Erzabet's Enchantments: An Interlude With Author Lila Shaw

After nearly four millennia, Yve, a succubus and harvester of souls, has finally met her quota. She must travel to hell to redeem her own from the devil who holds it in hock. Ta’avah, the hunky and charming minion responsible for luring Yve into sexual slavery, joins her for her redemption ceremony before an audience of ogling demons. The pair soon learn that deals with the devil are rarely settled to anyone’s satisfaction other than Lucifer’s. Only one weapon can trump those of the master of deception, but do Yve or Ta have enough humanity left in them to find and wield it?

What I Liked:

Any stories about succubi automatically make it onto my reading list. The whole idea about an aggressive female apologetically out searching for sex and living from the life force of men is pretty interesting. Especially if the men involved deserved it. In this case, you have a succubus at the end of her contract and some pretty public sex if she wants out. Enter the hunky hero and you have a lusty romp through the bowels of Hell that will singe your hair.

What I Didn't:

It ended. Double damn. I want more!

Overall:

I loved this short tale of a succubus who was ready to end her contract and will be looking for more of these from the amazing Lila Shaw. Hot smoking sex, hunky demons, lusty succubi...what more can a girl ask for in a novella? The setting for her to go into the Underworld was a particular favorite. Excellent and spicy read.

5/5

In a kingdom where women outnumber men, marriage has more in common with slavery than romance. Lady Otsana certainly isn't willing to surrender her freedom and dumb herself down, not even for a blue blood. She's having too much fun disguising herself and bedding the hot, red-blooded type in the neighboring lands.

Prince Koldo is not too keen on marrying either, certainly not to that know-it-all Otsana his parents favor. He'd rather continue his intense sexual Olympics with a commoner named Fleur. Little does he know Otsana and Fleur are the same woman.

When the King throws a ball and a contest to choose Koldo's bride, Otsana must make a difficult decision. Will she enter the contest of the Golden Pea and risk all for a chance at love, or will she play it safe but give up Fleur's lover forever?

What I Liked:

This book was a bawdy romp through the Princess and the Pea story that I used to love as a child. I really love it now! The quest for a wife has always been one of those royal endeavors that can be horrific. Koldo has met his match in a maid he knows as Fleur, but she knows him for who he really is. As Fleur, Ostana can be a sexual wanton and it was so much fun to read! Koldo can barely walk the next day. How funny is that!? When the King makes the ultimatum and Koldo holds a special kind of contest to choose his bride, I knew this story was going to be amazing.

What I Didn't:

There was a humorous edge to the fairy tale construct that disconcerted me at first.

Overall:

This book has some smokin hot sex, a mystery about who is who and who wants what. The naughty fairy tale style was great and the humor that threw me at the onset of the story was well played as the book continued on. I loved the part with the golden pea-you have to read it find out!

4.5/5

1. Writing naughty fairy tales like Vixen and the Pea had to be tons of fun. What was your favorite thing about the book?

It was a ton of fun! I've always been fascinated by the story of the Princess and the Pea, which Vixen is, of course, based on. The tongue-in-cheek adaptation of it--"Once Upon a Mattress" starring Carol Burnett, one my favorite comediennes of all time--was wonderful too. What drew me was the idea that royalty was so different and so removed from the common rabble, that a princess would find even the tiniest of foreign objects in her bed irritating to her delicate flesh and a deterrent to a good night's sleep. How hard was that to turn on its head? My "princess" not only enjoys staying up all night, she adores foreign objects in her bed and in her delicate flesh! LOL

2. What are some other naughty fairy tales that spark your interest?

I've only read three other NFT's (so far) from my Evernight sisters, and all were great fun. I have a couple of others queued up on my Kindle, too, so I really can't choose from those already out there. But if I have time some day, I've already started plotting "The Three Corporate Pigs" about a woman who works for/with three sexist pigs that she, ahem, systematically disavows of that particular prejudice. Have I mentioned that I adore feisty, assertive heroines? No shrinking violets in my stories.

3. What was the hardest or funniest scene you have ever written?

I think the funniest would be the romance novel parody dream sequences in my debut novel, All's Fair in Love and War. Of those, I'd probably choose the first one in the book where an historical version of the book's heroine, Shelby, is accosted by an historical version of the hero, Colin, in his role as a ruthless highwayman who seeks to have his wicked way with her.

4. The use of the golden Pea in the Vixen and the Pea was inspirational! What inspired that idea?

**laughs** Probably Fifty Shades of Grey (yes, I've read them all) and my own laughable experience attempting the same maneuver as Anastasia. 'Nough said.

