6 Questions with Anya Bast

The first Anya book I read was Blood of the Raven. Now she’s moved on to the Elemental Witches. I’m still with her, so why haven’t you picked up this fabulous author?

1. On a scale of one to ten, rank your current level of insanity–where ten is belongs-in-lunatic-asylum insane–and tell us why.

At the moment it’s probably about a 9. Normally it’s about a 7, but having two releases out so close together (Whisper of the Blade and Witch Fire) is giving me angina. Not to mention my deadline for Witch Blood that’s rapidly approaching. Oh, and I’m a new mom…ahhhh!

Did I mention there are characters in my subconscious trying to claw their way out? Yup. Right now it’s a solid nine.

In general, I think writers are a little insane to begin with. *g* We sort of have to be to do what we do, you know?

2. Congrats on your new baby! Now, how many points did Baby S add to your score on the insanity scale? *ggg*

Oh, she’s good for at least one and a half points. I would accept more Baby S insanity, though. She’s the love of my life and has permission to make me crazy. *g* My husband has that permission too, but only because I make him insane in return. Hey, it’s a two-way street.

But, yes, having to promote, write, meet deadlines, ect and ect while learning to be a mom for the first time in my life has been a wee bit crazy-making. Worth it, though. I wouldn’t trade a moment or one ounce of new insanity. I really didn’t know my heart could hold this much love.

3. I do adore a good menage. Why do you think women fantasize being in a menage?

Oh, easy…to have all that lovely male attention just focused on YOU. Four hands, two sets of lips, two tongues…ahem. You get the picture. Anyway, men fantasize about being with two women all the time. Turnabout is fair play.

I think too that there’s an element of getting your emotional needs met through more than one individual. Sometimes one man has qualities you love, but lacks others you need. In the fantasy world of fiction, the main character can find another man who possesses those qualities the first one lacks and love him too. Kind of like having your cake and eating it.

The cool thing about reading erotic romance, in my opinion, is that the reader can completely lose herself to the fantasy of it. Especially if it’s a paranormal story, the reader is absolved completely from the restrictions and regulations society tends to place on women and their sexuality. They can indulge their most elicit fantasies through the POV of the heroine in a fantasy world where anything is possible.

4. Do you think there’s a tendency in romance to write menages that don’t have sexual contact between the two men?

I think there are lots of both kinds. I usually write the kind without M/M contact, though I have two (Whisper of the Blade and Twilight in And Lady Makes Three) that have it. But I’m selfish on behalf of heroine for the most part. I want all her to get all that lovely male attention.

Plus, dealing with the three-way romance of the hero, heroine and hero is quite enough, thank you. Add in another layer of emotional depth between the hero and hero and whoa, baby, that’s a lot to get in there.

Not that it can’t be done. Not that it can’t be fun to write and a nice challenge to boot. It’s just that I don’t always want that extra element in there. I have enough to deal with already.

But I do see a lot of ménage a trois romances with m/m contact coming out, so I know they’re being written!

5. What can you share about the anthology that you, together with three other authors, sold to Harlequin Spice?

It’s called What Happens in Vegas…. The other authors are Lauren Dane, Kit Tunstall and Jodi Lynn Copeland. All the stories are contemporary romance and take place in Las Vegas (duh). And all the stories are connected in that each of our characters have something to do with same casino. Lastly, all the stories are highly erotic. It’s scheduled for release in March 2008.

My story, The Deal, is about a blackjack dealer who makes a series of erotic bets with a female friend of his, a friend to whom he’s been attracted sexually for a long time. It was a blast to write and I really enjoyed working with the other authors in the anthology. I think highly of all of them. Hopefully we’ll be working on a sequel together!

6. Vamps, faeries, and now witches. You’ve done it all, and quite a few wonderful fantasy romances too. Are we ever going to see a plain, old contemporary from you?

Well, I do write plain old contemporaries sometimes…er, kinda. Edge of Sweetness lacks a paranormal element and is a contemporary. It’s also a pretty hot BDSM story, so I don’t know if that counts.

And The Deal, in the above mentioned Harlequin Spice anthology is also a non-paranormal contemporary story. However, again, very hot.

So I guess I can write plain old contemporary, but it has to be erotic.

I dunno, I like writing paranormal best, I guess. I love the worldbuilding you get to do with those. Maybe I have a Goddess complex. I love the escape from the ordinary they provide and the way I can let my imagination run away with me when I write them.

I still need to write a shifter romance! Haven’t done that yet, but for the free stories I write for my newsletter subscribers.

Anya Bast blogs, is a Maverick Author and a member of After Midnight Fantasies. Her current releases are Whisper of the Blade (from Ellora’s Cave) and Witch Fire, which is just out.

Witch Blood, the sequel to Witch Fire, has a tentative release date of March 2008.

Anya, in her utter fabulousness, has agreed to giveaway a signed copy of Witch Fire. Comment in this post or on the Witch Fire review to be entered. Everyone is eligible, even if you have won something here before, and it will be open for three days.

Thanks Anya!