Terrific Tuesdays with...Lisabet Sarai!

Welcome Lisabet:) Please introduce yourself and tell us about your latest release.

Hello, Molly! Thanks for inviting me to appear on your blog. I'm Lisabet Sarai. I write erotica and erotic romance in a wide range of sub-genres including BDSM, paranormal, menage, M/M and historical. Currently, I have books available at Total-E-Bound, Phaze and Eternal Press, plus erotic short stories in a wide range of print anthologies. I've also edited several print erotica collections and I'm the editor for the single-author imprint of Coming Together -- erotic altruism -- the charity series founded by Alessia Brio.



My most recent release is a M/M paranormal novel called Necessary Madness, which came out just after Christmas. Unlike many so-called paranormal books, this one has no vampires or shape shifters, but instead focuses on the realities of having psychic powers. Kyle, one of the heroes, has the ability to see the future, but since he can't control this talent, it comes close to driving him insane. The villain is a telepath, and as it turns out, the other hero Rob discovers he has a special ability as well.

Readers can get a good feeling for the book by viewing the trailer at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fVZjWpvJEo

The music sends chills up my spine every time I watch!



Have you ever had an idea for a story which scared you after you began writing it?

Scared me? Not really. I've occasionally been afraid that I might scare my readers, though, with some of my more intense and transgressive scenes. Coming from the world of erotica, I've occasionally had to tone down my work for a romance audience.

Have you incorporated actual events from your own life into your books?

Of course. I think that every writer does this. However, I've always blended a good measure of pure fiction in with the autobiography. My own experiences suggest narrative elements or back story, but my plots typically come straight from my imagination.

For instance, my first novel, Raw Silk, is set in Thailand. I lived in Thailand for several years, and like Kate, the heroine, I found the experience changed my life. However, in contrast to Kate, I did not have three competing lovers – at least, not while I was in Bangkok...!


How much research do you do? Do you research first and then write, or do you write >first, then research as needed?

This depends a great deal on what I'm writing. My shape shifter novel Serpent's Kiss is based on Mayan mythology and takes place in Guatemala. I spent quite a while researching the background and the setting before I began writing. It's funny, though—the process of writing drew me deeper into the Mayan world view. It wasn't until after I had finished and published the title that I actually went out and bought a scholarly tome on the subject of the civilization and beliefs of the Maya.

Of course, I also look up details while I'm writing, particularly about the setting. And writing historical stories requires a huge amount of research – more than I usually have patience for!

The majority of my stories are contemporary and set in locations that I've actually visited or lived. So the amount of research needed is usually small.

The one type of research that is always required, of course, relates to sex scenes. Exactly how does that position work...? Obviously, I need to take a break from writing to work those things out!


Is there any message you want readers to take from reading your work?

I guess I'd like readers to see that sex is primarily an emotional and spiritual experience, not a physical one. Also, that love doesn't have to be forever in order to be real. We make our way through life, encountering other people, strangers passing in the night, but each time we reach out, we change each other.

I enjoyed that about Incognito; several of the girls in my series have different boyfriends until their personal story is told, lol!

Are you a plotter or a pantser? And have you ever had a story take on a life of its own?

I don't do a full outline, but I lean more toward the plotter side. I usually have a rough idea of my story arc before I begin. On the other hand, I've learned to let sudden inspiration have its way. I've never had a story wrest itself completely away from the path I'd set for it, but I've been dragged along some fascinating detours.

One characteristic of my writing approach is that I am very linear. I start from the beginning and write until the end, unlike some authors who write disconnected scenes or chapters and then put them together. I can't imagine how they do that!


How long did it take for you to be published?

I'm almost embarrassed to admit that my very first submission was accepted (to Black Lace, in 1999). I was rather stunned. When I see how some authors struggle, I feel a bit guilty.

If you could go back and tell yourself anything when you first began your writing >career, what would you say?

Forget about the glamor, baby! You're in for a lot of hard work.

Laptop or pen and ink? What are your ‘must-haves’ when writing?

I normally write on my laptop, though I have composed some short stories in my notebook when I didn't have my computer with me. Unlike some writers, I don't have much of a ritual. Normally I write at home, but I've also created stories when I was traveling. I don't generally listen to music or anything like that.





Who are your favorite authors? Who would you say influenced you the most?

Most of my favorite authors are outside the romance genre. Margaret Atwood, Haruki Murakami, Sarah Waters – to name just a few! In the romance/erotica world, Portia da Costa, Shanna Germain, and M. Christian immediately come to mind. I'd have to say that Portia influenced me the most since it was reading her Gemini Heat that inspired me to try my hand at publishing erotica (though I've been writing all my life). Since then we've become Internet friends. I was really honored when I ended up in an anthology with her (Bound Brits, from Total-E-Bound).



What would your readers be surprised to learn about you?

Hmm. Perhaps the fact that I make my living as a software engineer. Readers might think that software design and programming and writing books are worlds apart, but in fact the two endeavors have a lot in common. Both start with an idea, something insubstantial, that is transformed into an artifact that can influence the world and other people.


For Fun:

Since it is January, what are your goals for the coming year?

To enjoy my writing more, and stress out about promotion less. Obviously I want my books to sell -- I want to share my visions and fantasies with readers -- but lately I've been obsessed with the advertising stuff, blogging, posting to lists, and so on. It has taken some of the fun away from the writing itself. I'm making a conscious decision to put the writing first in 2010.

