Anya Bast

Rhian asked me a good question in my call for blog topics. (Got a topic you’d like to see me blog about? Put in the comments…PLEASE). Who puts the kink in erotic romance? Do authors really sexplore to gain fodder, do they borrow from other authors? Where does it come from?

I get this question a lot, actually. Newspaper interviewers have asked me this. Here’s what I say…. (of course, I can’t answer for all erotic romance authors, just moi).

My kink comes from everywhere.

I will say right off that my husband and I have a great sex life. We have always had snapping sexual chemistry and are well suited to each other in this area. So, yes, I do get some of my inspiration from my personal sex life. Both physically and mentally, since my husband will work through scenarios with me, er, orally. (Stop it! I mean as in conversation.)

But, no, I haven’t personally gone out to research everything I write about. Sorry to say, I’m just not that deviant. Rather than a sex kitten, I’m more your regular thirty-something woman you see pushing a cart at the grocery store. Sorry to destroy anyone’s illusion. Heh.

I have always had a great imagination and I’ve always enjoyed research of the bookish variety. These two things together are really where a lot of my kinky scenes come from. I research women’s sexual fantasies, the ones they don’t talk about out loud — bondage fantasies, menage a trois, female/female encounters, ect. I have an article I wrote about some of the most popular female fantasies. I should dig it out and post here sometime.

By the way…I can NEVER get any readers to talk about female/female encounters, but, (oddly enough, hmmm), it’s a top sexual fantasy for most women.

Anyway, first and foremost I define my characters. The plot grows from there. Though sometimes I’ll start out with a specific fantasy in mind — like menage a trois, or BDSM, or male/male.

So basically, my kink comes from everywhere — my sex life, books and research, and my imagination.

Great question, Rhian!

miladyinsanity saved my bacon and gave me a topic to blog about.

She asked me how I picked my pen name.

I’m actually not sure how I got the Anya part. However, a long time ago I had a lucid dream. I had a great deal of lucidity in this particular one and, as I usually do, took the opportunity to fly. Have you ever flown in a lucid dream? Very cool! Anyway, during the course of this lucid dream, I met up with a woman who called herself Aiya. Like everyone you meet in a dream, she was some aspect of myself. That’s my theory, anyway.

Flash forward years in the future. When I cast about for a pen name, the name Aiya just popped into my head. But I couldn’t use the name Aiya, because it was too different and hard to pronounce, so I ended up with Anya. It wasn’t until after the fact I remembered that lucid flying dream I’d had and the dream aspect named Aiya.

So I guess my brain just pulled that name from my subconscious at random.

The ‘Bast’ was a nod to my love of cats. Bast, of course, being also known as Bastet — Egyptian cat goddess. Pretty cheeky of me to take the name of a goddess, wasn’t it? I hope a lightning bolt doesn’t strike me down one day.

I liked the name because it was simple. There are few syllables and I think the name is fairly easy to remember. I do get a lot of “Anya Blast”. I occasionally have to google “Anya Blast” because people list me that way so often.

The name is my name now. I answer to it all the time.

One formula for selecting a pen name is to take the name of your first pet and the first street you lived on. If I’d chosen my pen name this way I would be, “Pussywillow Belmont”. Yeah, so…NO. I’n not sure what genius came up with that one.

So I’ll throw this question out there to other authors. How did you pick your pen name? Or to readers…how did you pick your online “handle”.

So what do I blog about these days when my days are filled with taking care of the Divine Miss S and getting in writing whenever I can? These days my life is taken up by pressing baby issues, mostly. Like what diaper truly is the best to use for overnight? And how can I get my daughter to eat these organic mushed up peas? Or how the hell can I occupy her for fifteen minutes in order to clean the kitchen floor?

In between these heavy domestic issues the thoughts in my mind are about Witch Blood. They have to do with how to off certain characters, the limitations of magick, and the lifestyle issues of demons.

It’s a strange juxtaposition.

I could blog about how my husband is ordering The Worst Movies Evar from Netflix. Like French horror movies. Yes, you read that right. The French DO make horror movies. They are, sorry to say, just as bad as American horror movies. They’re just, you know, in French.

