In the past few years, I’ve discovered a surprisingly effective method for kick-starting my imagination: look at what I’ve been doing, then do the opposite. Some of my best stories have grown out of frustration, a feeling that I’d gotten stuck writing the same sort of tales over and over.
For
instance, I wrote The Antidote as a reaction to
a long spell penning nothing but erotic romance. I was tired of
toning down my language and keeping a tight rein on my characters’
sexual attractions and activities, so that they only lusted after the
person involved in their happy endings. “I need an antidote to all
this romance stuff,” I told myself, then realized I had a great
title. The story unfolds in a near-future in which an authoritarian
government suppresses sexual desire in the interests of public order
– but where a highly illegal antidote is available, for those
willing to take the risk.
My
multi-genre novel Rajasthani Moon began as a
reaction to the current tendency to slot every story into a
well-defined sub-genre. “Let’s see how many different genres I
can include in a single book,” I thought. The resulting mash-up has
elements of steampunk, suspense, shapeshifter, ménage, BDSM,
Bollywood (a sub-genre only Totally Bound seems to recognize) and
Rubenesque genres. Personally, I feel it’s one of my most
successful works, at least from an entertainment perspective. As one
reviewer wrote: “At first you have a kidnapping fantasy with rip
roaring sex that honestly left me breathless. Then you have a ménage
with kinky toys that made me crunch ice. ( A lot). Then you add a
paranormal twist and I couldn’t decide what I enjoyed more. It all
worked. Every part of it.”
My
lesbian novella The Witches ofGloucester likewise
started
in
a
search
for
contrast.
I
was
putting
together
a
volume
of
my
lesbian
erotic
short
stories
to
submit
to
LadyLit.
In
the
process,
I
noticed
a
lot
of
similarities
among
the
tales.
All
but
one
were
realistic
stories
with
contemporary
settings.
Every
one
revolved
around
just
two
women,
and
most
of
the
stories
chronicled
the
characters’
first
sexual
encounter.
I
thought
I
needed
something
different,
for
balance.
A
paranormal
fantasy,
perhaps.
And
maybe
I
could
work
in
a
three-way
lesbian
ménage,
perhaps
with
some
moderately
hard-core
activities.
Furthermore,
perhaps
I
could
create
some
characters
who
were
lovers
with
a
long
history,
women
who
knew
one
another
extremely
well.
I
started writing about Marguerite and Beryl, the two resident witches
of Gloucester, Massachusetts, and found I couldn’t stop. The
floodgates opened. At the outset, I expected the tale to be in the
4-5K region. It turned out to be more than 12,000 words.
When
I submitted the manuscript for the collection to LadyLit, they
recommended that we pull out Witches and publish it as a
standalone title. Of course, I’m happy to have two books rather
than just one...but now I’m back in the situation of thinking the
collection (entitled Her Own Devices)
might not have sufficient variety!
Anyway,
here’s
the
blurb
for
The
Witches
of
Gloucester — a perfect summer read! You’ll
find
a
full
list
of
links
at
http://www.ladylit.com/books/the-witches-of-gloucester-by-lisabet-sarai/
and excerpts here on the blog and
on
my
website.
It’s
not about power. It’s
about love.
The
historic port of Gloucester, Massachusetts has a special charm, due
at least in part to its resident witches. For decades, raven-maned
Marguerite and red-headed Beryl have lived among its hard-working
inhabitants, making magic and mischief. Love and sex fuel their
supernatural abilities, but duality limits their power. To reach
their full potential, they need a third witch to complete their
circle.
Rejected
as
a
nymphomaniac
by
her
puritanical
boyfriend,
Emmeline
escapes
to
Gloucester
to
work
on
her
PhD
thesis.
From
the
moment
she
arrives,
Marguerite
and
Beryl
sense
her
erotic
vitality
and
unrecognized
paranormal
talent.
The
platinum-haired
beauty
may
well
be
the
enchantress
they
have
been
awaiting
for
so
long.
Now
they
need
to
show
Em
that
her
prodigious
libido
is
a
gift,
not
a
liability,
and
to
persuade
her
that
her
destiny
lies
in
the
sea-girt
town
they
guard,
and
in
their
arms.
