Today I welcome my friend Lisabet Sarai, who is very
well-known in the erotica and erotic-romance worlds as a gifted author, editor, critic, and columnist (don't miss her sage and thought-provoking pieces at Oh Get A Grip!).
It's release day for Lisabet's latest, Fire in the Blood. So pull up a vampire, grab a glass of red, and give a listen as this witty and captivating author tells the tale of her captivating tale!Oh No! Not Another Vampire!By Lisabet Sarai
Does the world really need yet another erotic vampire story?
Honestly? No. But that's just too bad, because yesterday Total-E-Bound released my M/M/F vampire ménage,
Fire in the Blood. I really didn't want to add to the current surfeit of blood drinkers. It just kind of happened.
You can blame it on Halloween. Last year TEB put out a call for a Halloween vampire anthology. I adore Halloween―it's my absolute favorite holiday―so I was eager to submit something despite the fact that I think there's a serious problem these days with vampire overpopulation. My manuscript was initially accepted but then due to the vagaries of publishing (specifically, the other author of a M/M/F story pulled out of the project, and TEB has a passion for balance), my editor asked if I'd be willing to expand the tale into a stand-alone novella and have it published this year instead. Having put in the effort to create the story in the first place, I wasn't going to give up on it.
Now it's August. Last Halloween is just a delicious memory and this Halloween is months away. Nevertheless, here I am, bringing my vampire, Etienne de Rémorcy, into the literary world.
Of course, Etienne is not exactly a typical erotic romance vampire. For one thing, he's not part of a vampire clan. There are no other vampires in the story, other than the woman who is responsible for his curse, whom he killed long before the story opens. He's also a vampire with a conscience. He has vowed never again to drink human blood. This, of course, offers the story's primary conflict, as the lovely Madeleine arrives at his lair, a ruined plantation deep in the Jamaica's tropical forest, and tempts him into breaking his oath. One thing leads to another (as tends to happen in such tales) and before you know it, Etienne has seduced (or perhaps been seduced by), and feasted on, Madeleine's lover Troy as well.
Etienne has few powers other than his cursed ability to inspire lust in humans. He is emotionally vulnerable in a way that erotic vampires rarely are. Vampires usually have a villainous streak but in
Fire in the Blood, Etienne is deeply moral, a true hero.
Still, I wonder if he's really different enough to stand out in the crowd of nasty, naughty Nosferatus.
This is my first long vampire tale. I've published a couple of short stories in which I tried my damnedest to break every vampire rule I could think of. My Thai vampire Mai in “Fourth World” (in D.L. King's anthology
The Sweetest Kiss) doesn't even have fangs. She's not particularly wicked (though she is a bit scary). She's just a girl picking up guys for some fun.
The vampire I created in “Vampires Limited” (in the Black Lace collection
Lust at First Bite) is a blond-haired, blue-eyed ex-college boy who was turned at a frat party. Unlike the typical literary vamp, he has only been a blood drinker for a few years. Daylight won't kill him, but electromagnetic radiation from a cell phone just might.
Then there's the vampire couple in “Prey”, originally published in my collection
Fire and now available
on my website. Philip and Julia are ancient undead, residing among the shadows of history in Prague. They do not need human blood to survive, but they are addicted to the adoration bestowed on them by mortals.
Thinking over my vampire creations I realize that there is one thing they all have in common. Every single one can make a human cream his or her jeans with no effort at all. Even without trying, they evoke fascination and lust. I guess this is the
sine qua non of vampire erotica.
I thought I'd leave you with a brief excerpt from
Fire in the Blood that demonstrates the effect Etienne has on poor Troy.
Hurricane lanterns hung from the rafters of the empty bar. In the background, Bob Marley sang about shooting the sheriff. The stranger snared Troy’s gaze. Troy felt strangely transparent, as though the other man could read his thoughts. “What will you have? Allow me to treat you.”
“That’s very kind, but since I’m the only one drinking…”
“What will you have?” The quiet voice demanded obedience. Troy swallowed and shifted in his chair. He was surprised to find that his cock was half-hard.
