"The Kiss Quotient" - Romance novel by Autistic
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ASPartOfMe
Veteran
Joined: 25 Aug 2013
Age: 68
Gender: Male
Posts: 39,637
Location: Long Island, New York
31 Jul 2018, 1:25 am
Quote:
When I conceptualized The Kiss Quotient, a lighthearted story about an autistic woman who hires a half-Asian male escort to help her with sex and relationships, I was filled with delicious excitement. The story felt new — like something I hadn’t quite seen before — yet so very real, to me at least. But I didn’t set out to break any rules when I wrote it. In fact, I followed the two key rules of romance: First, I made the love story central to the plot, and second, I gave my characters a Happily Ever After.
However, through the framework of a traditional romance novel, I was able to tell a unique story. You could say I broke the rules while following the rules, and I did this by making "unconventional" character choices — in other words, characters you don't see too often in romance novels, or books in general. The ironic thing is that while my character choices may seem wild, they are completely natural to me. I am on the spectrum, and I am half-Asian, but only recently have I begun to see these parts of myself reflected positively and realistically in popular media. The work of authors like Christine Feehan, Tracey Livesay, Courtney Milan, Sherry Thomas, and Sonali Dev and my recent diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder gave me the courage to speak up and write myself onto the page.
In my past work (and in my real life), I continually found myself trying to blend in with others, because I believed that "being the same" was the only way to be accepted. I got very good at mimicking my peers. But that was just a mask; it wasn’t real. Readers didn’t connect with it, and the friendships didn't last. Lately, I’ve discovered that there’s value in standing out and opening up. When you tell a secret, people lean close and listen. When it’s personal, stories resonate, and we connect.
In my past work (and in my real life), I continually found myself trying to blend in with others, because I believed that "being the same" was the only way to be accepted. I got very good at mimicking my peers. But that was just a mask; it wasn’t real. Readers didn’t connect with it, and the friendships didn't last. Lately, I’ve discovered that there’s value in standing out and opening up. When you tell a secret, people lean close and listen. When it’s personal, stories resonate, and we connect.
In my past work (and in my real life), I continually found myself trying to blend in with others, because I believed that "being the same" was the only way to be accepted. I got very good at mimicking my peers. But that was just a mask; it wasn’t real. Readers didn’t connect with it, and the friendships didn't last. Lately, I’ve discovered that there’s value in standing out and opening up. When you tell a secret, people lean close and listen. When it’s personal, stories resonate, and we connect.
For this book, I shared a mostly unseen side of autism — a woman’s autism, from the inside, complete with the insecurities and hopes and fears. People’s responses to Stella, my autistic heroine, have been largely positive. Stella is different from many people, but she is relatable. And suddenly, the gap between autistic people and non-autistic people doesn’t seem so wide. Maybe this can help foster empathy.
Similarly, through my half-Asian hero Michael, I shared my culture and the family dynamics that come with it. I didn’t want readers to feel like they were outsiders looking in. I wanted them to see people whom I modeled after my own family members and love them along with me, regardless of differences in backgrounds. I wanted to eliminate the language of “us” and “them” and replace it with “we all.”
took unconventional choices a step further by writing my heroine as an independent and financially successful economist and my hero as a down-on-his-luck fashion designer/escort, thereby exploring alternatives to traditional gender roles and careers. A woman can be ambitious and enough romantically at the same time. A man doesn’t have to be a provider in the traditional sense. How people fit with societal norms doesn’t matter as much as how they fit together.
think that is the main rule I broke, even as I followed the rules of romance: I treated unconventional characters the same as I would any romance hero or heroine. I let them be someone’s fantasy, I let them succeed, and I let them have a happy ending, in an inclusive and personal manner meant to connect people as opposed to divide them. When you lift someone up, that doesn’t necessarily mean you push others down. Sometimes we all rise.
However, through the framework of a traditional romance novel, I was able to tell a unique story. You could say I broke the rules while following the rules, and I did this by making "unconventional" character choices — in other words, characters you don't see too often in romance novels, or books in general. The ironic thing is that while my character choices may seem wild, they are completely natural to me. I am on the spectrum, and I am half-Asian, but only recently have I begun to see these parts of myself reflected positively and realistically in popular media. The work of authors like Christine Feehan, Tracey Livesay, Courtney Milan, Sherry Thomas, and Sonali Dev and my recent diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder gave me the courage to speak up and write myself onto the page.
