Absolute Beginners by S.J. Hooks

Absolute Beginners

S.J. Hooks

With the recent controversy of 'pulled to publish' stories, I thought I might give this blog a little twist.  When an author also writes a book, I think I'll review the book as well.  Crossing the Lines by SheViking is also written by the author of Absolute Beginners, S.J. Hooks.  S.J. Hooks is SheViking.  Absolute Beginners started out as a Fan Fiction called - The Education of Professor Cullen.  I read this Fan Fiction years ago, and when I first started reading Absolute Beginners I thought it would be the same story - I was wrong.  Let's see what the description is for Absolute Beginners by the author shall we?

Authors Original Description:  Professor Stephen Worthington’s life makes perfect sense.

He teaches classes on Tuesdays and Fridays. He has dinners with his parents on the weekend. He goes to the gym with his comically crass stepbrother, Matt, a few days each week. And every night, he heads home at a reasonable hour, alone.

There’s only one thorn in Stephen’s perfectly organized side: Ms. Julia Wilde. Never has Stephen dealt with a more unruly student. She’s rude, provocative, infuriating—and she dresses in a way that is completely unbecoming for a lady. Stephen can’t wait for the semester to be over, and then he’ll never have to see her again.

That is, until Stephen finds himself out of the classroom and in Julia’s bed. Suddenly, the student/teacher roles are reversed, and the professor receives a much-needed lesson between the sheets. Stephen thought his life made sense, but after his tryst with Julia, he finds himself changed in more ways than one. Maybe he’s coming down with something.

Or maybe, something a little out of the ordinary is exactly what this stuffy professor needs.

Sandy's Review:  I enjoyed this story very much!!  Even with the possibility of it being a fan fiction, I didn't feel like I had read the story before.  S.J. Hooks and I are friends on Facebook and so I wanted to do a little interview with her.  

I asked S.J. Hooks:  Did you pattern Professor Worthington after anyone you know in real life?  Because if she did, I want to meet him!

S.J. Hooks:  Not exactly. I have studied literature at the university so I am very familiar with these academic types. Although none of them were ever as cute as Stephen. 

I asked:  Do you have a degree in English Lit?

S.J. Hooks:  Yes, I have a degree in English from the University of Southern Denmark

I asked:  I really wonder about these people who pull their stories to publish them.  Were you inspired by E.L. James?

S.J. Hooks:   I'm not sure I ever would have been brave enough to attempt publishing, if I hadn't been contacted by my editor. I've always written for myself because I love it and I never really considered it might end up as a career opportunity. I've been really fortunate that my editor read my fan fiction and saw potential in it. 

Me:  Wait, your editor contacted you???  

S.J. Hooks:  Yes - reached out to me on Facebook.

Me:  WHO IS YOUR EDITOR - I am sure many of my readers may be interested in publishing in the future.

S.J.  Hooks:  Her name is Samantha Streger and she's with Full Fathom Five Digital

So, as you can see from just taking a minute to talk to S.J. Hooks, if you are an inspiring author, there are people out there looking for you!

Absolute Beginners is a delightful story about finding out who you are and what you might be missing in life by holding yourself back.  I thoroughly enjoyed the story and I'm waiting with baited breath on the next book.  Yes this is going to be at least a 2 parter.  Her next book will be out in June.

I give Absolute Beginners 5 stars!  I think you will enjoy it as much as I did.