Karen Azinger's Blog: The Silk & Steel Saga - Posts Tagged "seduction"

"Like seduction, the Priestess took poisoning to an art form. Any assassin could slip hemlock into a flagon of wine but it took an artist to design the perfect death. Part of the secret lay in understanding the possibilities of each poison. Symptoms could range from the dramatic to the subtle, from tortured convulsions and visions of gods to falling deep into a fatal sleep. And then there was the choice of dosage, strong enough for an instant kill, or parceled out to appear like a lingering malaise. But the real finesse came in the delivery, like slipping into a garden to paint baneberry on an apple just before it was plucked, one bite away from death. The Priestess smiled. She prided herself on creative kills, death by design, the artistry of murder." Excerpt from The Poison Priestess, the fourth book of The Silk & Steel Saga!

This might surprise you, but one of my favorite characters to write in The Silk & Steel Saga is the Priestess. Yes, she walks on the Dark side, but she's such a delicious character, full of potent twists and turns. One of the main themes explored in The Silk & Steel Saga is how women gain, keep and wield power in a medieval world. To do justice to this theme I had to include sex, the good, the bad and even the ugly (my goal was to write sizzling hot, but never R rated). The Priestess was the perfect dark foil to explore this theme. I've read many fantasy books with female assassins and a few with succubae, but to be honest, none of them, not one, ever met my expectations. None of them were smart enough, or bold enough, and all too often both the sex and the poison had little to do with the plot. I wanted the Priestess to be different, a unique character in the fantasy genre, a beautiful, mature woman with a rapier wit who enjoys coiling men around her little finger. She plays the Dark side with gusto, intent on winning immortality. Seduction and poison are her weapons of choice, and she uses both to stunning advantage. Nothing is ever gratuitous, always devious with layered intent. The Priestess comes into her own in the 4th book of the saga, the book that bears her name, The Poison Priestess. "Like seduction, the Priestess took poisoning to an art form. Any assassin could slip hemlock into a flagon of wine but it took an artist to design the perfect death. Part of the secret lay in understanding the possibilities of each poison. Symptoms could range from the dramatic to the subtle, from tortured convulsions and visions of gods, to falling deep into a fatal sleep. And then there was the choice of dosage, strong enough for an instant kill, or parceled out to appear like a lingering malaise. But the real finesse came in the delivery, like slipping into a garden to paint baneberry on an apple just before it was plucked, one bite away from death. The Priestess smiled. She prided herself on creative kills, death by design, the artistry of murder." But poison is not her only weapon. "Glamour enough to steal a man's soul...and the skill to use it." Read The Silk & Steel Saga and discover a scintillating succubus wielding seduction like a siren and poisons like a master assassin, one of the most potent female characters in the fantasy genre.

Tidbit Thursday: Great epic fantasy is so much more than just swords and sorcery. To engage a wide range of readers, I set out to write a fantasy that included love, sex, and battles. Last week I talked about love scenes. Writing sex scenes proved a challenge of a different sort (including overcoming my own embarrassment!). One of my top priorities was to make sure the sex was never gratuitous, always integral to the characters' goals and the story's themes. In The Silk & Steel Saga, sex is either part of love or a means to a calculated end. And no one does the second better than the Priestess! Wielding sex for power is the prowess of the Priestess, the succubus of the Dark Lord. "Glamour enough to steal a man's soul...and the skill to use it." The Priestess is seduction personified. Her purpose was always clear, although her methods varied. As an author, my goal was to write prose that sizzled without crossing the boundary into r-rated. For me, the key to writing successful sizzle is to focus on seduction rather than just sex. For example, here's a scene from The Poison Priestess, when she's reunited with the prince of Radagar. “What name do you go by these days?” She never used her birth-name, a secret saved for a future conquest. “I haven’t decided yet. Choose something you like. Any blossom will do.” He shook his head. “Not any blossom. Not for you.” He circled her, slowly, studying the silhouette beneath the layers of sheer silk. “For you it must be something special, something rare, something with a double meaning.” Leaning close, he breathed deep. “Sandalwood beneath honeysuckle, allure hidden beneath sweet innocence.” He came full circle, standing in front of her, a hungry smile on his lean face. “I name you, Cereus, a blossom of the night.” “Cereus.” She tried the name, liking the sound of it. “Is it real or myth?” His gaze traveled her length, pausing at the lushness of her breasts. “Is your beauty real, or myth?” “Perhaps you’ll learn tonight.” “Perhaps it will take more than one night.” She made her voice a purr. “One night will be enough.” ...It's just a short scene, but can you feel the heat? This scene sizzles yet all the words are g-rated. I hope you'll find plenty of sizzle in The Silk & Steel Saga!