·Tell us about your latest release and what you think readers will enjoy about it.
I’m extremely excited that my erotic thriller, Exposure, will be released by Phaze on February 9th. Exposure has some romance elements, but it is definitely darker than many romance titles. I would label it as “erotic noir”. The main character, Stella Xanathakeos, is a savvy working glass gal from Pittsburgh who makes her living as an exotic dancer. Stella is tough – she knows how to take care of herself, because she has had to — but when she witnesses a double murder, she is sucked into a world of danger and deceit. She doesn’t know whom she can trust, but she’s determined to get to the bottom of the mystery.
I think that readers will enjoy Stella as much as I do. She’s not your stereotypical romance heroine – no needy shrinking violet here. She’s tall, voluptuous, and extremely strong. In one scene she fights off two guys sent by the mob to beat her up and intimidate her. However, she is more vulnerable than she realizes. She loves her independence, but she craves love and security as well. She is also extremely sensual.
·Care to tell us a little about the person behind the author name? What do you do for fun when not writing?
In the real world, I work as a software engineer. This may seem like the complete antithesis of a romance writer. In fact, writing software is also a creative process, which is probably why I enjoy it. I particularly like to collaborate with younger engineers, serving in a mentoring role. I’ve done some university level teaching, which allows me to pass on what I’ve learned during my long years of experience.
When I’m not working or writing, I enjoy reading, watching films, singing, improvisational cooking (you know, look in the fridge and allow yourself to be inspired!), and dancing (although these days that’s mostly done down in the gym). My husband and I both love to travel; we’ve visited every continent except Australia, but I still have a long wish list of places to see. We also have two cats. I get great joy from playing with them, or just hanging out and petting them. They’re our family. (I don’t have any children.)
·The holidays are coming. What is one of your favorite holiday traditions and why?
Well, the holidays have come and gone now. However, I particularly like the Christmas/New Year season because it gives me the motivation to get in touch with people whom I care about but maybe haven’t heard from in a while. I usually send out close to 100 cards, not to mention disseminating our annual on-line newsletter. Most of the time I make the cards from some of our photos for the year. This year I created photographic calendars for some of our closest friends, too.
·Paranormal and Urban Fantasy are very popular genres right now. Is there a genre you enjoy but haven’t written yet?
Well, I just completed my first full-length paranormal romance, called Serpent’s Kiss, an unorthodox shape-shifter tale based on Mayan mythology. It is contracted to Total-E-Bound and scheduled for release sometime in May. I don’t really feel that I have full control of the paranormal genre at this point, but Serpent’s Kiss really stretched my skills. In fact, I’m thinking about a sequel.
I love reading historical fiction, but I’m a bit scared to try any myself. The amount of research required is truly intimidating. I have written some historical shorts and even that was exhausting! For instance, I have a recent story set in Shakespearean England. I had the devil’s time discovering what terminology was extant during that period for discussing sexual activities.
·If someone were to play you in a movie, what actor would it be and why?
That’s rough. I’d love to say Helen Mirren, but she has a great deal more dignity than I do. Shirley Maclaine, perhaps? She has the same sort of energetic cheerfulness that I try to cultivate. Or maybe Frances McDormand. I love her intelligence and her wry humor.
Nobody young and glamorous. That just wouldn’t be realistic! Though Kate Winslet could have played me twenty five years ago.
·What comes first: the plot or the characters?
Usually the characters, but it varies. Certainly, Stella popped into my mind full-blown. I immediately knew who she was and what she wanted. Elena Navarro, the heroine in Serpent’s Kiss, was the same way. She’s serious, dedicated, and tortured by the past. I knew that the past would pay a pivotal role in her story.
Unlike what I hear from many romance writers, my female characters tend to come first. Once I know my heroines, I have some notion of the type of man who would attract them. My heroes tend to be rather unconventional. Their intellectual and emotional qualities loom far larger in my mind than their physique.
Once I have the characters in mind, I set them free on the page and let them decide what to do next. Sometimes they really surprise me.
·When you looked in the mirror this morning, what was the first thing you thought?
Not too bad for an old broad!
·We popped in for a spell and opened your fridge, what would we find there?
Lots of fruits and vegetables. Sharp cheddar cheese. Four kinds of chili sauce, two types of mustard, also shrimp paste, tamarind paste, Indian chutney, Korean kimchi, Chinese sausage. We love to travel, as I said, and when we’re home, we’ll do it vicariously through our food.
·You are awarded three cabana boys/girls and you can choose anyone (Celebrities, characters, etc). Who would you choose and why?
James Marsters (Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer); Clive Owen; Lestat from Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. I like the dark, tortured, brooding type. We’d be in the pool under the full moon. No sunshine for me!
·You got a celebrity for 15 minutes, who would you chose and what would you do?
The Dalai Lama. I think he is perhaps the closest one could come to a living saint. You can feel his tranquility and wisdom in his writing – I would imagine that actually being in his presence would be a life-changing experience.
·Where can we find your books?
Presently I am publishing with Phaze (http://www.phaze.com), Total-E-Bound (http://www.total-e-bound.com) and Eternal Press (http://www.eternalpress.ca). I also have a variety of backlist books in print, and more than two dozen short stories in various print anthologies. Readers can visit http://www.lisabetsarai.com/books.html for a list of my currently-available titles, and http://www.lisabetsarai.com/pubhistory.html for a complete publishing history.
Sneak look into EXPOSURE:
Blurb
Stella is just minding her own business and having a bit of fun, working as an exotic dancer at the Peacock Lounge. Through no fault of her own, she witnesses a double murder and gets pulled into a shady dance of deceit with political bigwigs, mob bosses, dirty cops and scheming widows. Now she’s everyone’s target; her only chance is to sift through the lies and expose the truth.
Excerpt
I strip for the fun of it. Don’t let anyone tell you different. It’s not the money. I could make nearly as much working at the mill and keep my clothes on, but then I’d have to suck up to the bosses. Here at the Peacock, I’m the one in charge, and I like it that way.
Sometimes I think it’s a sort of revenge, for all the times I heard those nasty calls trailing after me: Honey Jugs, Monster Boobs, Bouncer. Not to mention those sweaty, awkward clinches in back seats, trying to please. Trying to be popular. Now they can’t take their eyes off my breasts, swinging back and forth in time to the music. Their tongues are hanging out. I can see the tents in their laps. They all want me; I know how to make them want me. I’m an expert. But I’m off limits. They can look, they can drool, they can beg me. But my job’s to turn them on and bring them to the bursting point, then send them home unsatisfied.
That’s my view, anyway. Some of the other girls think different. All in all, though, the Peacock Lounge is a pretty classy joint, not like some of sleaze pits down near the railroad.
I love the moment when the lights come down, and the DJ introduces me. There’s this strange pause, as if I was floating. I can feel them out there, the audience, holding their breath. Then, I hear the first notes of my routine. Energy surges through me. I’m one hundred percent alive. My nipples get hard and my sex tingles when I step out onto the stage and meet their eyes.
That’s my secret weapon: eye contact. Up close and personal. I can bump and grind, shake my tits in their faces, bend over so they get a good look at the G-string settled in my ass-crack. It doesn’t do any good without my stare. I try to see their darkest fantasies. This one pictures me sitting on him, his mouth burrowing in my bush. That one wants me to hold his dick while he pees. That guy in the back, oh, he’s bad news. He aches to tie me up and beat me with his belt. Tough luck, feller. Dream on.
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What a gorgeous cover and a great interview Lisabet! Looking forward to Serpent’s Kiss.