Sacred Fate and Hallowed Bond are Books One and Two of my fantasy erotic romance series Chronicles of Ylandre. Both novels are set in Ylandre, one of the most powerful nations of Aisen, a world peopled by masculine hermaphrodites. Hence the m/m and LGBTQ labels. Sacred Fate follows the relationship between the king of Ylandre and his concubine as it develops over a period of several years while Hallowed Bond focuses on the love story of the king’s bastard half-brother and the diplomat whose life he once saved.
What was your inspiration for the plot?
I enjoy historical romances with emphasis on the historical part if the romance doesn’t appeal to me. In particular, I’m fascinated by how the socio-political structure of an era affects relationship dynamics. But the problem with basing a story on history is that you have to work with what actually existed or occurred in the past. You can’t write something that goes against the grain of certain historical periods. At least, I can’t. I feel guilty about invoking creative license just to shoehorn an inaccurate or implausible theme or course of action into a story.
I guess that’s why I started writing fantasy. I could tap history but not be restricted by reality. However, I didn’t think my story ideas were publishable so I expressed them via The Lord of the Rings fan fiction. Tolkien had definite rules about his literary universe and his world building is formidable but there’s room for improvisation or creative leaps when writing in this particular fandom, not to mention the opportunity to step outside the figurative box. You could say that’s where I honed my writing skills. Then when I saw a number of m/m authors daring to try out unusual ideas, the need to write my stories strengthened and before I knew it Sacred Fate was completed, submitted and accepted.
The political and social structures described in both books borrow heavily from history ranging from the Norman Conquest to the Regency period in Britain and the culture and politics of imperial China and feudalistic Japan but tweaked to suit the premise of a dual-gendered race migrating to and colonizing an entire world. As to why I decided to take on such an unlikely theme—well, it was a case of “been there, read that, is there anything that hasn’t been fully explored yet?” In short, it was different, challenging and stimulated my imagination.
Do you have another vocation besides writing?
I used to work for my family’s retail company but cut back in order to devote more time to writing. I contribute articles to local publications and freelance as a copywriter for advertising and promotional materials. I also bake and sell cakes and pastries, an especially lucrative endeavor during the holidays.
What can we look forward to in the future from you?
I hope to complete Chronicles of Ylandre. All the stories in the series are about various members of House Essendri, the preeminent clan of Ylandre. I’m currently writing the third book in the series—its working title is By Chance Met. I might consider writing contemporary LGBTQ novels as well if the right plot idea comes along or the mood strikes me whichever comes first.
Where can we find your website?
My website Tales by Eressë is at http://eresse21.weebly.com./ I also keep a live journal at http://eresse21.livejournal.com/ where I post pretty regularly as well as archive my fanfic stories.
