Hey y'all! Welcome back to another stop on the ASKING FOR IT by Lilah Pace blog tour!! I had the great fortune of being able to ask Lilah a few questions and cannot wait to share them with you. This book has been one of my favorite reads of the year, hands down. Intense, emotional, dramatic, psychologically deep, it is so many different things and cannot be categorized into just one genre of book. But let's get onto the good stuff aka the interview! Don't forget to check out my review as well as enter the giveaway below!
Can you summarize ASKING FOR IT for readers who don’t know what the book is about:
Lilah: Vivienne dares to roleplay her most forbidden fantasy -- rape -- with the enigmatic Jonah. What he does to her body is wild, brutal and hot. But she wasn't prepared for him to touch her soul ...
That small summary already makes me want to re-read it...but I digress...I absolutely love quotes so what’s your favorite line from the book?
Lilah: My absolute favorite line comes near the end and is pretty spoilery. But another one I like is Vivienne's mental description of Jonah:
“He looks like the work of a sculptor who didn’t believe in polishing rough edges, who wanted you to see exactly where the chisel had struck.”
.......Oh, damn, I'm sorry I started daydreaming about Johan...my bad *coughs*...When you sat down to write this book, were you excited and the words were bursting forth? Were you nervous to write about such a sensitive topic?
Lilah: Both! I was totally into the characters, their story and the fantasy--and freaked out that everybody was going to judge me. Or that nobody else would find it hot. Even though we all know rape fantasies are pretty common, we talk about them so seldom that I bet a bunch of us wonder, "Is it just me?"
I love your answer to that because it is one I've been dying to know! I love that you took a topic/subject that is common but unspoken and gave it a voice. With that said, what kind of research did you do to write ASKING FOR IT? Was there anything you discovered that particularly stuck with you?
Lilah: I talked to a couple of counselors and did some reading up on rape survivors who have found themselves drawn to this kind of role-playing. What struck me the most was actually how difficult playing out this scenario can be for the men taking the "rapist" role. A lot of guys who would have no trouble with domination, bondage, etc. will balk at scenarios that explicitly mimic non-consensual sex. It's not that I thought every guy would be into it, but I hadn't realized how profoundly some men reject it even as a fantasy.
Oh, wow. While it makes sense that men would be hesitant to also play a role in this I never would have that SO many would be a against it, same as your thought. I thought Vivienne and Jonah were so amazingly developed so can you tell us a little about them? What’s something we wouldn’t learn about them just by reading your book? Weird quirks or hobbies? Favorite food or guilty pleasure music?
Lilah:Vivienne never orders buffalo wings when she's eating in public because she will basically inhale every single one like she's never going to see food again. Jonah once thought he'd like to learn how to brew craft beer, but his first couple batches went so disastrously wrong that he wound up stashing all the equipment in the back of a closet.
Yum. I feel that way about cake and french fries. Stay away from the area in front of my mouth, I will eat your hand by accident. Let's get to some of the swoon! Describe the First Kiss in five words:
Lilah: First taste of the forbidden...
Ooooh, I love that! What have you learned about your own writing process/you as an author while writing ASKING FOR IT?
Lilah: I learned that my pseudonym really helps me, because I could never really let go like this for the sex scenes unless I knew for sure my mom would never read them! (That's such a dorky answer, but it's the truth.)
That makes so much sense! I don't think I want my mom knowing what I read let alone if I wrote it. And I won't lie. I'm dying to know if I've read your YA stuff! My online name is a play on Gossip Girl and that's how I feel your pseudonym is..."I'll never tell....." Hehe, love it!
We know ASKING FOR IT has some heavy content but there were some really happy moments too. So tell us, what scene was the most fun for you to write. Please share a little snippet of it here:
Lilah: Honestly, the scene that made me laugh the most was one between Vivienne and her ex-boyfriend, Geordie. He just screwed up at a party when he got too drunk, revealing some very intimate secrets about her, and she's pretty angry. So he shows up to apologize with a poem:
“I am a complete and total shit / sometimes I act like a stupid git/ when I become a blabbermouth / all my relationships go south / forgive this lowly wretched wanker/ or I’ll be sad, nothing rhymes with wanker.”
Ah, I loved that part! Oh, my heart and stomach just dropped when that scene was going on! Let's talk theme songs: When Jonah walks into a room, what song is playing? For Vivienne?
Lilah: For Jonah -- definitely PJ Harvey's "To Bring You My Love." And so long as he's a seismologist, Vivienne's theme song here might be the Lizz Wright cover of "I Feel The Earth Move."
Ahh! I LOVE that choice for Vivienne, too funny! Because this book's subject is not your typical fantasy, what is one thing you want people who read this book to take away from it?
Lilah: Don't be afraid to speak your truth to someone you trust. Someone's going to hear you; someone's going to understand.
That is so powerful, I'm in love with that. Speaking of truth, I found Vivienne to be a phenomenal female heroine. Strong yet vulnerable, smart, and driven. Who are some of your favorite female characters or real life women who inspire you?
Lilah: Thanks for the Vivienne love! Some of my favorite female characters -- oh, gosh, there are so many -- Katniss Everdeen, Elinor Dashwood, Sydney Bristow, Bridget Jones, Olivia Pope, Maisie Dobbs, anybody Katharine Hepburn ever played, and as of a couple weeks ago, Furiosa from "Mad Max: Fury Road." Some inspiring real-life women: I'm this close to buying a "Notorious RBG" shirt with Ruth Bader Ginsburg on it. Noor Inayat Khan, who was an intelligence operative for the British during World War II. Laverne Cox. Eleanor of Aquitane (who was once played by Katharine Hepburn, which I guess gives her a double whammy on this list.)
