Brit Envy -- #Language #AmWriting #EroticRomance

 Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay

Although I now live in Asia, I was born and raised in the U.S.A. Indeed, I’m a true Yankee, having spent most of my life in New England. When it comes to writing, though, I sometimes wish I were a Brit.

I’ve visited the U.K. a number of times: London, Bath, Reading, Carlisle, Devon, York, Scarborough, Glasgow, Edinburgh. Most of what I know about Britain, however, comes from literature. From my earliest years, I devoured English classics, especially from the nineteenth century: Arthur Conan Doyle, the Brontës, Thomas Hardy, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Bram Stoker and so on. I’ve also been strongly influenced by contemporary British authors like Sarah Waters and William Boyd.

Many of my closest friends in the erotica and romance community hail from the beautiful British Isles. Though the UK is not as relaxed about sex as Sweden or Germany, overall British culture seems less puritanical than American. Indeed, it was a UK company (Black Lace) who published my very first erotic title.

There are expressions in British English that just don’t translate into American, from an emotional perspective. Take, for instance, “shag”, a common term for sex. It’s much less harsh than “fuck”, but more importantly, to me it has a connotation of mutual fun and pleasure that’s missing from a lot of American sexual slang. Shagging is not about “getting some”, or “doing her/him”, or “making it”. It’s not about power games or dominance, and it’s not gendered. Anyone can initiate shagging; anyone can enjoy it.

Another favorite of mine is “chuffed”. When I heard from Black Lace that they wanted to give me a contract for Raw Silk, I was definitely chuffed – excited, expectant, proud, on the edge of bragging.

Then there’s “what are you on about?” I’m not sure why this expression tickles my funny bone, but it does. It’s simultaneously critical and humorous, with (to me) an edge of affection. It has echoes of Monty Python. You wouldn’t say this to a stranger or to an enemy.

So, I love British English. Between writing for UK publishers and hanging out with UK authors, I’ve published a fair number of books in the dialect, including my new release Getaway Girl. This story is set in a small, picturesque village in northern Yorkshire called Kirkby Malzeard (which actually exists). When I originally penned the story, I’d never been to Yorkshire. I just knew it by reputation. Now I am eager to go back and visit the real village, as well as the ancient Devon market town of Tavistock, which features in my alt-Victorian trilogy The Toymakers Guild.

It’s not easy for me, though, to write correct British English. (I will never forget my first editor from Black Lace, replacing all my references to “panties” with “knickers”!) Somehow I can never get the convention straight for building “storeys”, for instance. Fortunately I belong to a stellar critique group which includes several highly accomplished authors of the British persuasion.

If my British English is at all convincing, they’re at least partially responsible. And yeah, it’s easy for them... so I am a bit jealous!

But mostly, I’m just grateful.

Blurb

Be careful what you wish for

All Peg wants is a break, a bit of adventure, a relief from her mundane existence in the bucolic but boring Yorkshire hamlet of Kirkby Malzeard. When dashing, sophisticated journalist Lionel Hayes saunters into the pub where she's tending bar, Peg suspects that he was just the sort of man to fulfill her fantasies of escape.

The seductive Lionel, however, is not what he seems. Before she knows it, Peg is a hostage, roped and gagged, speeding away from the scene of a daring crime. Lionel is armed and dangerous, but somehow Peg still wants him – regardless of the consequences.

Buy Links

Kinky Literature – https://www.kinkyliterature.com/book/1587-getaway-girl-/

Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D2WM4BXR

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D2WM4BXR

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1557686

Barnes and Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/getaway-girl-lisabet-sarai/1103185498

Kobo - https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/getaway-girl-10

Apple Books – https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id6499560218

Add on Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/212364347-getaway-girl

Add on BookBub - https://www.bookbub.com/books/getaway-girl-by-lisabet-sarai-2024-05-03