Romance Writers Reviews

Lisabet Sarai

1)  Tell us about your latest book?

My most recent individual release is NECESSARY MADNESS, a M/M paranormal novel from Total-E-Bound. The book tells the story of Kyle, who sees visions of future disasters that come close to driving him insane, and Rob, the cop who picks him up off the street and tries to save him. Rob fights against his attraction to Kyle, but their bond is strong enough that neither can deny it. When a 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.

Although the book is paranormal, I deliberately tried for a realistic,
contemporary tone. It has some elements of a thriller. So far it has gotten
great reviews, and I’m working on a sequel.

2) Describe your workspace?

I’m fortunate enough to have a fabulous area to work. I share a spacious
office in our apartment with my husband. Each of us has our own desk, side by side, so we keep each other company but we’re out of each other’s hair. My
desk is big enough that I can have the computer I mostly use for writing (a
fairly old IBM ThinkPad with possibly the best keyboard in the world) plus my two cats, who like to hang around and “assist”.

3) How did you get started as a writer?

I’ve always been a writer. I starting writing stories and poetry almost as
soon as I learned to read. I didn’t submit anything for publication,though,
until I was in my forties.

4) Who are your fave authors?

I have wide ranging tastes in fiction, far beyond erotica and erotic
romance. I love Margaret Atwood’s work, also Sarah Waters, Haruki Murakami, Jonathan Lethem. I used to be a huge Anne Rice fan, though I’ve been less impressed by her recent work. I also really like S.P. Somtow (a Thai writer of sci fi and horror whom most people have probably never heard of). In the erotic romance and erotica realm, I particularly enjoy Portia da Costa, Shanna Germain, Helen Madden, M. Christian, and Kathleen Bradean.

5) Tell us three crazy things about yourself?

- I believe that there’s a correct order for doing the dishes (my husband is
always bugging me about this!).
- I grew up wanting to be an astronaut.
- I don’t particularly like sweets, and I’m allergic to chocolate– but I don’t care!

6) Your advice to other writers?

Believe in yourself and your visions. Keep writing even when you think your
work is terrible. Don’t give up. And don’t tailor your writing to the current
fads, because fashions change. Write your passion.

7) What are the best and worst parts about being an author?

I think probably the best part is getting a note from a reader saying that he
or she loved my book. A great review is a close second, but actually, a
personal communication means more.

The worst part is the constant need to promote yourself. I spend far more time than I’d like out on the ‘net, blowing my own horn. I’d rather be focusing on writing new books. That being said, the Internet has helped me to participate in a real community of authors and readers. I greatly value the feedback and sense of connection.

If you had not become an author, what career would you have chosen?

Well, strictly speaking, writing is not my career. I have a day job which I
greatly enjoy, as a software engineer. I don’t honestly think I’d like to
depend on my writing for all of my income. The pressure would kill the
creativity.

I never really expected to be a multi-published author, despite my early
interest in creative writing and despite the fact that I have a relative by
marriage who won the Pulitzer Prize. I was far more interested in science.

9) What types of books do you prefer to write?

Best selling books LOL. No, seriously, I like to write books that are
different from what everyone else is writing. I value originality highly in
what I read, so I try for a different take on the traditional romance themes
and structures. I recently got a review for NECESSARY MADNESS which classified the book as “non-traditional”, even though I feel that it’s squarely in the paranormal genre.

I also like writing books that include explicit sex.  My first books
were categorized as erotica rather than erotic romance, and I still publish
stories where there’s no HEA. Even in my erotica, however, characters and plot are critically important. I am more interested in the nature and experience of desire than the physical aspects of sex.

10) If you could work with any author, who would it be?

Portia da Costa. Reading her Black Lace novel GEMINI HEAT was what inspired me to write and submit my own first novel. She and I have been in touch for years online, but I’ve never met her. I’d love to co-author a book with her, though. She’s an expert at describing the mental aspects of sex. Her characters’ fantasies have me panting long before the people have actually touched.

