All About Books, Boots, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Today we're doing a transglobal version of Tête-à-tête.Thursday. Author Sotia Lazu is participating in a little Bourbonista Banter all the way from Athens, Greece. 

While Sotia’s making do with Greek reality, she is writing and mostly thinking in English. Sotia is the author of four novels, with a fifth entitled, The Tenant, that will be released later this year. 

She loves romances with a twist and urban fantasy novels, always with vivid erotic elements. Her favorite characters to write are not conventional hero-material at first glance, and she enjoys making them fight for their happiness.

Sotia shares her life and living quarters with her husband, their son, and two rescue dogs, one of which may be part-pony. Sappy movies make her bawl like a baby, and she wishes she could take in all the stray dogs in the world.
Also, she hates mornings!

The Bourbonitsa: If you could be any animal on the planet, including those of the cryptozoological variety, what would you be?
Sotia: Growing up, I wanted to be a black panther. Now my sister calls me a cougar, because I’m five years older than my husband. I’m beginning to get comfortable with that. Heh J.
The Bourbonitsa: I wrote a whole blog about being called cougar. Did you know they're considered a "stalk and ambush" predator. I just envision myself tracking some young hottie through the shadows of a club, then leaping off a speaker and devouring him. So, you get five minutes to pack one bag and head off to your dream destination. What do you take and where do you go? 
Sotia: My laptop, the darkest sunglasses I can find, sunscreen, bathing suit, toothbrush, and I’m off to Bora-Bora for two weeks—can’t survive longer than that without hubby, kid, and dogs, but I don’t want them with me in my dream destination. Hahaha! (If you’re footing the bill, I’d like a room here, please)

The Bourbonitsa: Well chosen. Nice digs. My goal is to one day be able to spend half my time in a hot tub and the other half in a hammock. If your house were to catch on fire, what is the one possession you would grab? 
Sotia: We’re talking possession, as in object, right? So if we’re not counting in living creatures, I’d grab my charm bracelet. I’m not that sentimental; I have a mini flash drive hanging from it, which holds all my published works, my WIPs, and all the pics I’ve got of my son.

The Bourbonitsa: I feel you. I was seriously considering having a pocket sewn directly into my skin just to keep my flash drive safe, but then I discovered Google docs, which is much less likely to give you an infection than sugery. If your life had a theme song, what would it be? 
Sotia: Right now, it’d probably be Britney Spears’ "Work Bitch." I have so many things to do and so little time. And I’m trying to lose weight on top of everything else. Sigh.  At least I hope all the effort leads to some good results.

The Bourbonitsa: I'm trying to lose weight, also. The night before I start a diet I always gorge on pizza. This happens about three times a week. Describe yourself in three words all beginning with the letter “B.”
Sotia: Big. Bouncy. Busy.

The Bourbonitsa: Cool, you're a Tigger-type too. I think everyone can be classified by which A.A. Milne character they are most like. I'm a Tigger, too. However, this endless U.S. winter has made me a little more Eeyore than I'm comfortable with. On to a happy topic, what would you do if you won the lottery?
Sotia: First off, I’d give my sis enough to cover her wedding. Then I’d pay off my dad’s loan. And then I’d quit my job, hire a housekeeper, and write ten hours a day. I’d try to take a trip a year--finally visit my friends in the US—and maybe never run out of clothes my size, but I’d try not to do anything extravagant.

The Bourbonitsa: Well, I now consider us friends, so I'll be expecting you to make a stop in Lexington. We'll party it up Kentucky-style which means going to the horse races, winning big, spending all our earnings on bourbon, kicking off our shoes and dancing to some Bluegrass music, than eating a Hot Brown at 4AM. You in? Now, if you were to write a short “Thank You” letter to your future self for all the cool shit you’ve done twenty years from now.
Sotia: 
Dear Future Self,

Thank you for not giving up on my dreams. Thank you for finally putting on your big-girl pants and quitting your day-job to become a full-time writer. Thank you for biting down on angry words and managing to not lose that saint of a husband. Thank you for making the exact same, annoying choices my parents made with me while bringing up my son. He’s now a responsible young man who loves animals and treats people with kindness and respect.

Thank you for finally losing those thirty pounds and never taking up smoking again. And thank you for getting everyone you know to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I know it’s been off the air for decades, but it’s fucking timeless!

Keep rocking those boots (and enjoy your boob job!)

Love, 
2014-You 

The Bourbonitsa: Wow! If possible you may be even cooler in the future. What is your favorite word and why? 
Sotia: Ummm…I think it’s “fuck”. In both Greek and English. Don’t know why, but it just slips out super-easily in all kinds of situations :P Buy your copy of Sotia's latest novel, Cherry Stem .

Turned at the cusp of a promising career in the adult movie industry, Cherry Stem has to rely on her mesmerizing vampire gaze for her meals and money. With the rent deadline approaching, settling for pocket change isn’t an option, so she reluctantly decides to let tall, dark, and handsome Detective Alex Marsden take her home for the night and fulfill her needs.


And make sure to check out Sotia's other work, HERE .