5. In your new book, Soul of the Succubus, you write about a succubus. I have always loved stories like that. What sparked the idea?

Oooh, my favorite subject. I adore writing about succubi, absolutely love them because they are powerful women who thrive on sex and are aggressive and unapologetic about getting it. Plus the supernatural element is always fun to play with. She's not nearly as popular as the vampire or werewolf, so I can make up almost whatever history, abilities or "rules" I like without offending reader expectations.

I've actually written over twenty short stories about succubi that I pulled into a collection, all linked together with a series of introductory quotes from fictional books, training manuals and speeches that might have been written for a succubus and her peers. A short story collection from a relatively new writer, however, is a tough sell, especially since only the final batch of stories have happy endings. Most publishers require a happy ending for all the tales, but many of mine are erotic horror, not romance, especially the earlier ones. The overall arc of the collection follows the emotional life cycle of a succubus: from the terror of creation to anger to acceptance to playful enjoyment and finally to redemption in a variety of ways. I wrote them in different genres and settings, from space opera to steampunk to western with plenty of stops in between--a decadent succubus sampler. No takers so far, so my plan B is to expand and market them as stand-alone novelettes and/or short stories. So stay tuned!

6. What do you think the most challenging thing is about being a succubus?

Probably meeting her emotional and inspirational needs. Sex is sustenance but not necessarily the means to long-term fulfillment. Beyond survival, what is her higher purpose for existing and how does she achieve it? If it's love, I suspect falling for a mortal man would be pretty draining, watching them age and die, sort of like having a pet.

7. What are you currently working on?

So many things because I write under three different pen names for three different audiences. As Lila, however, I have another succubus shorty revolving around Greek and Roman mythology that I'm nearing the finish line on. My other me's have a novel nearly ready to submit to agents and/or publishers, a followup short story to my debut romantic mystery and book two of an urban fantasy (in addition to edits of book one).

On August 17th my superhero novella called Prometheus Unstitched releases, so I (Lila) will also be busy marketing.

8. Do you have music that invokes an erotic mood when you write, or do you prefer silence?

I prefer silence when I write, but music is a huge inspiration for plotting and future writing sessions, erotic or otherwise. My family teases me for being a bit of a Rainman when it comes to music I listen to in my car. I tend to play the same CDs over and over again. I associate certain songs with plots, characters, scenes, and hearing the music gets my brain on that story's wavelength. Some music is sexy, some is light-hearted (because I gotta have my humor), and some is very dark and melodramatic.

9. Will you be writing more books with a succubus theme? (I hope!!!)

Oh, yes, ma'am. You can count on it.

10. What inspired you to write erotica and what would you tell someone who is just starting out?

I started off writing sweet romance and nonfiction humor. I added erotica solely to amuse and arouse myself at first. Then I wanted to see if I could write it well enough to do the same for third parties (versus making them cringe or snicker, and not just at the funny parts.) My first public posting of my work was for an erotica blog contest. I got ZERO public opinion votes. None, nada, nil. But, always a bit of an experimenter at heart, I wrote my entry in second person from a man's perspective. Yeah, pretty limited audience and not at all derived from what I knew. Lesson learned.

For newer writers, I would first say write what you like to read, and don't write anything you would melt into a puddle of embarrassment over if asked to read aloud. Readers can tell if you're squeamish.

Second is know your audience. Women readers typically want to "feel" the romance and emotion of the sex and require a broader spectrum of the senses be engaged throughout--the touch of warm lips on the nape of a neck, the scents and flavors of arousal and passion, the vocalizations of emotion more than the expletives of pleasure. Men, on the other hand, are more visual so those types of descriptions need to be most vivid.

Thanks for having over, Erzabet! :)

New on August 17th!

Cory Blindbarrow of Blindbarrow Crimefighting Couture, loves her work—from tailoring bulletproof fabrics to engineering concealed weaponry. Kowtowing to the over-sized egos of her superhero clientele? Not so much.

Her newest client, Theo Richelieu, aka Prometheus Man, can see five minutes into the future. Unfortunately, nobody believes him. He’s exactly the type that pushes Cory’s buttons. But he’s also quite talented at engaging (and disengaging) her snaps and zippers. As maddening as Theo can be, Cory can’t deny their supernatural chemistry.

When a sniper targets Cory’s colleagues, Theo appoints himself her protector. His know-it-all attitude soon has her ready to tattoo a bullseye on her forehead. If Theo is unable to convince the headstrong couturier she’s the sniper’s next mark, their happily ever after might never make it out of the design phase.

This one is going on my TBR list!

Lila Shaw
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