11) What is your fave part of a book?

I don’t think I have a favorite part. All parts are important and work
together to produce a great reading experience. I do read a lot of books where the ending disappoints, however. The author has done a wonderful job building suspense, creating conflict, bringing the characters together, and then she (I say “she” because I’m talking mostly about romance here, and most romance authors are female) rushes the ending. Problems magically disappear (even in realistic, contemporary stories). Characters do things that are inconsistent with their personalities. Sometimes I feel as though the author is in a rush, maybe to meet a deadline.

12) When naming your characters, do you give any thought to the actual meaning?

Occasionally, but sound is more important–also ethnicity. In NECESSARY
MADNESS,for example, Kyle McLaughlin and Rob Murphy are both of Irish descent and I wanted to show that in their names.

I seem to like names that invite nicknames. For instance, the heroine of my
first novel was named “Katherine” but some of the characters call her “Kate”.

13) Who is your inspiration?

Hmm. Well, in some sense, I’d have to say my dad. He died a few years ago at the ripe age of 87, after living a full, productive and very happy life. He
accomplished a lot, but I particularly admire him because of his positive
attitudes and constant curiosity. When he was in his eighties, he was still
taking courses at the university where he had been a professor, reading,
learning new things. He also loved people–he could charm anyone.

Like me, he was a reader and writer. We shared many books. It was always easy to buy him a gift because his interests were so broad.

14) How long did it take you to publish your first book, after you started really trying?

Would you believe three weeks? Seriously, I began writing RAW SILK after
reading Portia’s book, targeted (as hers was) for Black Lace. I sent the first
three chapters and synopsis to the editor in the U.K. (I was based in the
U.S.) Two weeks later I got a form letter acknowledging receipt and warning me that due to the volume of submissions it might be several months before I heard anything further. I sighed, filed the letter and turned my attention to other things.A week later I received an enthusiastic email from the editor
offering me a contract.

I didn’t realize, then, just how unusual this was! I just knew that now I had
to sit down and finish the book.

15) Have you written a book that you just love, that you have not been able to get published?

No, I’ve had very good fortune getting published. Mostly the books I’ve
written have been targeted toward particular publishers.

Actually, it did take me a while to get my erotic thriller EXPOSURE
published. It was contracted by a mainstream U.K. house as part of an erotica series edited by a well-known British author. Then there were endless delays and finally, they canceled the series (but still paid my advance!) After that, I shopped the book to several New York houses, but couldn’t even get them to respond to my queries. Finally, I decided to submit to Phaze, who snapped it right up.

16) Do you use your own experiences?

Of course! But I mix and match them with my fantasies and scenarios that I
dredge up from my imagination.

One area where I rely alot on my experiences is for settings. I’ve done quite
a bit of traveling, and tend to set my stories in places that I’ve visited.

17) Did you go to any professional organizations?

I belong to She Writes and the Erotica Readers and Writers Association. But
I’m not a member of RWA or anything like that. I’ve officially been a
published romance author for about three years (though I started publishing erotica more than a decade ago), and I still think of myself as an outsider.

18) Can you list your websites, blog pages, social connections for people to contact you?

My website, Lisabet’s Fantasy Factory, is http://www.lisabetsarai.com
My personal blog, Beyond Romance, can be found at
http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com. I’m also a member of a fabulous group blog, Oh Get A Grip!, http://ohgetagrip.blogspot.com. I’m on MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/lisabetsarai but I hate Facebook, and I definitely
don’t have time to tweet!

19) Where can people buy your books?

Total-E-Bound http://www.total-e-bound.com
Eternal Press http://www.eternalpress.biz
Phaze Books http://www.phaze.com

I also have lots of stories in print anthologies. Just go to Amazon and search
on Lisabet Sarai. I’ve also edited two print anthologies myself, which are
also available at Amazon.

Thanks for giving me a chance to share a bit about my life and writing,