Guest Blog--Perfect Match by Lisabet Sarai

I continue to ask writers I enjoy reading to guest on my blog. Here is a
favorite, the wonderful Lisabet Sarai. If you haven't read her  blog or
stories, treat yourself, and remember to comment for the chance to win
one of her books.

Perfect Match
By Lisabet Sarai
 
A few weeks ago, Jan was a guest at my blog Beyond Romance, talking about how she persisted in writing M/F erotic romance even though “everyone” told her that M/M or ménage would sell better. She started me thinking about my own publication history.
 
Over the dozen years I've been publishing, I've written pretty much every assortment of genders and many different genres. My first three novels, though, and many of my later works, are fundamentally M/F. I say fundamentally because all three novels involve some additional hanky panky, including group scenes and some F/F interaction. Nevertheless, by the end of each book, the heroine has hooked up with a man who is clearly the perfect match for her (even though she might not have realized this earlier in the story).
 
I enjoy challenging myself, writing different gender groupings. Still, I find heterosexual stories come more easily and naturally to me – especially if the characters are allowed to have some fun on the side with other characters of their own or opposite gender! The concept of finding one's soul mate is an essential foundation of the romance genre. Somehow that suggests to me a unification of opposites – yin and yang, dark and light, dominant and submissive... male and female. Of course, characters of the same gender can possess contrasting personal attributes, but with a M/F pair, the opposition is already a given.
 
My new release Hot Spell is an excellent example. I never really had to think about the gender of the characters. I knew the story would be M/F. There just wasn't any alternative. Furthermore, from my first glimmer of inspiration, it was obvious that Sylvie would be confident and sexually aggressive, while Aidan was more shy and restrained (although he has a legitimate reason for his reticence). I didn't plan this, but I liked the reversal of traditional roles when I noticed it. 
 
Despite their differences, the two are mutually attracted from the moment they first set eyes on one another. Since Hot Spell is a paranormal, I wanted to emphasize the magical, almost cosmic nature of their connection. Circumstances seem to stand in the way of their ever consummating their relationship, but of course I (and my readers) know from the first paragraph that they're destined mates.
 
Here's the blurb and a PG excerpt from Hot Spell that I think illustrates my point. (For a much steamier excerpt, go to http://www.lisabetsarai.com/hotspellex.html!)  And by the way - I will be giving away a copy of  your choice of my two November releases (Hot Spell and Wild About That Thing) to one lucky person who leaves a comment during my mini-blog tour this month. For details of my appearances, check out the side bar on my blog.


 
Blurb
 
The flames of passion are more than metaphor.
 
 
 
The city swelters in the grip of an unseasonable heat wave. Sylvie endures her solitary urban existence for the sake of her career, but the prospect of a hot, lonely three day weekend proves unbearable and she flees east to the pine-shrouded mountains. Far more at home in nature than in the city, Sylvie doesn't mind being alone in the wilderness, but she's not the only being haunting the glades and the trails.
 
Aidan is fiercely attracted to the voluptuous beauty he finds sun bathing nude in a high meadow, but he must resist his overwhelming desire for the sake of her safety. The sun-bronzed man with the red-gold hair is cursed with power he knows will destroy her if they give full rein to their passion. Can Sylvie refrain from tempting him? Or will she risk being being literally consumed by love?
 
Hot Spell Excerpt (PG)
 
“Are you hungry?” His voice was steady—pleasant but neutral—belying the riotous signals she picked up from his body. “I’m afraid all I can offer is canned chilli, with some wild greens I picked this morning…”

Yes, I’m hungry, she wanted to scream. Hungry for you! Then shame flooded her, damping down her desire. She had promised him she’d behave, that she’d keep her distance and not tempt him. She wasn’t sure that she subscribed to his conviction that their making love would kill her, but clearly he believed it and suffered for that belief. Reminding him of their mutual attraction would just make him more miserable. For his sake, she had to control her carnal urges, difficult as that might be.

"Sounds good to me. At least as appetising as dinner back at my campsite, freeze-dried beef stew." He rose from his chair and she followed. "Can I help?"

“No, that’s okay. It’ll just take me a few minutes. But come over here first. You’ll like this.” He gestured towards the south-facing windows, the ones near the cots. A gap of about a yard separated the two beds. They stood together in that space, gazing out of the open window.

To the west, at their right, rose the high peaks, jagged and ashen against the orange sky. The sun streamed through gaps between them, loosing shafts of fire into the valley. Far below the fire tower, Crystal Lake was transformed from the sapphire mirror she’d seen earlier in the day to a sheet of beaten gold. The trees surrounding the water were already grey-green shadows, but the lake burned like the caldera of a volcano, brimming with molten lava.

Sylvie caught her breath. It was exquisite—awe-inspiring. Nothing in her city life was this lovely. Nothing had this power to rouse her emotions. A sense of completion, of rightness, settled on her. This was where she belonged. At the same time, her whole body vibrated with a new kind of excitement, similar to sexual arousal but somehow more subtle and refined. 

She was acutely aware of Aidan’s bulk beside her and the strong, male scent of his sweat. He radiated heat—a human furnace. That was part of this bliss, too, inseparable from the miracle of the fiery water. Her need for him was a fierce, sweet ache that brought pleasure even without being consummated.

She didn’t dare move. She didn’t want to break the spell. Then she felt his fingers entwine with hers. She sensed the strength in his grip even as her skin burned from the contact.

Sylvie did not turn to him. It wasn’t necessary. She knew what he was thinking. She understood he wanted her. For now, in this endless moment, that was enough. His guilt eased in her presence. She felt his tension dissipate, bit by bit, as they continued to hold hands.

Neither spoke. Neither made any sort of effort to deepen the touch or turn it into something more explicitly sexual. That would have been redundant. They stood together, perfectly connected, until the sun sank out of sight and the flaming lake was extinguished.
 
*****
 
I want to thank Jan for letting me come and play on her blog. Hot Spell is available now! And don't forget to leave a comment – you might be my lucky winner!
 
BIO: A dozen years ago LISABET SARAI experienced a serendipitous fusion of her love of writing and her fascination with sex. Since then she has published three single author short story collections and six erotic novels, including the BDSM classic Raw Silk. Dozens of her shorter works have been released as ebooks and in print anthologies. She has also edited several acclaimed anthologies and is currently responsible for the altruistic erotica series COMING TOGETHER PRESENTS.
 
Lisabet holds more degrees than anyone needs from prestigious universities who would no doubt be embarrassed by her chosen genre. She loves to travel and currently lives in Southeast Asia with her highly tolerant husband and two cosmopolitan felines. For more information on Lisabet and her writing visit Lisabet Sarai's Fantasy Factory (http://www.lisabetsarai.com) or her blog Beyond Romance (http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com).