Lisabet's Bio

Lisabet glamour photo I was born more than half a century ago in Wisconsin, but grew up mostly in New England, in a series of suburban towns. I was always the egghead, the girl with the thick glasses at the top of her class. As I went on to university and graduate school, I acquired more degrees than anyone sensible would ever need. It wasn't until I was working on my second masters degree that I realized intelligence was sexy.

I became addicted to words at an early age. I began reading when I was four. I wrote my first story at five years old and my first poem at seven. Since then, I've written plays, tutorials, marketing brochures, software specifications, self-help books, press releases, a five-hundred page dissertation, and of course, erotica and erotic romance

My lifelong interests in sex and the written word became serenditipitously entwined a decade ago when I read my first Black Lace book by Portia da Costa. Her work inspired me to take my fantasies out of the closet (and the private email files) and expose them to the world. The rest, as they say, is history (although granted, no more than a minor footnote!)

I've been married for more than thirty years, much to my surprise; I never expected to find a lifelong partner. Still, I've had my share of erotic adventures, some of which my husband and I have shared.

I've always loved traveling; my husband seduced me in a Burmese restaurant by telling me tales of his foreign adventures. Since then I have visited every continent except Australia, although I still have a long travel wish list. Currently I live with him and our two exceptional felines in Southeast Asia, where I pursue an alternative career that is completely unrelated to my creative writing.

Lisabet's complete publishing history

Lisabet's Favorite Things

When I enjoy something, I like to recommend it to my friends. Here you will find a list of my "favorites" in a variety of categories.

Favorite Authors

Anne Rice

I know that she has been condemned as a hack, but at her best, Anne Rice creates sensual, exotic worlds in which flesh and spirit are equally potent.. Since discovering Interview with the Vampire in 1976, I believe that I have read everything she has written; two special favorites are The Witching Hour, and The Feast of All Saints.

S.P. Somtow (aka Somtow Sucharitkul)

Dazzlingly creative, with a dark streak and a sense of the absurb, this prolific Thai author also writes music, directs movies, and has his own private kingdom. Try Starship and Haiku, The Light on the Sound, Moondance, and the autobiographical Jasmine Nights.

Margaret Atwood

The Robber Bride is a compellingly believable portrait of a woman at once diabolical and irresistible. Cat's Eye captures the exquisite, familiar pain of adolescence. The Blind Assassin is a magnificent slight of hand, rich language simultaneously revealing and hiding secrets. And of course, The Handmaid's Tale paints a chilling picture of an all-too-possible future.

Haruki Murakami

Murakami's characters live in an anonymous modern world where the fantastic is constantly encroaching on the mundane. I recommend especially Dance, Dance, Dance and Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World.

Robertson Davies

Davies is a relatively new discovery for me, though his literary career spanned many decades. He was a wordsmith of the highest calibre, who managed to tell heart-wrenching stories with the grace and decorum of the well-bred school master that he was. My favorite Davies work is The Deptford Trilogy - Fifth Business, The Manticore and World of Wonders - but I have greatly enjoyed everything of his that I've read.

Favorite Erotic Authors

Pauline Reage

If you have not read The Story of O, you have missed both a literary classic and a supremely sexy tale.

D.M. Thomas

The White Hotel was probably not intended as erotica. However it remains one of the most sexually intense books I have ever read. 

Portia da Costa

Her Gemini Heat got me into this business, and remains one of my favorites. I also highly recommend the recently-reprinted Gothic Blue, a marvelous evocation of one of my long-time fantasies, the "demon lover", and her wonderful contemporary erotic romance Entertaining Mr. Stone.

Favorite Music

There are so many possibilities here, it is difficult to identify only a handful of favorites. Here are a few of many artists and pieces that come to mind.

Favorite Films

Going to the movies and watching videos are two of my main hobbies. So once again, I am having some trouble singling out favorites.

Score (directed by Radley Metzger)

A sexual romp from the early seventies, Score manages to be intensely provocative with little of today's graphic detail.

Winter Sleepers (directed by Tom Tykwer)

Tom Tykwer is also responsible for Run Lola Run, another remarkable film. I found the dreamy style and elegant structure of Winter Sleepers even more astonishing than Lola's frenetic pace and metaphysical introspection.

