When our pals at women's book blog Trashionista slated JJ Salem's 'bonkbuster' novel, Tan Lines, it was because they thought the uncomfortable book gave women a bad name. The characters were flawed to the point of irritation; they hated all other women and were obsessed with men. Hardly the 'all girls together' feeling you usually get from page-turners with strong female protagonists.
To his credit, the author came forward to offer his side of the argument, writing a guest blog for Trashionista that addressed these issues. It makes for an interesting read, especially when you learn that the entire novel came about when "a bold, opinionated, take-charge career supergirl" told the author that she was not a feminist...
Based on this contradictive statement, Jon Salem came up with Tan Lines. He wanted to explore the way women give across one impression when they're thinking something else entirely inside. He also "wanted to craft a story that would shock, disturb, and show that what lurks behind all the glitzy trappings is sometimes gross behavior."
Judging by the original Trashionista review, he definitely succeeded.
