Major franchise development in the works for A Court of Thorns and Roses series
Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) universe continues to expand, this time with a franchise development. Ahead of the sixth ACOTAR instalment, rumours of filming have started to bubble as new products are set to release.
The viral Romantasy sensation that has taken #Booktok by storm is set to receive the full franchise treatment, with a worldwide exclusive deal with IMG Licensing, promising fans a vast selection of merchandise, spanning across all of her literary series - Throne of Glass and Crescent City included.
Her global success boasts more than 70 million English copies sold worldwide, with translations of her work in 38 languages. Dubbed one of the most influential modern authors, Maas has acted as the literary knight leading the charge for Romantasy, now an established genre in its own right.
The Hollywood Reporter wrote how the multi-year deal will both manage and develop a huge licensing program to create interaction points for the loyal fantasy base of Terasen, the Night Court and Crescent City.
Maas' adored literary-verse will extend from its pages, transforming into clothing attire; makeup; lifestyle and homeware products; wine and spirits; food and beverages; toys and games; collectibles; cosplay items; and immersive fan experiences, reports THR.
IMG Licensing Vice President, Samantha Chang, commented on the exciting deal, saying: "Representing Sarah J. Maas and her extraordinary literary worlds is an incredible honour. Together, Sarah and her fans have created a cultural phenomenon that has redefined fantasy fiction".
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She added that the company are "excited to launch a dynamic and carefully curated licensing program that offers fans meaningful new ways to celebrate the characters and stories they love".
Fore fronting every aisle of its genre in bookshops, Maas' Romantasy has helped inspire a new theme of independent businesses - genre-specific stores. England's first Romance specific store, Saucy Books, now open in Notting Hill, London.
Sarah Maxwell, founder of Saucy Books, explained: "The numbers don't lie — romance is consistently one of the highest-grossing genres and the most passionately discussed online. Readers are clearly craving connection. But for all that energy, there's been no dedicated physical space in England to gather, celebrate, and explore the genre together.
"As an American expat, I've been watching the rise of romance bookstores globally and felt it was time to bring the concept to London — a city with a rich literary history and a passionate romance readership. That's why I'm so excited to launch Saucy Books: a space to turn that love into something real, rooted, and wildly fun. I think Jane Austen would approve."
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The Guardian
28 minutes ago
- The Guardian
A new start after 60: I read out my old diaries online – and my youthful secrets went viral
Betsy Lerner doesn't see herself as a TikTok star – though the New York Times described her as one – or an influencer. That means payment and swag – all she's had is a free pen. 'I really do it for myself,' she says, 'and for the people who follow me'. Lerner, 64, has for 20 years worked as a literary agent for writers including Patti Smith and Temple Grandin. She's an author of nonfiction and now of a debut novel, Shred Sisters – 'a love letter to loneliness'. But the 'doing' she's talking about is on TikTok, where she has amassed 1.5m likes for videos in which she reads from the diaries she wrote in her turbulent 20s. 'You don't know who you'll love, who will love you, what you will do for work, what is your purpose,' she says in one post. 'This morning I found one line in my diary that just sums [your 20s] up: 'I feel as if I don't know who I am, today.'' Lerner posts in her dressing gown, without makeup. Initially she explored BookTok to support her authors. But with her own novel forthcoming, she started posting, camera off, and got no followers. 'A friend told me, you need to be on camera and think of it as your own TV channel … I thought, 'Well, maybe I will read from my old diaries.'' She'd kept one from the age of 11, after reading Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl. 'I wrote my first poems in there. I vented. I tried to analyse myself …' Her journals from the ages of 12 to 18 were lost when her car was stolen, but those from her 20s – about 30 volumes – were stowed in a crawl space in her attic. 'My diaries are very sad. They're all about being lonely, looking for love, looking for friendship, trying to figure out who I was,' she says. Lerner describes herself as 'a late bloomer'. She was accepted on to Columbia's MFA poetry programme at 26, entering publishing in her late 20s when most editorial assistants were fresh from college. 