Book Review: Shame on it All by Zane

I wrote a book that is sitting in a binder in a top floor apartment in the Brooklyner.  (Aside: This guy I went on a date with lives there, and since he sold a screenplay, I gave it to him for an "expert" critique.) In other words, it went nowhere. Some people told me it was my subject matter: transgenders, voodoo, murder, psychopaths, child abuse and graphic sex that put literary agents off, but I disagree. While in these dark times, light and fluffy is probably an easier sell, intrinsically I know, if the problem is anywhere, it's in the telling (showing, whatever). Through a little research, I found my manuscript contained quite a few grievous literary errors. Some of which are embarrassing, others I feel if you keep reading, you will see how they make the story flow. I haven't taken an English class since forever, and when I decided to write, I decided to write, hence, comma splice, comma splice.

When trying to win, I like to look towards the winners. I refuse to be like Pinky and the Brain, sitting around talking about how the world isn't ready yet. It's not that the world isn't ready, it's that your shit probably isn't that good, and nobody cares. I want mass appeal, not just the approval of ten of my equally going nowhere peers.

I was walking past an African bootleg stand, and decided to pick up a couple of books, the first will be reviewed here. If you are going to write about urban erotica, one has to look to the queen of the genre- Zane. She has what I want: books that chart the NY Times Bestseller list, a publishing imprint, a cable TV show, and a movie in the works. I read, "Addicted" when it first came out and I draw a blank. I chose, "Shame on it All" because the vendor assured me it was great.

So, I read it, and I didn't get it. What stupidity! Now this is what you call drivel, I thought. What was I missing? Where is the appeal? I read a snippet to my boo while we were driving in his car. He said it made his dick kind of hard. Oh yeah? I asked if he would read the book. He said, "No."  But why?  You said it made your dick hard.  That's good, no?

A point to ponder...Eureka! I got it! And Zane got it! I read an article about her, and she said when her teenage son told the girls at school that his mother was Zane, they swarmed her house. With that information in mind, I see why she is successful. When I was in high school, I would have found a book that featured such gems as "dooky stained drawers", "position 69", and a Mandingo sucking his own dick, titillating too. If I were a dude or a woman that was sexually repressed, I would be excited reading a passage about giving head, and sucking on some breasts.

Lesson learned from Zane: know your audience and know it well. She is a very smart woman though her books are so incredibly silly. And while I will not be purchasing another book by her, (Aside: okay, maybe "Sex Chronicles" because her constant plugging throughout the book did kind of pique my interest. Her tactics work.) I do applaud her for being a savvy business woman. I see why she is a winner.