In my past work (and in my real life), I continually found myself trying to blend in with others, because I believed that "being the same" was the only way to be accepted. I got very good at mimicking my peers. But that was just a mask; it wasn’t real. Readers didn’t connect with it, and the friendships didn't last. Lately, I’ve discovered that there’s value in standing out and opening up. When you tell a secret, people lean close and listen. When it’s personal, stories resonate, and we connect.
In my past work (and in my real life), I continually found myself trying to blend in with others, because I believed that "being the same" was the only way to be accepted. I got very good at mimicking my peers. But that was just a mask; it wasn’t real. Readers didn’t connect with it, and the friendships didn't last. Lately, I’ve discovered that there’s value in standing out and opening up. When you tell a secret, people lean close and listen. When it’s personal, stories resonate, and we connect.
In my past work (and in my real life), I continually found myself trying to blend in with others, because I believed that "being the same" was the only way to be accepted. I got very good at mimicking my peers. But that was just a mask; it wasn’t real. Readers didn’t connect with it, and the friendships didn't last. Lately, I’ve discovered that there’s value in standing out and opening up. When you tell a secret, people lean close and listen. When it’s personal, stories resonate, and we connect.
For this book, I shared a mostly unseen side of autism — a woman’s autism, from the inside, complete with the insecurities and hopes and fears. People’s responses to Stella, my autistic heroine, have been largely positive. Stella is different from many people, but she is relatable. And suddenly, the gap between autistic people and non-autistic people doesn’t seem so wide. Maybe this can help foster empathy.
Similarly, through my half-Asian hero Michael, I shared my culture and the family dynamics that come with it. I didn’t want readers to feel like they were outsiders looking in. I wanted them to see people whom I modeled after my own family members and love them along with me, regardless of differences in backgrounds. I wanted to eliminate the language of “us” and “them” and replace it with “we all.”
took unconventional choices a step further by writing my heroine as an independent and financially successful economist and my hero as a down-on-his-luck fashion designer/escort, thereby exploring alternatives to traditional gender roles and careers. A woman can be ambitious and enough romantically at the same time. A man doesn’t have to be a provider in the traditional sense. How people fit with societal norms doesn’t matter as much as how they fit together.
think that is the main rule I broke, even as I followed the rules of romance: I treated unconventional characters the same as I would any romance hero or heroine. I let them be someone’s fantasy, I let them succeed, and I let them have a happy ending, in an inclusive and personal manner meant to connect people as opposed to divide them. When you lift someone up, that doesn’t necessarily mean you push others down. Sometimes we all rise.
_________________
“Self Acceptance is a process not a performance”
“You are autistic enough. And you always have been”
Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity.
ASPartOfMe
Veteran
Joined: 25 Aug 2013
Age: 68
Gender: Male
Posts: 39,637
Location: Long Island, New York
04 Aug 2018, 6:41 pm
Pilgrim steals The Kiss Quotient
Quote:
Pilgrim Media Group has snapped up TV and film rights to one of the summer’s breakout romance novels, The Kiss Quotient.
The debut novel from author Helen Hoang (pictured), has enjoyed “excellent” sales since publication in June, and is currently in its fifth printing.
Pilgrim has made a number of successful scripted properties in recent years, including Lifetime original movies Amanda Knox: Murder On Trial In Italy; Abducted: The Carlina White Story, which earned a 2012 NAACP Image Award; and Freeform drama series Recovery Road, a “Romeo & Juliet” story set in a sober living facility
The debut novel from author Helen Hoang (pictured), has enjoyed “excellent” sales since publication in June, and is currently in its fifth printing.
Pilgrim has made a number of successful scripted properties in recent years, including Lifetime original movies Amanda Knox: Murder On Trial In Italy; Abducted: The Carlina White Story, which earned a 2012 NAACP Image Award; and Freeform drama series Recovery Road, a “Romeo & Juliet” story set in a sober living facility
This is exciting, I am glad for Ms. Hoang.
_________________
“Self Acceptance is a process not a performance”
“You are autistic enough. And you always have been”
Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity.
