Scarlet Hyacinth Visits The Steam Room

Please welcome author Scarlet Hyacinth!

TSR: Tell us about your Kaldor Saga.

Scarlet: Enraptured was the first book I’ve ever written. The story is quite funny, actually. I started writing it while I was supposed to be working on my dissertation. My mother could never tell that I wasn’t writing anything remotely scholarly, given that she doesn’t speak English, so she couldn’t nag me that I was lazy. So, it was a lovely pastime,something I loved, and wanted to share with everyone else. Later I started posting it online as a free read, and it evolved into a much more complex storyline than I originally intended. Truth be told, I only ever intended it to be a trilogy, with three couples, all of which appear in Enraptured: Gabriel/Lucien(the main characters), Kalin/Cade and Orin/Zeli.

The Kaldor Saga now stretches over two worlds, including characters from both Earth,and its parallel world, Kaldor. While in Enraptured, the story revolves around a smaller cast, it gradually expands to include many more, as friends, family and mysterious enemies come to the fore.

In many ways, Over the Edge marks this twist, as the mood changes from the lighter, sweeter, more romantic one in Enraptured, toward a somewhat darker, deeper tone. I’m not sure whether it is because I am maturing as a writer, but in a way, I wanted to point out that happily ever afters are very hard to get. Something will always pop up that will mar it, even if it probably wouldn’t be something as drastic as what I used. You then have to rely on your loved ones, in this case Kalin and Cade, to fix what is broken.

My latest release, Destinies in Darkness, features a couple that wasn’t in the original story, Eric and Keenan. Part 1deals with the love story of this couple, while Part 2 reunites them, and the rest of the characters introduced in Part 1, with the Kaldorian side of the cast. As a matter of fact, Part 2 will come out tomorrow (Dec 28.) In this installment, the readers will find out the protagonists of the next story, Second Chances, which will be published next year, in spring.

TSR: What draws you to writing MM romances?

Scarlet: Well, there are two significant things that draw me to MM romance. The first one is that I find it with great potential from an emotional point of view. I also have a greater liberty with my heroes. For example, in an MF romance, I can’t make a heroine weepy or clinging on the male, as she would simply not appeal to the independent women who read the books. In MM, if the hero sheds a tear, he is simply in touch with his sensitive side. *grins

But seriously, I think that MM romance is much more challenging and with several aspects that an MF book would not have. For example, GLBT relationships are still looked down on in many countries, my own included. I hate that, and my writing is a sort of passive resistance to the general trend. Perhaps, in the future, I can do more for the GLBT community in my country.

And finally, I also write it for a very simple reason: it’s hot. What can be more delicious than two (or more) hunks getting it on?

TSR: You mentioned on your website that you don’t plan to ever write another ménage romance. Why not?

Scarlet: You saw that? Haha. That was true at the time when I posted it, but not so much now. From my point of view, ménage romance is very complex, simply because it involves an increase in emotion that is sometimes difficult to convey. But since then, I have changed my orientation and decided to take a chance.

As a matter of fact, four of the books on my coming soon list are ménage, the two sequels of my Deadly Mates Series (Spell of a Predator’s Moon and Dragon’s Bloodmoon), as well as two new books contracted with Silver Publishing: The Plot Bunny and Awakenings.

TSR: Would you ever consider writing straight or mixed (ménage with bisexual characters) romances?

Scarlet: I have many times considered writing other types of stories, including straight romances. As a matter of fact, I am considering venturing into mainstream fantasy sometime in the future. I am, first and foremost, a storyteller and I want to go beyond what I have already accomplished. But for now, MM romance is what I love to write, and I will stick to it.

TSR: You’re from Romania. How did you get into writing English-language novels?

Scarlet: English has always been a passion for me, ever since I first started going to school. In high school, I continued my studies of it and went on to take university classes in English. During this time, I read a lot, from Shakespeare plays, to philosophy, all in English. Then, a friend of mine introduced me to MM romance novels, and I was hooked. From then on, writing my own stories was only a step away. Of course, it took time for me to get good enough. Many wonderful people helped along the way, the great staff at Siren Bookstrand who gave me a chance and taught me how publishing is done. In many ways, I’m here now because of them.

TSR: I had a Romanian friend in college who used to roll his eyes at the mention of vampires. You list vampires as among your favorite things. What draws you to them?

Scarlet: I find vampires dark, interestingand romantic. Like your friend, I roll my eyes when I hear people mentioning the bloody ways of the Transylvanian “Count Dracula”. I read references of it in books, and it makes me laugh – which is why, even if Romania appears in my books, you’ll never find it as a “stronghold” for vampires. That aside, I have always been drawn to the darker side of romance, the bad boys, so to speak. And I can’t help but wonder what it would be like to live forever, but deprived of something we “humans” take for granted.

TSR: What’s next for you?

Scarlet: Many things. I will, of course, be continuing the series already in progress. Book 5 of Kaldor is on the waiting list, as well as the following books of Deadly Mates. I have also started a new ménage series, Guardians. The first book, The Plot Bunny, will be available in a few months, from Silver Publishing. I also tried my hand at a more taboo subject, that of twincest, in Awakenings. And of course, I have many, many ideas, all struggling to get out of my head.

Important Links:

BuyLink: http://www.bookstrand.com/destinies-in-darkness-part-2

WebsiteLink: http://scarlethyacinth.webs.com/

Contest Information:

Hi,Michele. Thank you for having me here at The Steam Room. And hello to all the readers out there. Tomorrow is the release day for Kaldor Saga 3: Destinies in Darkness, Part 2, and as such, I figured I could tell everyone a bit about my Kaldor Saga. Since we’ve just passed Christmas, I am also offering a copy of the first book of the saga, Enraptured, as well as a copy of my first ménage story, The Three Horsemen of the Black Forest.

All you have to do is comment on the blog and tell me what’s on your mind, what interests you and, most importantly, what you’d like to see.

I hope you enjoy reading my books and I am looking forward to your questions and comments.

Note: to count, comments must be made at TSR: http://www.michelezurlo.com/apps/blog/show/5689628-scarlet-hyacinth-visits-tsr-