Maggie Blackbird

Today, author Lisabet Sarai is guesting. She’s celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of her first release Raw Silk, a multicultural romantic erotica.

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The Accidental Alpha by Lisabet Sarai

When I began writing Raw Silk, I’d read quite a bit of erotica, but I had no experience with the rules and traditions of the romance genre. I’d never read a Harlequin. My notion of romance was Wuthering Heights or Romeo and Juliet, stories of thwarted passion that definitely violate the romance requirement for a happy ending.

Nevertheless, I naively incorporated a variety of plot and character elements common to the genre. Most notably, the “hero” Gregory Marshall turns out to be the classic alpha male.

He looks like an alpha: tall, lean and muscular, with strong features and piercing blue eyes. He typically dresses all in black and wears a silver earring. He moves like an alpha, graceful and sinuous as a wild cat when he stalks into a room or swings a flogger. His voice is melodious, compelling, persuasive. He even has a dramatic tattoo.

Beyond his physical attributes, though, he has a typically alpha personality. It’s not just that he’s a dominant with many years experience, accustomed to wielding power and compelling obedience. We discover over the course of the novel that his authoritative persona hides insecurities and doubts. Due to traumatic events in his personal history, he does not trust love (like many alphas). He’s eager to initiate Kate into dominance and submission, but wary of his deeper feelings for her. He can be gruff, even cruel, as he wrestles with his inner demons.

Given that I was unaware of these tropes, why did I incorporate them into the character? I honestly don’t know. It may be that I am susceptible myself to the emotional forces that make alpha males attractive to other readers. Certainly I found Gregory as challenging and exciting as Kate does.

On the other hand, the other “heros” in the book are far from the alpha stereotype. Anand Rajchitraprasong, the lascivious Thai nobleman, is slender and slightly androgynous. He’s also polite, solicitous of Kate’s welfare (as well as her pleasure), yielding and appealingly gentle. Meanwhile, David Berman, Kate’s American boyfriend, epitomizes the beta males I prefer in my own life: honest, intelligent, tolerant and feminist.

I love both of them as much as I adore Gregory.

I’ve concluded after twenty-five years that I accidentally tapped into a societal stereotype in creating Gregory. Ultimately, one cannot analyze the creative process. Our imaginations conjure the images that move us; we cooperate by bringing them to life in our stories.

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Title: Raw Silk
Series: N/A
Author: Lisabet Sarai
Genres: Multicultural romantic erotica
Heat Rating: Five flames
Length: 90,000 words, 308 pages
Release Date: April 1, 1999

In a foreign land, a woman discovers exotic new realms of the senses.

“You were born to this. You may not understand, yet. You may not believe. But I will teach you.”

Blurb: When software engineer Kate O’Neill leaves her lover David to take a job in Thailand, she embarks on a sensual journey that will change her forever.

In the glittering City of Angels, Kate becomes sexually involved with two very different men—a handsome and debauched member of the Thai aristocracy, and the charismatic, dominant proprietor of a sex bar. With Anand Rajchitraprasong, she discovers her own almost unlimited capacity for erotic pleasure. Meanwhile, Gregory Marshall shows her what she has hidden from herself: a deep desire to submit, to surrender herself body and soul to someone with the power and compassion to master her.

Each lascivious adventure binds her more closely to her lovers. Then David comes to Bangkok, and Kate realizes that she must choose one of the three men who all desire her.

Long considered an erotic classic, Raw Silk chronicles one woman’s intimate voyage toward love and self-understanding. This twenty-fifth anniversary edition has been freshly edited and includes a new introduction plus a bonus chapter.

Reviews:

“This is by far one of the best erotic novels that I have read and it fully deserves every one of the five ribbons I am giving it! But it does make me wonder what the characters could do with them.” ~ Maree Schuler, Romance Junkies (Five Ribbons).

“[Kate’s] character grows and she comes to realize her inner needs along with her deep sexual desires. Lisabet Sarai has a flair for sexy, sensuous romance with an edgy feel. I cannot wait to read more by this talented author.” ~ Dawnie, Fallen Angels Reviews (Five Angels).

“The Bangkok setting is fascinating and adds to the overall feeling of opulent sensuality. Lisabet Sarai deftly shows the country without ever letting the descriptions take over the story. Good BDSM novels are voyages of self-discovery, and Raw Silk is a journey you’ll enjoy taking.” ~ Kathleen Bradean, Erotica Revealed

“…this is one SIZZLING read (the ending was incredible) and should not be put on the back burner of your ‘to read list.” ~ Alyssa, Amazon review (Five stars)

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It was already past seven o’clock in the evening when she arrived back at her house in Bangkok. Ae had left for the day. Kate found a note, in the maid’s childish block-printed English.

Mr. Marshall call 3 o’clock. Please call him 02 243 0657

She felt a rush of pleasure. Gregory had never telephoned her before. Still, she was annoyed to note that her heart was pounding and her mouth dry with nervousness as she dialed the number and listened to the repeated rings.

She was almost ready to hang up when he answered. “Hello. Marshall here.”

“Gregory, it’s me. Kate.”

“Kate!” She heard warmth in his voice, and relief. “Where have you been? I was concerned about you.”

“I had to get away, away by myself to think. The time at the hotel was so—intense. And confusing. I needed to sort things out.”

“I understand.” The voice on the other end of the line was uncharacteristically gentle. “I pushed you hard the other night. Maybe too hard. It seems to come so naturally with you that I forget your inexperience.”

“No,” she answered, almost whispering. “It wasn’t too hard. I see a little more clearly now, how it is between you and me. I see myself more clearly.”

“Ah, Kate! You have so much to learn! If you still want this, of course.”

“I do want it. I want you.” She found herself blushing at her forwardness.

“And I want you, Kate, in ways you probably cannot begin to imagine.”

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Lisabet Sarai became addicted to words at an early age. She began reading when she was four. She wrote her first story at five years old and her first poem at seven. Since then, she has written plays, tutorials, scholarly articles, marketing brochures, software specifications, self-help books, press releases, a five-hundred page dissertation, and lots of erotica and erotic romance – over one hundred titles, and counting, in nearly every sub-genre—paranormal, scifi, ménage, BDSM, GLBT, and more. Regardless of the genre, every one of her stories illustrates her motto: Imagination is the ultimate aphrodisiac.

Twenty-five years ago, Lisabet published her first novel, the exuberantly erotic romance Raw Silk. The 2024 edition of this classic introduces a new generation of readers to this intense chronicle of one woman’s sensual journey.

Lisabet lives in Southeast Asia with her husband of over forty years and several rescue cats, where she pursues an occupation completely unrelated to her literary endeavors.

You’ll find information and excerpts from all Lisabet’s books on her website (http://www.lisabetsarai.com/books.html), along with more than fifty free stories and lots more. At her blog Beyond Romance (http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com), she shares her philosophy and her news and hosts lots of other great authors.

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