Dark City (directed by Alex Proyas)

An evocative meditation on the nature of reality and memory, Dark City is typically categorized as science fiction, but reminded me of Kafka.

Gattaca

Another science fiction flick which stands out because of its intelligent, frighteningly plausible presentation of the impact of genetic engineering on society.

Adam's Rib

In this marvelously witty classic, Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy prove that the battle of the sexes has been going on for quite a long time.

Desperately Seeking Susan (directed by Susan Seidelman)

I have seen this at least three times. Madonna and Rosanna Arquette make perfect foils for one another. One reason that I love this film is the suggestion that at any moment, you might fall out of your everyday life into some strange adventure that will change you forever.

Cabaret (directed by Bob Fosse)

A sad and sexy tale of "divine decadence", full of erotic innuendo along with witty lyrics and marvelous choreography. I was shocked and thrilled, seeing this in my teens, by its depiction of a bisexual menage a trois.

Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (directed by Steven Shainberg)

This film, which stars Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey Jr., is one of the most erotic movies I've ever seen. "Fur" chronicles the awakening of celebrated photographer Diane Arbus to her obsessive fascination with the grotesque. Her neighbor Lionel is a "beast-man", suffering from a genetic disorder that causes his whole body to be covered with hair. With his gentle voice and rude questions, he forces Diane to admit to her strange desires. Although they hardly touch through most of the film, Diane's relationship with Lionel is intense. The excitement stems from their mutual fascination with the strange and terrible, their recognition of each other as complementary deviants.

Secretary (also directed by Steven Shainberg)

"Secretary" is a sweetly perverse fable about a depressed and suicidal young woman (Maggie Gyllenhaal) who finds redemption working for and submitting to a demanding young lawyer (James Spader). This film is actually a highly satisfying love story that celebrates the healing power of acceptance. It's also really sexy, if you're like me and interested in BDSM.

Favorite Places

Travelling is more than a hobby for me; it is a passion. At this point in my life, the list of countries that I would like to visit, and those that I have visited, are of nearly equal length. Here are some of my favorite places in the world.

Thailand

Those of you who have read Raw Silk will not be surprised to see Thailand at the top of this list. Thailand is remarkable, paradoxical, complex. Warm, sensual, graceful people; an ancient culture remarkably intact given the pressures of globablization; an overwhelming attitude that life should be savored and enjoyed, whether you are packed into a bus, eating curry, or making love.

Boston

Boston reminds me of an Escher painting; everything connects at impossible angles. The city is small enough that you can traverse it on foot, and that is the best way to see it: the historical neighborhoods, the Asian markets, the harbor, the verdant banks of the Charles River winding through it all. I am continually surprised by Boston. I turn a corner, notice a new vista, landmarks arranging themselves in new ways, and think to myself, I didn't know you could see that from here...

Bali

The name evokes paradise, and that is not far from the truth. Here, the volcanos are gods, clad in their vivid cloaks of terraced rice, heads shrouded in mist. The people are exquisitely beautiful, nut-brown and graceful in their batik sarongs as they lay offerings at crossroads and on their household shrines. Temples hacked out of the cliffs as if by the hands of giants, gardens of swaying fountains and lush flowers, perfect sunsets reflecting off the wet sand, the complex chimes of the gamelan: these things endure, even though The Gap and McDonald's have invaded the beach towns.    

New Orleans

I love the aura of history that permeates this city, the sense of the past heavy in the humid air. The thing that strikes me most, though, is the way in which New Orleans simultaneously celebrates the flesh and the spirit. The bars and the burlesque on Bourbon Street, the cathedrals and the cemeteries, are two sides of the same coin. In the midst of life, we are in death - and vice versa. This is of course so much more true now, post-Katrina. But nothing can kill the spirit of Big Easy.

Prague

I spent only four days in Prague, but that was long enough for it to become part of the landscape of my dream. The medieval and the modern are juxtaposed here in delightful ways. On the twelfth century Charles Bridge, young people gather to honor the fallen John Lennon, singing his song "Imagine" in reverent voices. The spires of the castle towering over the city reflect in the River Voltava, along with the strobe lights from the disco on the banks. Mozart and surrealism flourish side by side.