Get ready to learn more about the book Sorceress in the City in this discussion with sapphic author Alena Cerulean.
Join us for an exclusive peek behind the scenes as we quiz Alena Cerulean about Sorceress in the City, writing, reading, and more.
This book is part of the Urban Fantasy category in the 2024 IHS Reading Challenge.
Why did you write Sorceress in the City?
I think my fascination with erotic mind control stories started when I first became obsessed with vampires as a teenager. The urge to write my own urban fantasy erotica began when I realized so many mind control stories focus on men dominating women or vice versa. So when I sat down to write my own story, I only filled it with women (so many wicked ones, too!) and all sorts of magical beings. Oddly enough, I didn’t include any vampires in this first story.
Who is your favorite character in the book?
Even though she isn’t in the book too much, I’d have to say Monica’s best friend Kelly is my favorite character. If Kelly has any qualities similar to me, it’s that she loves books and won’t put up with another person’s nonsense. Like me, she’s also a big anglophile. When I eventually do a sequel, I’m hoping to do more with Kelly, because there’s so much unspoken history between her and Monica that I want to explore.
What part of Sorceress in the City was the most fun to write?
I loved creating the city Monica lives in. I took a lot of inspiration from my hometown of Richmond, Virginia. The bar named Avalon is inspired by a speakeasy I love to go to. Monica’s town is basically my ideal version of Richmond.
How did you come up with the title for your book?
I struggled to get a good title. My first thought was to call it “Sorceress for Hire,” but there already is a book with that title. I tried to substitute other terms for Sorceress like “witch” and even “wizardess” (which I hated), but nothing worked. There was also the challenge of making it clear this was urban fantasy and not some medieval-inspired fantasy world. When “Sorceress in the City” popped into my head, I realized that worked. Not only did it capture the magical elements to the story, but the reference to “city” made it sound more modern. That it also resembles the title “Sex in the City” helps tip off the reader to the sexual content of the story.
If you’re planning a sequel, can you share a tiny bit about your plans for it?
The Queen Dragon will return to collect on Monica’s debt. More importantly, you’ll get to learn a lot more about the Queen Dragon’s assistant. She might seem like a throwaway character since she goes unnamed in “Sorceress in the City,” but she’s going to be important to the sequel.
What is your writing process like?
Oddly enough, all of the sex in the story is what forces me to outline before I start to write. Almost each chapter involves a sex scene, and so that requires me to figure out a way to advance the mystery Monica is investigating while also finding a “legitimate” way to have her engage in some sexy-sexy time.
Where do you usually write, and what do you need in your writing space to help you stay focused?
For my erotica, I only write that at home in my apartment. I don’t enjoy the most glorious view of the city where I live, but I keep my desk by the window. When I’m not writing erotica, I sometimes change up things and got to a cafe to write. It’s weird, but the crowd in a cafe can be less distracting for me than the solitude of my home.
Is there a particular genre you would love to write but only under a pseudonym?
Okay, so this is confession time for me: Alena Cerulean is the pseudonym. I’m a published fantasy author under my actual name. I think to write erotica well, you need to be willing to expose a lot of what makes you tick. That’s frightening! I’m awed by other women who are willing to publish erotica as themselves (especially in this day and age). I wish I was that brave, but if my coworkers stumbled onto my erotica, I’d panic and crawl under my desk.
What has helped or hindered you most when writing a book?
The answer to both is SLEEP. Get too much or too little, and I’m worthless when I sit down with my laptop. When I have just the right amount of rest, though, the words just pour out of me. Getting the right amount of sleep is my lifelong battle.
When you’re writing an emotional or difficult scene, how do you set the mood?
Music provides the in for me with most of what I write. For the sex scenes in “Sorceress in the City,” I needed music without lyrics, and you’d be shocked how fast that limits your options. I ended up with a playlist of music by Enigma and Massive Attack.
Do you feel bad putting your characters through the wringer?
Oh, I love to torture my darlings! Much as I adore Monica, that woman is a hot mess born from poor life choices. The idea that her best friend Kelly started off as a one-night stand from college and now they live in this perpetual state of “Will we? Won’t we?” is special kind of hell. I’ll make it up to her… eventually… maybe.
What type of books do you enjoy reading the most?
I love fantasy novels! Can’t get enough of them, and the stranger they are, the more likely I am to love them. I just started reading ROAD TO RUIN by Hana Lee, and that book is so fucking badass! What’s funny is that I sometimes find it hard to get into books within a genre that I’ve written. I used to bury myself in urban fantasy novels, but having written it a lot over the years, I find it difficult to get into other authors’ work within that genre. That’s not always the case, but it happens to me a lot, which is frustrating.
What books have you read more than once in your life?
I’ve reread INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE so many times. I’ve always been fascinated with vampires, and Anne Rice delivers such a brilliant story. It’s also one of those books where you discover so many little touches hidden in plain sight when you reread it.
Have you ever thought you’d hate a book, but ended up loving it?
THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS by M.R. Carey is one of those books that I can’t figure out why I even gave it a try. I’m not into zombie fiction, not even in the slightest. I understand the appeal of it, but it’s just not my thing. I ended up loving the characters in this book, and all of the great twists in the story landed just right with me. It also helped that the audiobook for this is excellent.
