Joining me today in The Loft is romance author Lisabet Sarai. Lisabet has written plays, tutorials, scholarly articles, marketing brochures, software specifications, self-help books, press releases, a 500-page dissertation, and lots of erotica and erotic romance – more than 100 titles. Her books have covered nearly every sub-genre, including paranormal, science fiction, ménage, BDSM, and GLBT. Regardless of the genre, every one of her stories illustrates her motto--Imagination is the ultimate aphrodisiac. Born in Wisconsin, Lisabet and her husband now reside in Southeast Asia.
S: Good morning, Lisabet. Thanks for joining me today.
Why write romance? Do you write in other genres?
L: I didn’t start out writing romance – or at least, I didn’t label it that way. Unlike many romance authors, I didn’t grow up reading Harlequins. My first novel, "Raw Silk," which was published by Black Lace in the U.K., was originally marketed as “erotica for women." It is a classic tale of a woman’s journey toward understanding her sexual self, but along that road, my heroine Kate also discovers her Master and soul mate. When I was invited to submit by a newly established romance publisher in 2006, I realized the book fit pretty well within the bounds of the romance genre and their founder agreed. For the next 10 years, I penned a lot of erotic romance stories for Totally Bound, and learned a great deal about what romance readers expect. To be totally honest, though, I tend to push those boundaries. I sometimes write erotic stories without a central romantic relationship. Plus, I am very fond of the concept of polyamory, that is, a committed relationship that extends beyond a couple, not a very traditional theme in romance. My most recent series, "The Toymaker’s Guild," follows the development of a polyamorous group of young engineers in the Victorian period. Within the romance category, I’ve experimented with a wide range of sub-genres, including paranormal, historical, LGBTQ, suspense, science fiction, steam punk, and multicultural romance. And I love to mix things up, combining multiple sub-genres in the same story.
S: Your willingness to write outside the lines, so to speak, enhances your stories. I think it makes them more real. Life does not fit into specific boxes and neither should romance.
Do you adhere to tropes when writing romance? Which ones do you enjoy writing? Are there any tropes that make you squirm?
L: I admit to being something of a contrarian. I despise tropes. I feel that they make romance far too predictable, and I for one enjoy being surprised. One of the best ways to stimulate my creativity is to give me a trope and let me turn it on its head. For instance, in my BDSM romance novel, "The Gazillionaire and the Virgin," which came out a few years after "Fifty Shades of Gray," it’s the heroine who has the billions and the hero who’s a nerdy--but sexy-- virgin. Probably the trope I find least appealing is the secret baby. I honestly can’t understand why readers would enjoy stories about women who get pregnant unexpectedly, then are abandoned. That’s a nightmare scenario I’d think everyone would want to avoid. Maybe the satisfaction of getting back together with the father makes up for the pain, but in the real world I think this situation would leave lasting scars that would tarnish any happy ending.
S: I have always had a problem with that trope. I think it's demeaning to women and portrays women as weak.
What do you appreciate more in your romantic partners--brains or brawn/beauty?
L: There’s no question that for me, brains win out every time. I find intelligence incredibly sexy. I’ve written a few classic alpha heroes--including Gregory Marshall, in my first novel--but most of my male protagonists are Beta guys with the smarts to understand the complexities of their partners. I haven’t ever counted, but a lot of my heroes wear eyeglasses. In the real world, I feel the same. Many of my partners have been on the far side of brilliant. My husband is a practical genius who amazes me every day with his encyclopedic knowledge, intellectual curiosity and creative problem solving.
S: How did you meet your current partner? When did you know he/she was “the one?”
L: My husband and I met at a technical conference, where I was presenting a paper about my research. He came up to me afterward to discuss my work. It was obvious he was interested in me as a woman, as well as a colleague. I found him incredibly easy to talk to, but in fact I tried to get rid of him at first. At the time, he and I were living on opposite coasts of the U.S. Meanwhile, I was already involved in a couple of relationships which were not exclusive but also not casual. I thought I didn’t need the complication of yet another lover, especially long distance. Fortunately, he proved me wrong. We have been together almost forty-two years.
S: That's really impressive. What would you like to people know about you?
L: That’s a tough question! I guess I’d like people to understand that I write for the joy of it, not for money or fame. And I love publishing my stories because it lets me share that joy. I’ve written fiction and poetry all my life, since I was six or seven, but never had any intention of being a professional author. When I discovered that I could actually publish and sell my stories, though, that magnified the delight I found in literary creation. Of course, I enjoy the financial rewards of my authorship, modest as they are, but the peak experience for me is to receive a review from someone who really gets what I am trying to say, or an email from a reader telling me that one of my stories made a difference in his or her life or perspective.
S: Like you, I write for the joy of it. I'm pleased when people appreciate my books, but after successful careers in law and journalism, money never entered into it. I was more interested in unleashing all the stories in my head.
What inspired "At the Margins of Madness?"
L: When I was a kid, my father used to make up ghost stories to tell my brother and me. I still remember some of the details from his tales, which were always quite dark and scary. I think that has influenced my own paranormal stories. They are in general, not light-hearted. My vampires do not sparkle and there’s always a price to be paid for supernatural power. "At the Margins of Madness" is a story about a young man dealing with the curse of prescient visions, which are difficult to distinguish from insanity. I have some personal experience with madness. When I was in my late teens, I spent three months in a state psychiatric hospital because of my own psychological issues. I had the opportunity to observe people suffering from schizophrenia and other forms of psychosis. This made a huge impression on me. I started this novel because I wanted to expand my writing repertoire into M/M romance. However, the atmosphere and a lot of the details are drawn from my own life.
S: Is there anything special you would like people to know about "At the Margins of Madness?"
L: Despite what I said earlier about twisting tropes, this novel is one of the purest romances I’ve ever written. Not pure in the sense of sweet--there’s quite a lot of gay sex in the book--but in its focus on a powerful love and a desire for commitment. Kyle and Rob are totally devoted to one another, to the exclusion of anyone else. Each of them is willing to sacrifice his life to save his lover. In fact, the book ends with a wedding, the quintessential happily ever after. I do hope that the romance fans who read your blog will give the book a try.
Here's the blurb--
Both power and love can lead to madness.
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.
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QQG683R/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09QQG683R/
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/at-the-margins-of-madness-lisabet-sarai/1140911192?ean=2940165754531
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1127718
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/at-the-margins-of-madness-a-tale-of-power-and-love
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60179575-at-the-margins-of-madness
S: Lisabet, thanks for joining me today. If you'd like to learn more about Lisabet and her books, please visit--
Website: http:/www.lisabetsarai.com
Blog: http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/83387.Lisabet_Sarai
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/lisabetsarai
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/LisabetSarai
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/lisabet-sarai
BingeBooks: https://bingebooks.com/author/lisabet-sarai
VIP email list: https://btn.ymlp.com/xgjjhmhugmgh
Hello, Seelie,
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting me at The Loft! I haven't done an interview in a while, and you have some great questions.
I hope you'll come by my blog soon so I can return the favor!
Great Post Urban Fantasy
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