Saturday, March 26, 2011

Sitting down with author Scarlet Hyacinth

Can you tell me a bit about your most recent release?
Guardians 1: The Plot Bunny is a fantasy paranormal menage GLBT. The entire Guardians series rotates around the concept of artistic creation and the essence of love. In The Plot Bunny, the main character, Luc, is an author who struggles with writer’s block – something that only worsens when his lover, Simon, dumps him. He suffers a lot when Simon leaves him, without knowing that Simon suffers as well. But then Dury appears, claiming to be Luc’s plot bunny, and doing his best to bring the two back together.
This story is very special to me because Luc is a lot like I would be if I’d been a gay man who smoked Marlboro. I put a lot of my own emotions in words here, moreso than I usually do. For that reason, I think the love story between the three characters ended up beautiful too. And beyond the hot menage, the book carries a message. But I’ll leave that for the readers to discover when they read it. The Plot Bunny will be out today (26th of March), from Silver Publishing.

For any readers who may not have read any of your books, can you just give us a little sneak peak into world (i.e. the type of genre you write, type of stories you like to write....etc)?
I write m/m, mostly fantasy, paranormal although I have written some sci-fi. I love to world-build and my love for mythology appears in a lot of my books – in most of it, actually. I have demons, shapeshifters of all sorts, vampires, angels, and so on and so forth. I like to write stories that are engaging for the reader, that have something exciting and new, that keep the reader turning every page to see what will happen next – stories I myself would enjoy, with a balance between the erotic romance and the plot thread.

How much of yourself, if any, do you put into your characters?
Each of my characters has a bit of me, but some – like Luc – more than others. In Luc, I put my love for writing. In other characters, my affection for animals and my desire to break convention may appear. Most of all, I believe that every person has the right to love whomever they wish, and many times, this motif appears in my books.

How do you keep sex scenes fresh and exciting so they don't become stale or repetitive?
It is an ongoing battle J. I’ve found that in m/m, it is somewhat easier than it would be in m/f. I often add the occasional kink, like bondage or wax play. Recently, I’ve been trying my hand at menage. The dynamics in a three-way relationship allows for more room to move around for the writer, both from an emotional point of view, and where hot sex is concerned.

If you could throw a party with any five people (living or dead) who would you pick and why?
Only five? LOL. For the first three, my best friend, Orlando Bloom, Manna Francis. Why? Orlando Bloom is my forever crush since seeing him in Lord of the Rings and I’d love to discuss m/m with Manna Francis. As for my best friend, I’d pick her because I’d want to share this amazing experience with her, of course.  For the fourth person, I’m oscilating between Jules Verne, Karl May and Tolkien. They are the mainstream authors I love most. Finally, for the fifth person, I’m undecided between Vlad the Impaler and Yamane Ayano. I’m fascinated with history of all types. I’m curious to see what Vlad would say if he found out he is now considered a vampire. And Yamane Ayano is my favorite mangaka and an amazing artist. I’d love to meet her.

What are at least five things you have on your bucket list and have you done any of them?  Learn how to swim, learn Japanese, see all my country, travel through the world as much as I can and my dream, to get published with a major publishing house and see my books on the shelf in Romanian libraries. Currently, the swimming is on hold, I’m discovering my country bit by bit and catching a phrase here and there from Japanese. I think that with every book I write, I am becoming a better writer, so I might one day achieve my dream too. Hopefully, if that happens, I’ll be able to see the world too.

Is there one series/author you feel is a must read for readers to explore (can be e book authors or print NY house authors)?
In my genre, the Administration Series by Manna Francis. It’s an amazing series, not exactly a light read, as it has a lot of bdsm content. But the brilliance of the characters makes it incredible and I recommend it for any fan of GLBT fiction. In general, my vote goes to Tolkien. Also not a light read, but it’s worth it. The world-building is breathtaking.

Do you listen to music when writing? Do you feel like some stories write themselves a soundtrack with specific music? If so, what book and what kind of music influenced it?
Yes. Music is one of my favorite sources of inspiration. I love rock music and I often come up with ideas for my stories when I listen to my favorite bands. Sometimes, I simply can’t write without it. Lyrics are distracting, but I’ve found that Jrock bands particularly help. Currently, my favorite Japanese band is Versailles. I also love Thirty Seconds to Mars, Nightwish, Epica, Within Temptation, Bullet for My Valentine, and of course, Adam Lambert.

