I started writing nine years ago, first releasing poetry and an occasional short erotica story before focusing on kinky erotic romance.  My books have been listed under the Road to Romance’s Recommended read list, as well nominated for the CAPA.   

Muse: Sascha, first of all, Whispers of the Muse welcomes you and Heavenly Bodies to the site. Tell us a little about yourself. What part of the world do you live in? Tell us about your background?
Illyvich: Well, I’m an erotic romance writer with a kink background. I grew up in League City, TX, lived in Dallas for awhile, done work in the IT field and when the tech bubble busted, I found myself unemployed. I currently reside in Oakland, California.

Muse: Who are your favorite authors?
Illyvich: Joey W. Hill, Angela Knight, Rebecca York, Richelle Mead is a new favorite?  Love Laurel K. Hamilton

Muse: Why do you write?
Illyvich: To support a drinking habit and a cigar habit. And because I like to comfort others - through erotic romance I can showcase a variety of emotions.

Muse: What is your writing regimen? How often do you work on a novel? Do you set daily time or word goals? What keeps you meeting your deadlines?
Illyvich: Wow, regimen is tough to nail down now.  Most of the time I write daily, cranking out around 10 pages.  I get up, usually lift weights, shower, eat, write, drink and smoke.  Lately, my schedule has been whacked because of new projects and I think winter is coming early, and that’s triggering my desire to NOT want to work at breakneck speed.  What keeps me meeting deadlines is probably the fact that I have a deep seated need to provide value to the world and myself. I’m a workaholic. 

Muse: Does the way you personally look at life reflect in your writing style?
Illyvich: Yup.  In my work, regardless of genre, there is often one character who has the ideal of abundance, just pure abundance in EVERYTHING while the other character has some flawed view of life. 

Muse: What are the creative jumping off points for you? Are you inspired by dreams? Music? Nature? The occasional black nightmare? What triggers your imagination?
Illyvich: Music definitely triggers story ideas, but primarily my definite need to get rage out of my system and onto paper and give it a happy ending (whereas I don’t believe in them for me triggers my work).  The harder, heavier and more emotion I can put into a piece, the better because my readers can relate to those heavy dark emotions and don’t have to admit to them.

Muse: Tell us about Heavenly Bodies. What was your inspiration for this collection?
Illyvich: Heavenly Bodies is two fantasy novellas dealing with the same thing:  Acceptance of new situations that benefit us even though we hold onto old ways of thinking.  In Sacrifice, the God of War is sent forward in time to 1950’s San Francisco.  He finds out he’s stuck in the body of a mortal and stripped of his powers - which turns out to be annoying as the new detective has quite the drinking/womanizing problem.  Ultimately, when the Heroine, Linda Westguard comes asking for his help, he is strongly pulled towards helping her solve the case of her father’s murder all while becoming attracted to her.  Once he’s learned the lesson and sacrificed something he no longer needed to get something better, he’s faced with a choice.  Go back to Ancient Greece or stay in 1950’s California.

In Echo’s Odyssey, Echo and his best friend Alexandrya have fought as assassins in Faery’s Great War.  The war took him from his lover for longer than10 years and when he realizes Faery is dying, news is brought to him that the Princess is going to remarry.  It’s his job and Alexandrya’s to convince him to come to our realm and stop the marriage before he loses her and Faery loses itself.  Only, he’s faced with his guilt of becoming the one known as The Assassin. 

Muse: What is your favorite scene from the book and why?
Illyvich: Probably one of the scenes where Alexadrya uses sex magick to heal a part of Echo’s broken soul, or the last sex scene between all three of them.  The first example is a favorite because I see myself as broken and Alexandrya was based on my best friend, a woman who absolutely heals that which I let break.  The latter, is a man’s fantasy.  Two lovely, buxom women and one hot, long haired man!  RAWR!

Muse: Have you written other books?
Illyvich: Yes. 

Muse: Tell us about your other books?
Illyvich:  I write a range of stories, all in the erotic romance genre ranging from sweet contemporaries like A Christmas Favor where two best friends have to overcome their issues and reunite, to hardcore BDSM erotica such as I Will Submit to You, Master where a woman is shown that her true self is submissive and that the man guiding her will love her and respect her despite her past. . I’ve written a few paranormal stories, and some “fuck off” stories where the plots were short, the sex was hot, and promise of a happily for now was shown. 

Muse: How do you feel about the current publishing marketplace?
Illyvich: It’s fantastic to have technology drive the marketplace.  E-books have driven the market so quickly and opened up the doors for so many great authors to finally get published and established all while making the girly dogs in NY stand up and pay attention to trends as they react.  This is capitalism at its finest!