Interview with Romance Author Sara Brookes & contest!
Welcome Sara! It's an honor to have you here. I've featured many of your books on my blog, but this is our first interview. To begin, can you tell us a bit about your writing style?
SB: I never, ever plan anything when it comes to writing. If I try, I fail miserably and just end up getting frustrated. It's funny when I think about it because I'm so big on organization. I love letting the story develop as I learn the characters so I can let go of thinking everything has to be a certain way and just let it come out as it does. I've always found things happen for a reason in my stories for a reason, even if it's not clear to me at first. So far, the characters have never steered me wrong.
You write several subgenres of romance, including science fiction, paranormal, and BDSM. What draws you to write in these subgenres?
SB: They're all subgenres that I myself personally enjoy reading. If you took a look at my shelves, you'd see all of those stacked right alongside one another. In alphabetical order. Yeah, my organization is…uh, a sickness. *g*
I'm the same way with my books, movies, CDs, etc. LOL I understand. Your Sypricon Masters series combines both Science Fiction Romance and BDSM. What inspired you to write this series?
SB: The BDSM I've touched on with previous stories was always done in privacy. In , it was a converted warehouse. In Ragged Edge, it was a room attached to a motorcycle shop. I wanted to do something in a club setting just to get to play around with the kind of things that can bring up. And making it a sci-fi was something that came along when I starting thinking about collars, toys and furniture at the club—again, I wanted to do something a little different. So I've kicked up things in that area a bit. There are still whips, collar, toys and such, but you'll find them very, very different at Tawse.
Perfect Limit is the second book in the Sypricon Masters series. What can we expect when we load it up on our ereaders, phones and computers?
SB: A sexy, emotional read that will touch your heart. Rayna is feisty heroine who came from a difficult childhood. She shows she's a survivor just by still living her life. Yet, she has a vulnerable side that comes out whenever she's put in the spotlight. Burke has always given in to her need to stay in the dark, even though he doesn't feel it's warranted. When he sees her admiring another submissive, envying her beauty, he's had enough and decides to show her—and everyone else—just how perfect she really is.
BDSM is a lifestyle choice and is misunderstood due to those who don't follow the rules and people who use it as an excuse to hurt others. How much research was involved when you first started writing BDSM? What is the most interesting thing you've learned?
SB: Copious amounts of research and it's always still a learning process for me, meaning I'm always learning. As I write different characters with different needs and desires, I have to dig in and learn something new. My characters know this stuff because it's their life so I need to know it too, or at least that's how I feel about it. The whole lifestyle has been intensely fascinating to me and I'm lucky to have the resources that I do.
I learned something interesting from one of your recent blog posts. Can you explain the significance of the yellow chair in your books?
SB: Ah, yes, the yellow chair. To be honest, I'm not sure how it started. Well, I know where I first used it, but when it showed up the second time, in a completely different book and then again in another, it did give me pause. I didn't think about it too much however, because it'd probably scare me to know the whole reason it shows up. And it doesn't always, my past couple of releases, it hasn't been around. However, it makes an appearance in Perfect Limit.
Quick questions:
Favorite SciFi book/series: I used to read the Star Wars books in the early to mid-90's and I love the Callista Trilogy (that's the unofficial name anyway). It consisted of; Children of the Jedi by Barbara Hambly, Darksaber by Kevin J. Anderson and Planet of Twilight by Barbara Hambly.
Favorite BDSM book/series: Cherise Sinclair's Masters of the Shadowlands books
Favorite movie: Stand By Me
Favorite drink: Diet Pepsi w/ Lime
Favorite time of day: Sunrise. Just me, a mug of java and the quiet as the world starts to wake up.
Favorite way to relax: Curling up w/ a book. This one is hard to come by sometimes, so when I find time for it, I absolutely love it. Sometimes I miss the times where I could curl up with a good book and not move for the whole day.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
SB: Yes! There are two most stories upcoming for the Sypricon Masters before the end of the year. No Restraint is about a hot-shot space racer and a Dom at Tawse who doesn't care about all that racers fame and fortune, he treats her (yep, the space racer is a female) the same as any submissive. And then there's Slow Break, which will mark the first m/m title for the series. A former member of the club is back to ask for forgiveness from his Dom, but his Dom isn't going to relent very easily (as he shouldn't).
Where can readers find you?
SB: I have a love affair with Twitter and love to chat with people there (http://twitter.com/Sara_Brookes). I keep my website as up-to-date as possible (http://www.sarabrookes.net/) so readers can always look there for information about my upcoming releases. I'm on Facebook at well (http://www.facebook.com/brookesofbooks or http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sara-Brookes/138079535325) and love to connect with readers there as well.
Thank you so much, Sara for joining us today! I wish you all the best with this release and the many others that I look forward to reading. 
Contest!
Sara Brookes is giving away an ebook copy of Perfect Limit. For your chance to win, simply leave a comment. Contest is international. Contest closes October 2, 2011 at midnight EST.
