Our guest today is burning up the erotica charts. If you don’t know her yet, you’re going to want to! Ladies and gentlemen:

 

Lux Zakari!

 

It’s terrific to have you here today! Would you mind telling us a little about yourself?

 

I’m Lux Zakari, a heartbreaker/dream maker/love taker in the United States. Currently, I write mainly erotica, and my first novel, Coercion, was released August 2010. My second – Finale – came out just this month. I’m also an editor by day and have just finished getting my master’s in library science, and my interests include hula hooping, traveling, making stuff (all kinds of it!) and indulging in the compulsive cycle of reading my horoscope, convincing myself it’s a crock and that no one can ever know what will happen, then reading it again the next day.

 

What is your favorite way to unwind after a hard day on the keys?

 

I like to decompress by socializing or indulging in something creative, be it creating music or working on a zine or making offensive but charming embroidery. I work a lot and just finished my master’s degree in library science, so I also enjoy the opportunity to engage in pointless activities. For example, I very morbidly created a character in The Sims 2 called Murderous Murderson who has a swimming pool without a ladder, so Sims keep jumping in, drowning and getting buried in the backyard. It is a very haunted house by now!

 

What inspires you to write or take your writing in different directions?

 

I just run with whatever idea inspires me the most at the time. A lot of my writing is based on “what-if” scenarios. For example, Finale’s premise: What if a music legend died suddenly and left his kids in the hands of a completely un-maternal, sarcastic ex-celebrity? Ensue antics! As for taking my writing in different directions, I don’t really find myself playing it safe. I write whatever is fun for me to write about. It helps keep the whole thing enjoyable!

 

A lot of people get the idea that erotic romance writers write only what excites THEM personally. Do you find this to be true? What gets you in the mood to write erotica?

 

What an interesting concept/question! I think that, while I infuse my stories with a lot of “me,” it would be a mistake to assume anything about me, in the bedroom or otherwise. Sometimes I get a flicker of an idea that I think would be hot or something that I would think someone else would find hot, and then I just go with it. Regardless of my personal tastes outside the writing realm, I do wind up finding whatever I’m writing to be a turn-on – I am sitting around, thinking up the sexiest way to write sex, after all!

 

What’s the best review you’ve ever received? The worst?

 

One of my favorite reviews was in regards to Coercion, and it was both good and bad – certainly memorable. Unfortunately, the author removed it from Goodreads, where it had been posted, but it was something along the lines of “I hated reading this; it’s like every bad relationship you’ve ever been in, only imagine it told from the POVs of everyone involved, so you can see all sides of the horrible situation… That being said, it was bloody brilliant.” I found that sort of awesome!

 

The worst review was actually about a short story I’d written; I got the vibe that the reviewer wrote it under duress and was just really bored, so the review read in a very boring way. I also felt like the reviewer didn’t “get it,” focusing on what were interpreted to be my opinions on the economy and not the story itself. Very weird, very disappointing.

 

How do you cope with bad reviews?

 

It’s hard not to take it personally, but eventually rationality works its way through all those bummed feelings. For example, who is reviewing the story? What is the tone of the review? Is it actually constructive, with sound reasoning? If all else fails, make a drink and rant and cry to your cat/your bestie/your sig.O. Then go write something amazing.

 

Do you have any projects that are currently available or forthcoming that you’d like to tell us about today?

 

I’m currently promoting my latest release, Finale, which was released August 2011. The blurb:

 

When music legend Jonathan Levant dies in a motorcycle accident, no one is more stunned than his former lover Olivia Gray, a hedonistic ex-celebrity who learns she’s been inexplicably named the guardian of his children. Olivia’s reluctant acceptance of the new parental role obliterates her hope of resurrecting her songwriting career as she faces sarcastic teenagers, suicide attempts and séances. The upset to her self-indulgent life forces Olivia to finally face the truth about the cruel decisions of her wild past, her now uncertain future and her secret, turbulent relationship with a man who, even in death, continues to upend her world.

 

And now, an excerpt!:

 

Like it’d been my intent all along, I circled the piano, stood in front of the wine and casually refilled my cup. I was all too aware of Jonathan standing far too close on my left. I’d no sooner taken a sip when he asked, “Am I making you nervous?”

I spun around, my back against the piano and my heart pounding. “Why would you say that, Mr. Levant?”

“Ah, answering a question with a question—a sure sign of nerves.” He gave me a rakish grin and took a step closer to me, an act that made my mouth dry. “You know, before it was always ‘kiddo’ or a sarcastic ‘Johnnie.’” He placed his palms on the piano, trapping me in from all sides as he leaned toward me, unapologetically self-assured and sexy. “Now I’m Mr. Levant. What’s changed?”

“Absolutely nothing.” Faced with the inevitable and desperate for control, I closed the paltry distance between us, pressing my lips against his. Plusher than I’d remembered. He groaned softly but responded accordingly in a way that made my mind cloud with want.

We slid to the floor, trading open-mouthed, end-of-the-world kisses. My eyes rolled to the back of my head as his fingers slid beneath my shirt to cup my breast, plucking my sensitive nipples to life. His tongue licked a path down my throat, and my breath hitched at the expertise of his touch and the surprising reaction it evoked in me.

This was not the Jonathan Levant I knew, yet it was, a reminder that further triggered my arousal.

“Isn’t this the part where you push me away?” he murmured in my ear as he tore the shirt from my body with an urgency that excited me. “Aren’t you supposed to make a dramatic exit after yelling at me for taking advantage of you?”

I couldn’t believe he wanted to trade quips at such a time like this, let alone had the ability to do so. I shook the fog of desire from my head and forced myself to be Olivia again—the Olivia capable of rational thought who did not allow good-looking boys to dictate her emotions for better or worse. “Who says I’m the one being taken advantage of?” I asked, reaching between us to give his cock, still confined in his pants, a pointed squeeze.

“All right.” His body trembled with a shudder of pleasure, but he covered my hand with his and rolled us over so I was pinned to the floor, his body wedged between my open legs. “Have your way with me then.”

“That would sound more believable if you were on the bottom.” I was proud of myself for regaining a bit of self-control, but that small amount vanished once again when Jonathan reared back and tugged down my pants, taking my panties with them.

 

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It was wonderful having you here today! Before you go, do you have any tidbits or words of wisdom, encouragement, or advice for your readers today?

 

Thank you for having me – ‘twas fun! I can be found easily on Facebook, Goodreads and Twitter, as well as my own little corner of the web, www.luxzakari.com. By way of advice, to quote the substitute teacher in My So-Called Life, follow your hearts and veer away from heroin!

 

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Purchase link for Coercion: http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_12&products_id=315

Purchase link for Finale: http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/torrid/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=601&zenid=6682f72a0e56c6d5ef87b6d88e427d51

Or you can just click the covers above! Which, by the way, are SMOKIN’ HOT!

www.luxzakari.com