E L James has had the kind of year that an author can only dream of. The success of her Fifty Shades Trilogy not only took the publishing industry and Hollywood by storm – the book series captured the attention of the world. Fifty Shades of Grey has spent 41 weeks on the New York Times Best Sellers list, with the sequels, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed spending 38 weeks on the list. A highly anticipated film adaptation has been in the works since March and is the source of daily rumours. The film is still in the early production stages but is sure to become a blockbuster based on the popularity of the books.

Fifty Shades of Grey has touched a nerve among women all over the world. The trilogy has sold over 40 million copies worldwide and has been translated into 46 languages. The film rights were sold for $5 million and hundreds of fans eagerly line up at each of E L James’ book signing appearances. These are the numbers and they do not sit well with Ann Bauer, a Minnesota-based author who recently published a piece on the Huffington Post titled A Grey Day in Edina.

Bitter doesn’t even begin to describe Ann Bauer and she doesn’t mince words. The author penned 1,153 words in her article - about half of them are wasted lambasting Fifty Shades fans. It's ugly, no doubt about it. I want to share my thoughts and commentary on the verbal attack so let’s start at the beginning. 

If there was anyone still hoping Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart would be cast as Christian and Ana in the upcoming Fifty Shades of Grey film, I think it is safe to say that this most definitely will never happen now. When news broke that Kristen Stewart was caught having an affair with her married Snow White and the Huntsman director Rupert Sanders, I wasn't quite sure to handle here at Oh Fifty. Of course, we have been discussing it in the forums, and there are some fans that would like to see the couple play Christian and Ana in the film, but is it really Fifty Shades related? 

As we all know, Fifty Shades of Grey isn't your typical love story. It comes attached with floggers, canes, gags, restraints, and somehow a casual gray tie becomes a lustful sex object. The characters are flawed and are easily relatable, even if you're not into the BDSM lifestyle. It's been on every news program and I've seen it on bookshelves far and wide. It's pretty safe to say even if you haven't indulged you have at least heard of it. There are a lot of opinions flying around in relation to the most talked about series of 2012, and I've found they are completely one way or the other; it doesn't seem there are any in between.

While I was catching up on my reading yesterday I came across a Forbes editorial asking the question Is Fifty Shades of Grey Dangerous? Read the article at you own risk as it will consume several minutes of your life that you will never get back. Here are my thoughts on some of the more defining points.