What is coming up for you in 2011?
In 2011, I have several more works lined up for release with Silver Publishing. The first one is Awakenings, a fantasy mmmm that is my first (and only, so far) forray into the taboo topic of twincest. It contains an older passion of mine, mermen. Next up is Artie, the Good Witch, also fantasy, but m/m, and my first comedy ever. After that, there’s the first book in my Bloodkin series, Bed and Breakfast, a fantasy m/m containing BDSM elements. My next release is from Siren Bookstrand, a fantasy m/m/m/m/m called Fire of the Four Seasons. It is a twisted fairytale inspired from Russian folklore.

Are any of your characters just like you or have personality quirks/traits of you or someone you know?
Definetely. I often pour my frustration with the people that annoy me into my villains or steal a trait or two from other people I know. I think this makes my characters more realistic than they’d be otherwise. This is exactly why I like The Plot Bunny so much – because Luc has all my quirks and obsessions.

Where can readers find you on the web?
I am all over the place on the web.
-         Siren Bookstrand: http://www.sirenpublishing.com/scarlethyacinth/


GUARDIANS 1: THE PLOT BUNNY

Blurb

Lucas Black, a famous author, finds himself struggling with writer's block. As he falls further and further into his obsession, his lover Simon breaks up with him. Depressed, Luc prays for a muse and is surprised when his prayers are actually answered in the person of a young man named Dury, who claims to be Luc's plot bunny. Dury is everything Luc shouldn't like, eccentric, mysterious, and far too beautiful. But in spite of his doubts, Luc cannot help but feel an increasing affection for Dury.
After his painful separation from Luc, Simon Roth is unable to continue sculpting. Seeing his ex on the street with someone else only serves to reopen old wounds. To his shock, that someone -- a mysterious man named Dury -- begins to stalk him, pushing Simon to contact Luc once again. Simon realizes with dismay that Dury's gentle coaxing reaches out to a deep part of him, one he'd thought reserved for his lost love, Luc.
Even as the two artists acknowledge their feelings for each other, they understand they have both fallen for Dury as well. Dury, however, hasn't told them everything. His secrets may well be the death of them all.



     Excerpt
As Dury offered him the spoon, their gazes met and held. Luc could swear Dury blushed. The beautiful light in Dury's green eyes drew him like a moth to the flame. As the spoon nudged his lips, he opened his mouth, still lost in Dury's green gaze.
      Unfortunately, the spell of Dury's eyes rendered Luc unable to think about anything else - which translated in him drinking in the mouthful of stew with no caution whatsoever. He only realized it when the hot spicy food hit his taste buds, scorching everything in its path.
      Instantly, Luc recoiled and started coughing as his mouth protested the assault. “Fuck. Water. Water.”
      He leaned against the counter, trying to regain his breath. A glass of liquid appeared in front of him and Luc gladly snatched it. As he gulped down the heavenly manna, the burn started to soothe, leaving behind only the pleasant taste of the delicious stew. Damn it. Why did Dury have to cook such spicy stuff?
      Fury and frustration swept through Luc. He hadn't come to the kitchen to be a cooking aid. “That's it,” he growled at Dury. “You're out of here.”
      Dury's beautiful eyes widened. “But I haven't helped you with your book yet.”
      “Exactly,” Luc shot back. “So far the only things you've done are cook food with too much pepper and fill my drawers with your own clothes.” And give me a hard-on that won't go away, he mentally added. “If anything,” he continued to rant out loud, “you're making it worse. You're not casting away my writer's block.”
      “That's because you don't believe,” Dury shot back. “You spend your time trying to come up with ideas to get me out of here instead of appreciating my help.”
      Luc crossed his arms over his chest and snorted. “And what do you expect me to do? Some random guy pops up into my life, claims he's my muse--”
      “Plot bunny,” Dury interrupted.
      “-- and makes himself at home in my apartment,” Luc continued undeterred. “Excuse me if I'm not exactly thrilled.”
      Dury's eyes filled with tears. “So you think I'm a liar just trying to mooch off you?”
      Luc opened his mouth to say yes. He tried to harden his heart, but the sight of Dury's tears simply tore him apart. God, he couldn't allow himself to be manipulated by a pretty boy who could cry on command, even if said pretty boy had incredible eyes, luscious lips and a body to die for. Instead of keeping to his resolve, though, Luc found himself something else entirely. “Fine. If you prove to me that you really are a plot bunny, I'll let you stay.”
      Dury wiped his tears. Feeling like a jerk, Luc retrieved a napkin and offered it to the young man. Dury nodded in silent thanks and took it. After he blew his nose, Dury gave Luc a critical look. “For a fantasy writer, you're awfully skeptical.”

1 comment:

Dawn R. said...

Hi Scarlet,

I love the covers you have here on the blog post and your new series sounds soooooo good. :)

Thanks for being my guest.

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