'I didn't fall in love till I was 30. I'd never had any significant relationships … I lost a lot of my teenage years and most of my 20s struggling with depression.' When she was 15, her parents had taken her to a psychiatrist, and she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. 'I didn't want to accept that I had this illness. I fought it a lot,' she says. Her 2003 memoir, Food and Loathing, documents her relationship with her weight, food, depression and more, and at one point in her late 20s describes her straddling a ledge on a bridge above the Hudson River. The turning point came at 30. She found a psychopharmacologist – who 'figured out' the right lithium dosage (they've worked together for 35 years) – and she got married. Her diaries stopped. She had written them alone in bed at night. But now, 'I just didn't feel that sad and lonely any more', she says. For years, Lerner says, 'I gravitated toward a lot of intensity.' Now, 'I prioritise stability over everything.' She had never thought she'd write a novel. But in 2019 she came through 'four very tragic deaths'. She lost her mother, then her teenage niece and nephew, Ruby and Hart Campbell, who were killed by a drunk driver, and her best friend, the writer George Hodgman, who died by suicide. 'I still don't know who I'm grieving for at any given time,' she says. In the aftermath of these deaths she started to write Shred Sisters, partly inspired by the online workouts – shredding – she and her two sisters did during Covid to take care of each other, and as 'a way of working through all of that grief'. She is already writing another novel, and for as long as there is material in the diaries, and there is TikTok, she will continue to share them. 'It's all about trying to connect and communicate,' she says. 'There's a constant stream of comments from kids in their 20s who identify with my struggles. That's really what keeps me going. I feel this connection to these kids … I try to say, I felt the same. Hang in. Some heart emojis. Just a little something to say, 'You're recognised.'' Shred Sisters is out now, published by Verve Books. To support the Guardian, order a copy from the Guardian bookshop. Delivery fees may apply. Tell us: has your life taken a new direction after the age of 60? In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@ or jo@ In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at
Metro
7 hours ago
- Metro
Pierce Brosnan backtracks after calling for next James Bond to be a woman
Former James Bond star Pierce Brosnan has seemingly backtracked on his calls for the next 007 to be played by a woman. The Irish actor, 72, was famously the fifth actor to play Bond, starring in four films from 1995 to 2002 before Daniel Craig's reign began in 2006's Casino Royale. Since Craig bowed out in 2021's No Time to Die, speculation has been rife over which A-lister will step into the fictional secret agent's shiny shoes, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson currently the front-runner. However, many have suggested a change in sex for the role, calling for women to not only be side characters as the beautiful Bond Girls but to take the helm as the main Secret Service character. Previously, Brosnan threw his support behind the proposed changes, exclaiming to The Hollywood Reporter in 2019: 'Yes! 'I think we've watched the guys do it for the last 40 years. Get out of the way, guys, and put a woman up there.' He added that it would be 'exhilarating' and 'exciting' to see a woman take over after decades of male Bonds. But now, the Mamma Mia! star looks to have done a U-turn. In a new interview to promote his Thursday Murder Club film, co-starring Dame Helen Mirren, Brosnan told Saga Magazine: 'Oh, I think it has to be a man.' He continued: 'I wish (Amazon) them well. I'm so excited to see the next man come on the stage and to see a whole new exuberance and life for this character. 'I adore the world of James Bond. It's been very good to me. It's the gift that keeps giving. 'And I'm just a member of the audience now, sitting back, saying, 'Show us what you're going to do'.' His comments come after Amazon MGM Studios took creative control over the 007 franchise, and it was revealed last month that Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight would be writing the script for the next film. Dune filmmaker Denis Villeneuve will also direct. Fellow actor Dame Helen is also championing a male Bond, keen to keep with tradition despite her proud 'feminist' status. The Oscar-winning actress, 80, shared: 'I'm such a feminist, but James Bond has to be a guy. You can't have a woman. It just doesn't work. 'James Bond has to be James Bond; otherwise, it becomes something else.' Dame Helen previously told The Standard that 'the whole concept of James Bond is drenched and born out of profound sexism' and added: 'Women have always been a major and incredibly important part of the Secret Service; they always have been.' Meanwhile, Brosnan has remained vocal about Bond's future since it emerged that there was a vacancy, sharing his advice for the next actor to step up to the challenge. 