Yeeeees! Katniss Everdeen and Eleanor of Aquitane are on my list, too! Love those women! Now let's talk boys. Duh. Because this is the home of Book Bangin’ and I love talking about hot guys, especially the tortured ones, I wanna know who are your favorite book boyfriends?
Lilah: I've stuck to the tortured ones, or at least the highly moody guys. :D Though I have a whole list of funnier, more lighthearted book boyfriends I love just as much...
Mr. Darcy. I know he's on everyone's list, but that's okay. I am willing to fight for him. If he is unable to serve, either Captain Wentworth or Colonel Brandon are acceptable alternatives from the Jane Austen canon.
Vespasian from THE COURSE OF HONOR by Lindsey Davis
Mr. Rochester from JANE EYRE by Charlotte Bronte – I know he's a handful, but I'd try
John Blackthorne from SHOGUN by James Clavell
Randolph Henry Ash from POSESSION by A.S Byatt
Arius from MISTRESS OF ROME by Kate Quinn
And if you count comic books? Magneto from the X-Men joins the party!
Ok, now I have so many so many more book to read! I have MISTRESS OF ROME on my TBR list and now it's moving up on my list! I cannot wait to read BEGGING FOR IT but after that, what are you currently working on?
Lilah: I'm currently working on a proposal for some new books. We'll see how that turns out!
Oh, good luck! I cannot wait to read everything and anything you read! You are so fanastic and I loved interviewing you and reading your book so for people like me who also love you, what are the best places for reader to get in touch with you?
Lilah: Readers, please come chat with me at Twitter or Facebook. And at my website, lilahpace.com, you can sign up for my newsletter, which will have news, some exclusive contests, etc.!
Lilah: Honestly, the scene that made me laugh the most was one between Vivienne and her ex-boyfriend, Geordie. He just screwed up at a party when he got too drunk, revealing some very intimate secrets about her, and she's pretty angry. So he shows up to apologize with a poem:
“I am a complete and total shit / sometimes I act like a stupid git/ when I become a blabbermouth / all my relationships go south / forgive this lowly wretched wanker/ or I’ll be sad, nothing rhymes with wanker.”
Ah, I loved that part! Oh, my heart and stomach just dropped when that scene was going on! Let's talk theme songs: When Jonah walks into a room, what song is playing? For Vivienne?
Lilah: For Jonah -- definitely PJ Harvey's "To Bring You My Love." And so long as he's a seismologist, Vivienne's theme song here might be the Lizz Wright cover of "I Feel The Earth Move."
Ahh! I LOVE that choice for Vivienne, too funny! Because this book's subject is not your typical fantasy, what is one thing you want people who read this book to take away from it?
Lilah: Don't be afraid to speak your truth to someone you trust. Someone's going to hear you; someone's going to understand.
That is so powerful, I'm in love with that. Speaking of truth, I found Vivienne to be a phenomenal female heroine. Strong yet vulnerable, smart, and driven. Who are some of your favorite female characters or real life women who inspire you?
Lilah: Thanks for the Vivienne love! Some of my favorite female characters -- oh, gosh, there are so many -- Katniss Everdeen, Elinor Dashwood, Sydney Bristow, Bridget Jones, Olivia Pope, Maisie Dobbs, anybody Katharine Hepburn ever played, and as of a couple weeks ago, Furiosa from "Mad Max: Fury Road." Some inspiring real-life women: I'm this close to buying a "Notorious RBG" shirt with Ruth Bader Ginsburg on it. Noor Inayat Khan, who was an intelligence operative for the British during World War II. Laverne Cox. Eleanor of Aquitane (who was once played by Katharine Hepburn, which I guess gives her a double whammy on this list.)
Yeeeees! Katniss Everdeen and Eleanor of Aquitane are on my list, too! Love those women! Now let's talk boys. Duh. Because this is the home of Book Bangin’ and I love talking about hot guys, especially the tortured ones, I wanna know who are your favorite book boyfriends?
Lilah: I've stuck to the tortured ones, or at least the highly moody guys. :D Though I have a whole list of funnier, more lighthearted book boyfriends I love just as much...
Mr. Darcy. I know he's on everyone's list, but that's okay. I am willing to fight for him. If he is unable to serve, either Captain Wentworth or Colonel Brandon are acceptable alternatives from the Jane Austen canon.
Vespasian from THE COURSE OF HONOR by Lindsey Davis
Mr. Rochester from JANE EYRE by Charlotte Bronte – I know he's a handful, but I'd try
John Blackthorne from SHOGUN by James Clavell
Randolph Henry Ash from POSESSION by A.S Byatt
Arius from MISTRESS OF ROME by Kate Quinn
And if you count comic books? Magneto from the X-Men joins the party!
Ok, now I have so many so many more book to read! I have MISTRESS OF ROME on my TBR list and now it's moving up on my list! I cannot wait to read BEGGING FOR IT but after that, what are you currently working on?
Lilah: I'm currently working on a proposal for some new books. We'll see how that turns out!
Oh, good luck! I cannot wait to read everything and anything you read! You are so fanastic and I loved interviewing you and reading your book so for people like me who also love you, what are the best places for reader to get in touch with you?
Lilah: Readers, please come chat with me at Twitter or Facebook. And at my website, lilahpace.com, you can sign up for my newsletter, which will have news, some exclusive contests, etc.!
Thank you SO much for stopping by and answering my questions! I am foaming at the mouth for BEGGING FOR IT, cannot wait for this to come out! ((JONAH!!!!))
If you haven't yet, don't forget to enter the giveaway! You want this book!
About the author:
Lilah Pace is a pseudonym for a New York Times bestselling YA author. This is her first adult novel.
Buy links:
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