What is your favorite New Years’ Eve memory?

New Years in the year 2000, when everyone was worried about what would happen due to the "Y2K problem", a dear friend had a New Years party in her loft condo in Cambridge, Mass. Everyone dressed up. I wore a black velvet gown scattered with rhinestones. We all drank champagne and did a lot of kissing at midnight. That was the way New Years should be!

Is there something you really wanted for Christmas, but didn’t get?

Since I'm writing this before Christmas, I can't exactly tell... but you know, I don't want a lot. I'm very fortunate to have pretty much everything that I need.

Ideal winter time: Snow or a white beach?

Since I now live in a tropical country where the weather varies from hot to infernally hot, I'd say snow. But only if I don't have to drive!





Thank you for being here today! Please tell us where we can find your books.

Thanks for having me!

I have current titles available at Total-E-Bound (http://www.total-e-bound.com/ ), Phaze (http://www.phaze.com/ ) and Eternal Press (http://www.eternalpress.ca/ ). I'm also represented in many print anthologies which you can find on Amazon, many published by Cleis Press.
The most up-to-date information on my books is available at my website, Lisabet Sarai's Fantasy Factory: http://www.lisabetsarai.com/ Readers may also want to drop by my blog, Beyond Romance: http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com/



Necessary Madness by Lisabet Sarai

Nineteen year old Kyle sees visions of disasters, visions that tear his world
apart. Everyone assumes that he is schizophrenic, but Rob, the cop who
picks him up off the street, knows better. Rob's own experience has
taught him that psychic powers are real, and potentially
devastating.

Since his telepathic sister's brutal murder, Rob wants nothing
to do with "gifted" individuals like Kyle. Yet he can't deny his
attraction to the beautiful, tortured young man -- an attraction
that appears to be mutual. When a brilliant, sadistic practitioner of
the black arts lures Kyle into his clutches, Rob faces the possibility that
once again he may lose the person he loves most to the forces of darkness

Excerpt:


They'd left in a rush, barely polite. In their eagerness to get back to Rob's apartment, they'd refused offers of coffee and breakfast. The one hour trip from Petersham to Worcester seemed endless, especially since the state of the roads demanded extra caution.

Rob's erection throbbed, painful and demanding. He guessed that Kyle was hard too, though with the bulky jacket and scarf, he couldn't tell for sure. Kyle felt Rob's gaze. He raised his eyebrows in an unspoken question and his full lips curled into a smile, but he didn't speak.

Rob couldn't stand it any longer. They were coming down the hill into Gardner. There was a rest area near the city line. Rob yanked the steering wheel and the car swerved into the exit lane, cutting off a truck easing up from behind.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kyle yelled. The rest area hadn't been ploughed yet. The Saturn skidded for several yards before it came to rest in a parking spot. Rob scrambled out, then came around to open the passenger-side door. "Come on, baby. I just can't wait anymore."

The lot was deserted. Wind rustled the tall pines sheltering the building that housed the toilets, knocking clumps of snow onto the windshield. Rob grabbed Kyle's hand and practically dragged him out of the car.

"Rob—it's probably locked."

"I'll break down the door if I have to." Rob was desperate. But the men's room was open, although the electricity appeared to be off. Wan light entered via a dirty window near the ceiling. He pulled Kyle through the door and pressed him against the tiled wall, devouring the boy's mouth. Kyle responded with equal passion. Rob ripped open the snaps on Kyle's jacket and grabbed at his crotch.

"I'm sorry. I've got to have you. Now. I can't concentrate. I can't drive. All I can think about is you." He unfastened Kyle's belt and unzipped his fly, then yanked the jeans down around Kyle's knees. The young man's cock sprang out, huge and ready. Rob cradled it in his hands, then squeezed hard. Kyle groaned.

"Rob, what if somebody comes?"

Rob chuckled as he wrestled with his own cold fly. "Somebody is going to come—you and me!"

"No, really. If a state trooper came in to take a leak and found us here—you might lose your job."

"I don't care. I can't help it. Honestly, if I don't fuck you right now…" Rob didn't bother to finish the sentence. He turned Kyle to face the wall, bracing the other man's hands against the cold ceramic surface. He wrapped his arms around Kyle's chest and rubbed his cock back and forth in the boy's ass crack. Kyle whimpered and ground his butt against Rob's hardness, until Rob was sure he'd explode.

"Do it," Kyle gasped, as Rob reached down and gripped the his cock around the base. The younger man bent forward, presenting his rump. Rob spit on his fingers, then slipped one into the crevice between those pale globes. He probed the tight knot of muscle guarding Kyle's entrance.

"I've got a rubber but no lube," he whispered, wriggling his digit into Kyle's rear hole. Kyle writhed in response. "Nothing but spit."

"I can take it." Kyle caught his breath as Rob inserted a second finger. "I can take anything you give me. Just loosen me up first." He pressed his butt back, burying Rob's fingers more deeply.

"Oh, baby. You are so fucking hot." Rob had three fingers in Kyle's anus now and he could tell his partner loved it. Kyle clenched down, then relaxed as Rob spread his fingers apart. Rob rolled on the condom one-handed. He spit on his palm and rubbed the wetness up and down his rod. It was cold—the whole place was freezing—but there was a furnace burning inside Kyle's ass.

Click here to buy:)

Shameless Self-Promotion:

Kenzie is being interviewed on the Moonlight Lace Mayhem blog today:) Stop by and see how many of my answers she stole from last week's interview!