'There's so many great actors out there who could portray this character. I have no idea who, I have no idea. I wish whoever it is great success.' And while he previously expressed interest in returning to the role himself as a 'romantic notion', he later ruled it out. Brosnan later admitted to GQ that he felt it 'was best left to another man, really. Fresh blood'. We currently have no idea when to expect the big announcement that will fully launch Bond's next era. Until then, rumours will have to keep swirling, with names such as Theo James, Henry Cavill, Jack Lowden, James Norton, Josh O'Connor, Regé-Jean Page, and Paul Mescal in the mix with the bookies. Taylor-Johnson, 35, though, has been the frontrunner for a long time, only fuelling speculation when he recently penned a deal with Omega, the luxury watch brand that has featured in Bond films since 1995's Golden Eye. More Trending Then, at the 28 Years Later premiere, he played coy when Deadline quizzed him on his next project. 'I can't talk about it,' he replied before being escorted away. The identity of the next Bond Girl is also uncertain, but hot faves at the moment are Sydney Sweeney, Zendaya, Eve Hewson, Nicola Coughlan, and Michelle Keegan. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: BBC star could be first ginger Bond after 'screen-testing for role' MORE: James Bond film dubbed 'the best' by fans finally hits free streaming service MORE: The 'best James Bond movie' is available to stream for free on ITV
Metro
21 hours ago
- Metro
I need to read smut before I'm able to have sex with my husband
'I finished the Fourth Wing books and now I'm following on with ACOTAR,' writes Jayne*. 'Me and my husband have been having sex at least four times a week.' The confession was shared on the Dead Bedrooms forum on Reddit, a support group for those who are in relationships 'lacking in sexual intimacy'. In her post, Jayne explains that reading Rebecca Yarros' bestselling Empyrean series awoke something within her. For years, the 34-year-old struggled with a low libido and was 'constantly' rejecting her husband's sexual advances, until she came across the spicy scenes in Fourth Wing, a fantasy romance book that follows the journey of dragon riders at a war college. 'Something in me turned on,' she explained. 'It was like a switch, I couldn't believe it. I almost believed I was asexual and then this book appeared in my life and… WOW. I was reading at night with my husband by my side and I woke him up!' 'He didn't understand anything at first, but now I think these kinds of books might actually save my marriage. 'Yesterday we had sex two times and it was AWESOME. This is a lot considering last year maybe we had sex three times, I feel like a teenager again. I want to regain all this lost time.' This is a feeling Clare*, 42, from London knows only too well, as she tells Metro that erotic fiction has been central to her entire relationship with sex. She had her first orgasm aged 21 thanks to fiction on the page. Love reading juicy stories like this? Need some tips for how to spice things up in the bedroom? Sign up to The Hook-Up and we'll slide into your inbox every week with all the latest sex and dating stories from Metro. We can't wait for you to join us! 'Nothing in real life had ever done anything for me before and porn hadn't worked either,' she says. 'Men are often just ready to go the moment they think about sex and for many women it doesn't work that way. For me, leaving the day to day of this world behind and moving into a space where I can comfortably think about sexuality is difficult. 'I can't turn my ADHD brain off, but the books help with that and offer an escape.' Clare has been with her partner for 13 years, but she's never told him that she needs to read a steamy scene in a book to get in the mood. 'He knows I need to be extremely relaxed and calm to have sex, but he doesn't really know what's going on. He's very alpha and I don't think he'd like the idea of me engaging in a fantasy that isn't specific to him. 'We once had a conversation about desire and he got really annoyed. He couldn't understand why I had to think so much about sex and kept asking if he turned me on or not, but it's nothing to do with that. 'It's all to do with where my body and mind are at that moment and the only way for me to get in the right mindset is to have a very rich fantasy life going on in my head, so much so that it takes me away from the constant to do list and chatter that lives inside my brain.' As for what type of books she reads, Clare's open to anything and everything. She's a big fan of the website Literotica, but will also indulge in Outlander-style stuff as well as Young Adult fiction. 