goal. She’ll escape him, leaving destruction in her wake.
Before she departs, she’ll experience one toe-curling moment of hatred-edged passion with her handsome foe. She’ll show him how skilled with detonations she truly is. He will have his universe rocked.
Then she’ll disappear.
Her cyborg, however, has no intention of ever letting her go.
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Baring Grudge is a STANDALONE Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It features a determined, damaged warrior, an equally resolute human female, and an explosive game of predator and prey played across galaxies.
Baring Grudge is the third of five core stories in the Rebel Cyborgs Series.
Book 1: Containing Malice
Book 2: Under Strain
Book 3: Baring Grudge
Book 4: B Free
Book 5: Seizing Power
Buy Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08ZL2D986
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08ZL2D986
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B08ZL2D986
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/baring-grudge/id1559566673
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/baring-grudge-cynthia-sax/1139086727
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/baring-grudge
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1075600
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Interview With Shelly Bell
I sat down (virtually) with Shelly Bell for a short interview. Shelly Bell writes steamy erotic thrillers and her latest release is White Collared, a sexy contemporary serial.
Cynthia Sax: What excites you about White Collared?
Shelly Bell: Everything from the mystery to the romance to the characters excites me about my four-part serial, White Collared. Usually after I finish writing a book, I’m ready to move on, but not in this case. Kate Martin, the heroine, has gone through quite a bit of trauma in her young life, yet she hasn’t allowed it to stop her from achieving her dreams. She’s a fighter. Of course, she’s not perfect. Emotionally she hasn’t allowed anyone to get too close and she overmedicates herself with prescription drugs. But she’s brilliant, compassionate, and tough. That’s why I had to create a worthy hero and a challenging antagonist for her.
White Collared is not only a murder mystery, but it’s also a love triangle. The first three installments end on a cliffhanger both in terms of the romance and the suspense. I think it will keep the reader engaged from week to week wondering what will happen for the characters. That’s why I created a forum on my Facebook Author Page where readers can discuss the books and answer questions such as: Are you on #TeamJaxon or #TeamNick? Who do you think killed Alyssa Deveroux? What really happened to Kate’s father? I’ll be stopping by the forum to give special teasers of the next installment, so you won’t want to miss it!
Cynthia Sax: Where did you get the idea for White Collared?
Shelly Bell: A few years ago, I had wanted to write about a law student, but since the age group fell between young adult and adult, I was told no publisher would acquire it. Of course, a year later, new adult exploded on the scene.
Then a local murder made national headlines. The husband allegedly hired a hit man to kill his wife because he was secretly a Sadist and Dominant. He allegedly wanted to leave her for his slave, but feared he’d lose his money if he asked for a divorce. Because of the success of Fifty Shades, the news reports focused on the BDSM angle and inferred that he killed her because he was a Dom and Sadist. Just because you’re a sadist doesn’t mean you’re a murderer. They knew nothing about the practice of BDSM and it infuriated me, so I decided to write a story about a murdered submissive, but from the perspective of a legal intern.
Cynthia Sax: What creates problems between Kate, Nicholas and Jaxon?
Shelly Bell: I didn’t make the romance easy on Kate. First of all, when the book opens, she has a boyfriend. But soon, two other men complicate her love life—Nicholas Trenton and Jaxon Deveroux. Aside from the love triangle, each of the men are forbidden. Nick is her boss and Jaxon is her client. Not to mention the men are best friends and one of them is suspected of murdering his wife! Kate has spent years working toward her goals and now that she’s close to reaching them, an affair with either her boss or her client could ruin her.
But the biggest conflict in White Collared is that everybody has a secret. The question is what happens when the secret is uncovered? Unfortunately for Kate, it always means danger.
Cynthia Sax: When did you first experience the orgasmic bliss known commercially as Nutella? (grins)
Shelly Bell: I had the luxury of having my first encounter with Nutella in May of 1990. While my friends went on cruises for spring break, I went to France and Italy with my English teacher, his wife who taught French at another high school, and her students. Best. Decision. Ever. One night after visiting an art museum, we made our way into the courtyard where we were treated to a fireworks display and dessert. That’s when I ate a crepe stuffed with Nutella. I thought I’d died and gone to French heaven. I never forgot my special treat, but it wasn’t until my honeymoon when I returned to Italy with my husband that I got to indulge in it again. And indulge I did! Every morning I had coffee and a roll smothered with Nutella. Sadly, I gave up sugar five years ago, so I relinquish all future Nutella experiences to you.
Thank you, Shelly Bell, for joining us today!
Shelly Bell’s Website: http://www.ShellyBellBooks.com
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The first sexy installment in Shelly Bell’s four-part serialized erotic thriller about a young law student who must go undercover at a sex club to prove her client is not guilty of murder.
Driven by ambition …
Third-year law student Kate Martin outran her tragic past to become an intern for her idol and secret crush, the powerful attorney Nicholas Trenton. She is thrilled when Nick assigns her to represent his best friend and client, millionaire Jaxon Deveroux … the prime suspect in his submissive wife Alyssa’s murder.
Seduced by desire …
Kate knows they have only a few days to find the real killer, and since signs point to a member of the BDSM community, she volunteers to go undercover as Jaxon’s submissive at Benediction—the private sex club where he is a member—to covertly investigate Alyssa’s last few months. For years, Kate has kept her dark fantasies a secret … but a chance to explore them with sexy, dominant Jaxon is just too tempting to pass up.
Buy Now From:
Amazon http://goo.gl/vnnIiA
Barnes and Noble http://goo.gl/DF29UH
iTunes http://goo.gl/KMS2oi
Google Play http://goo.gl/6gQRcW
Books A Million http://goo.gl/TDJ0Re
All Romance e-books http://goo.gl/q5YGiO
Topics: Author Interviews | 1 Comment »
