I’m Not Normal, What Do You Want from Me?
I kinda fell into a depression and decided Hemingway might have been on to something until I realized just how nasty a beer Corona actually is.
My point is, I haven’t had the foggiest idea where to start and I stared at a blinking cursor for all of 69,420 seconds before coming up with the brilliant idea on my (not very) own (Don’t listen to Sharon, I didn’t read the suggested blog topics no matter what she tells you!) and realized that it’s time for an awkward top five list.
This Top Five list includes random facts you might not expect of a romance author, so we’ll call it…
Weird Ish!
Or
Sascha’s already titled this blog post as He’s not normal.
1. I love reading romance novels and outside of personal growth/motivational books, books on tarot or witchcraft, I am a diehard reader. Cynthia Eden is almost an auto buy for me, and has been since the days when Coffee Time Romance sent her first two books for me to read and review as ARCs. That being said, I listen to death metal. Both classic with the disgusting lyrics, and progressive, with lyrics asking about how humanity can uplevel itself to a higher plane of consciousness. More on my musical tastes in a moment.
3. Bucket list items relate to the above two posts. I’m a HUGE technical metal music junkie. For another guest blog post, I stepped outside my normal range and check out Grimes. That didn’t last and I went back to listening to Cannibal Corpse. Here’s where the bucket list thing comes in. On my bucket list are two items relating to two musicians. Dez Fafara of Devildriver is a Padron cigar smoker and Italian wine drinker. I think it’d be cool to hang with him and enjoy the same cigars and see what his wine taste looks like. Second, George “Corpsegrinder” Fischer of Cannibal Corpse sings some of the must disturbing, disgusting lyrics in death metal. Thing is, Dude’s a total big kid. I’d love to hang with him while he pets my cats and we just shot the ish. FYI, there are a lot of guys in death metal are huge animal rights activists.
4. Circling back above, did I mention I have been a tarot reader for the better part of twenty years? Finances have prevented me from becoming a deck collector, but the last several years have allowed me to journey further into tarot, finally get a foothold in witchcraft and not only enjoy that side of spirituality, but embrace it. Yes, it’s helped with writing. No, it’s actually not weird. What IS weird is all my affinities for deity. Lord Ganesha (I’m not Hindu and yes, I know I don’t need to be!) Lakshmi, Diana, the Moon Goddess, just to name the ones I currently work with. In the past, The Green Man and Papa Legba/Elegba were gifted to me during a time when those energies needed me to practice extreme self-control.
5. Going back to music, I have a thing for side projects and ‘tribute’ bands of the odd variety. For example, I’m actually a fan of Okilly-Dokilly. If that catch phrase sounds familiar, imagine Ned Flanders in a metal band. Made up of Ned Flanders on vocals, Ned Flanders on Bass…you get the picture. A Ned Flanders quote makes its way into every song. They’re actually quite good! Same thing with Austrian Death Machine–an ‘Arnold Schwarzenegger’ fronted metal band. They used lines from random famous Schwarzenegger movies, particularly Terminator and T-2. I get a kick out of it, more so because again, the side project doesn’t suck.
I’ll end this now so I don’t ramble on. Like I said, it’s been a while and while I have cats, well…I have cats. I’m already a loner as it is! Someone, anyone, talk to me! Help LOL!
Music plays an important role in my writing process–especially when I was listening to James LaBrie’s solo project and came across a track that begged me to write Derrick, a puma shifter who was an ex-spy with personal demons. And once again, when Sonja came into my head as the female lead singer of a progressive death metal band who also is a witch with the ability to give and take energy with the sound of her voice.
A shape-shifting former spy hired to defend. A witchy singer seeking protection. Can they prevent the loss of lives while embracing their passion?
by Sascha Illyvich
July 6, 2020
He wants a quiet life. She’s about to turn up the volume…
Puma-shifter Derrick is plagued by nightmares from his days as a spy. Still struggling to cope with the traumatic memories, he has no choice but to throw himself into his work. But his latest gig protecting a gorgeous death metal vocalist has all his worst demons screaming with desire.
Sonja is no stranger to ominous threats. With a voice that can control shifters and humans alike, she knows she’s a powerful weapon… in the wrong hands. And tired of always looking over her shoulder, she’s happy to put her trust in her sexy new guard and do her best to ignore their red-hot chemistry.
Intent on defending the stunning singer and her unique magic, Derrick’s past mistakes come back to haunt him when she is kidnapped. And when Sonja finds herself at the mercy of the dangerous Anti-Shifter League, her only way to save everyone’s skin could lie in the power of her magical songs.
Can Derrick and Sonja pick up the beat and drive hard to the ultimate climax?
The Bodyguard is the thrilling first book in the Burning Desires paranormal romance series. If you like smoking-hot attractions, wild women, and broody heroes, then you’ll adore Sascha Illyvich’s luscious tale.
About the Author:
Sascha, who was proclaimed by the publishing industry as The Gentleman Playboy of Romance, was first published in 1999 and continues to write. His erotic romances have been listed under Night Owl Romance’s and Road to Romance’s Recommended read lists, and he’s been nominated for a CAPA by The Romance Studio. Torn to Pieces was a USA TODAY Recommended Read.
Sascha is a trained and experienced public speaker; and enjoys giving talks and teaching, particularly on aspects of romance, erotic romance, and writing. He was the former host of The Unnamed Romance Show on Radio Dentata and is fond of doing guest spots and interviews, on both traditional radio and podcasts.
Sascha has written for City Lights Publishing, Red Sage, Secret Cravings Publishing, Sizzler Editions, Totally Bound, and Decadent Publishing.
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