'I'm not specific to one type of fiction, it can be anything as long as it tantalizes my brain and excites the rest of my body,' she adds. And Clare and Jayne aren't alone in turning the pages to get turned on. A 2001 study by Harold Leitenberg of The Journal of Sex Research found that women who read romance or erotic novels have 74% more sex with their partners than those who don't. Similarly, a 2025 survey by Lovehoney and Cint revealed 41% of men and 43% of women had masturbated or had sex after reading a book containing explicit content. And sex toy manufacturer LELO recently revealed that almost half of Brits (46%) have, at one point or another, been more turned on by reading a steamy scene in a book than by watching porn or interacting with their partner. Psychotherapist Kate Moyle, LELO's in-house sex expert, believes this could be partly due to the 'focused and engaged' nature of reading. 'In a world full of distractions, technology, and constant notifications, reading allows us to immerse ourselves in a narrative fully,' she explains. 'When this is combined with sexually interesting or erotic content, it can build anticipation — one of our most natural aphrodisiacs. By narrowing our attention on the story, reading plays a critical role in evoking desire and arousal.' The expert continues: 'Reading also helps create the context for responsive desire, which can be triggered by sexual or erotic stimuli. When the environment feels right, and the brain is exposed to something it finds erotic, this can help shift us from a non-sexual headspace to a sexual mindset.' Traditionally, spicy books have had a larger female readership, but men are also using smut to boost their sex drive – though some prefer audio erotic storytelling to physical books, with apps like Bloom and Quinn offering users thousands of spicy stories at the touch of a button. A Bloom user, named Paul, tells Metro how listening to the audios has improved his sex life with his partner of 25 years, helping him become more adventurous in the bedroom. 'I listen to audiobooks on Audible so using Bloom just mirrors how I already consume books and I love that it's a more ethical way to explore porn – it doesn't come at the cost of anyone else's body,' he says. The 40-year-old listens to erotica two or three times a week, usually in the car home from work, which 'makes the commute home more bearable' and gets him the mood. 'I don't tend to masturbate to it though, it just kind of gets the brain going,' he explains. 'It's made me more aware of the whole experience of sex – it's not just about the visuals. The stories have given me more words to use in the bedroom and provided ideas and scenarios to try.' Paul things audio porn has the potential to help couple's in a dry spell – especially if they listen together – but his wife isn't keen. More Trending 'My wife doesn't listen to the audios, and I don't listen to them when she's next to me, but I do wish she would give it a try on her own or even together as a couple,' he says. 'To me, it's a good, risk-free thing to try – it can't promote jealousy as the pictures of characters are in your head. The ranch hand will look different to my wife than he looks to me, which is pretty cool.' Opening up to your partner about changes in your libido, or what turns you on isn't always an easy conversation to have, and for some it could result in feelings of unease. Annabelle Knight, sex and relationships expert at Lovehoney, told us: 'Smutty books can serve as a bit of a sexual pick-me-up when someone's feeling disconnected from their libido or struggling to get in the mood. There's nothing to be embarrassed about – it's incredibly common. 'That said, when someone's libido is consistently low, it can start to feel frustrating or even a little isolating – especially in a relationship where one partner still has a strong desire for intimacy, while the other might need to rely on stories or imagery.' The relationship pro says it's 'understandable' that your partner might feel 'a bit unsure or even hurt' when you first discuss libido challenges with them, so it's crucial to reassure them that it's not a reflection of their attractiveness or how much you care about them. 'It's important to remember that low libido often has little to do with your partner and a lot more to do with what's happening mentally, emotionally, or hormonally. Coming from a place of honesty and vulnerability can really help your partner understand that it's not personal – and it can actually bring you closer.' She recommends starting the conversation gently, by saying something like: 'I've been feeling a bit disconnected from myself lately and reading this helped me feel more in tune with my body again.' You could even share what's been helping you in an inclusive way, by saying: 'I've found something that's helped me start to feel more in the mood again, and I'd love to explore that with you.' This will help avoid it feeling 'separate' and instead becomes part of rebuilding intimacy, together. View More » *Names have been changed. Do you have a story to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@ MORE: I walked in on a full-blown porn film being made in my living room — do I move out? MORE: I called my bride my ex's name at the altar — people are telling her to divorce me MORE: I'm having the best sex of my life since my husband's gay affair