Or I could blog about how I’m totally trying not to obsess about the release of Witch Fire…and totally failing.

Or I could blog about how I’m sitting in our screened in porch right now with the Divine Miss S rolling around in her Pack n’ Play next to me saying maamaamammamm, (an attempt at Mama, I think), and how it’s a freaking BEEYOOOUTIFUL day.

So, tell me…is there anything you’d like me to blog about? Any pressing blogging issues on your mind? Burning questions for a paranormal and erotic romance writer? C’mon, let them rip. I’ll blog about them.

My brain is far, far too mushy to think up thirteen things. I’m too concentrated on offing one of the characters in Witch Blood and how, exactly, to do it. Of course, that’s all I can say because I don’t want to give away any spoilers.

I am almost finished with the book, though! (hence the reason there’s no Thursday Thirteen today) Here’s a page count bar….

350 / 385 (90.9%)

I’m also putting the finishing touches on a press kit, which…DUDE…never thought I’d need a press kit in my life. Turns out I do. Turns out it’s actually past time I have one.

Between all that, plus a site update AND a newsletter I need to get together and I’ve got my hands full today.  But I hope you all have a good time Thursday Thirteening it! I’ll be back next week with another simulating list of thirteen things. *koff*

Wow!

My Witch Fire book trailer won a bunch of categories in the Cameo Awards, amateur division, put on by the Romance Galleria (which is a very cool site, if you haven’t visited yet).

Best Paranormal
Excellence in art direction
Excellence in writing
Promotional excellence

I’m floored!

I have just one thing to say first. Why, oh, why does the spitup always come AFTER you take the bib off?

Okay, onto the Yeeha!

Romantic Times BOOK Reviews gives Witch Fire four stars in their latest issue!

“Sizzling suspense and sexy magic are sure to propel this hot new series onto the charts. These characters definitely have baggage, which only makes their relationship growth more interesting. Bast is a talent to watch, and her magical world is one to revisit.” – Jill M. Smith

Witch Fire releases officially on June 5th, but you can preorder it now from AMAZON.COM (and other book retailers).

So I racked my brain trying to come up with a blog that didn’t involve baby poop. Because, while I’m fairly obsessed with that subject right now, I’m sure most of you reading this blog aren’t as enthralled. 

Baby S is doing very well. She’s a generally happy, “easy” baby (knock on wood) who loves to cuddle, loves our cats and dog (whew!) and is juuuuust starting to figure out that toys can be fun. She’s under a year old and her life in our home is a huge change from where she spent the first months of her life. Still, she’s doing remarkably well. It’s amazing how adaptable babies are. It’s also amazing how quick and strong they flourish and blossom when attention and love are completely focused on them. 

Slipping into my new role as mother to this beautiful little girl doesn’t mean I shed my role as author with a writing career I care a great deal about. I am an author with deadlines! So while I learn to parent, I’m also learning how to better manage my time.

So far this means far less frivolities for me during the day. My time now is scheduled for my daughter’s benefit–because she needs routine. So these days when I have writing time…I WRITE. No more allowing myself to be distracted by other things. I find myself more focused, more centered…and more productive. 

Whoa, seriously, I said more productive. Wild, huh? But I’m finding that I no longer take my time for granted. Not when I’m playing with my new daughter, and not when I have writing time either.

Could it be that parenthood might actually increase my productivity? It seems too good to be true and yet so far…. 

Time will tell. It always does.

The cover for Witch Fire is finally up on Amazon.com. Finally.

I swear I’ll be back regular-like soon. I have houseguests AND a new baby right now. It makes for some hectic. I just hadda pop on and squee about the cover for a moment.

For very, very GOOD (and joyous!) reasons, this blog is taking a brief leave of absence.

I’ll be back, though. I always come back. I’m like a boomerang that way.

I apologize for missing my Writerspace chat last night. I had a family emergency that kept me away and one that I am still dealing with today. I’m so very sorry for all of you that made the effort to be there. I appreciate you all so much.

If you attended the chat last night, email me at anyabast (at) gmail.com and I’ll think up a special contest for you all.  When I can, I’ll reschedule a chat.