“Um―just a Red Stripe, I guess.”
“Have you tried any of our rum drinks yet? They are delicious, though quite potent.”
“Not really…”
“Let me recommend a Calico Jack. Two kinds of rum, pineapple juice, lime and Triple Sec. You will enjoy it, I guarantee.” Without waiting for Troy’s agreement, the giant headed for the counter at the back of the deck.
Troy couldn’t take his eyes off the man. He moved with the grace of a dancer, every gesture fluid and precise, but there was nothing effeminate about him. Despite his fine clothes and impeccable manners, the stranger broadcast an aura of raw masculinity. Undressed, he would be a colossus, a gladiator, a savage warrior. Troy pictured him wearing a loin cloth and carrying a spear. He could see that ebony skin stretched over rippling muscle, gleaming with sweat, the thick lips parted as he sprinted after his prey…
Troy’s penis jerked inside his shorts. What the hell? Sure, he’d tried a few experiments in college, but they’d led him to conclude that he was one-hundred-percent straight. Yet here he was, getting turned on by some guy whose name he didn’t even know.
Maybe it’s just Jamaica, he thought. The same steamy climate that kindled Maddy’s crazy passion this afternoon.
Maddy. The recollection brought a twinge of guilt. He had intended to stay within earshot. But really, he was only a hundred yards from the room, and he had his phone. If she needed him, she’d call. He could be at her side in two minutes.
The stranger returned with a tall glass frosted with condensation, a wedge of pineapple impaled on the stirrer. He set it down on the shelf jutted from the railing in front of them. “Here you are, my friend. Take a sip of this and let me know what you think.” He seated himself once more. Troy noticed that the other man’s thigh was mere inches from his own. The hum of arousal singing through his body increased in volume.
The drink was simultaneously sweet and tart. The fruit juice masked the bite of the rum. Troy swallowed several more mouthfuls. Warmth simmered in his belly and gradually flowed out to his limbs. He drank more deeply, then relaxed back into his chair.
The black man watched Troy savour the concoction, smiling indulgently. “Delicious, no?”
“Definitely!” Troy’s enthusiasm was genuine. “Just as you promised.” He drew on the straw and was disappointed to find that the drink was already gone. “Thank you. But I don’t even know your name.”
“You can call me Etienne,” his companion replied. “Would you like another?”
Troy giggled, feeling the effects of the rum he had barely tasted. “Not yet! I don’t think I could handle it. But thanks. I’m Troy, by the way.” He held out his hand.
Etienne took Troy’s hand in his own. He did not exactly shake it, however. He clasped it loosely, running the ball of his thumb up over the back of Troy’s. Meanwhile his index finger slid up along Troy’s wrist, coming to rest against Troy’s pulse point.
Etienne’s fingers were so cool that Troy was startled. Maybe from carrying my drink, he thought. The black man’s thumb continued to brush back and forth across Troy’s skin. The light touch raised goose bumps on Troy’s bare arms. Meanwhile, inside his cut-off blue jeans, Troy’s swollen cock throbbed in time with Etienne’s languid movements. It was almost as though the other man was stroking his dick instead of his hand.
He felt suddenly dizzy. Etienne’s brooding beauty wavered in front of his eyes. For a moment, Troy thought he’d lose consciousness, but then the world stabilised. The essence of roses hung in the air between them.
If you're intrigued, fly on over to Total-E-Bound and pick up your own copy of
Fire in the Blood.
On the other hand, if you think the world would be better off with fewer undead―well, I don't really blame you!
Bio: Lisabet Sarai is an author, editor and reviewer of erotica and erotic romance. She has been writing ever since she learned how to hold a pencil, and publishing for more than a decade. Lisabet has visited every continent except Australia and now lives in Southeast Asia. She holds more degrees than anyone should ever want from prestigious universities who would undoubtedly be embarrassed if she mentioned them by name. For more information about her, including lots of free stories, visit her website Lisabet's Fantasy Factory, http://www.lisabetsarai.com.
Why, Mother, of course—at least in this context.
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