Plausible Futures By Lisabet Sarai

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved science fiction. In grade
school and high school, I devoured everything I could find by Bradbury, Asimov
and Heinlein, immersing myself in the worlds they created. As I grew older, I
discovered new authors: A.E van Vogt, Robert Silverberg, Neal Stephenson,
Sherri Tupper, Bruce Sterling. My hunger for startling, enlightening future
visions was never sated, though as time went on I became frustrated by the
difficulty of separating the wheat from chaff.

I fantasized about writing my own scifi, but aside from a
few short stories, I never dared. I could visit the worlds of others, but I
wasn’t confident enough to create my own. Then I became Lisabet Sarai, a
published author. Nevertheless, it has taken almost thirteen years for me to
undertake a full length science fiction novel.

Quarantine was
released last week. It’s a dystopic M/M erotic romance, set in a near future America  ravaged by disease and natural disasters and
ruled by a shadowy cabal known as the Guardians of American Greatness. Half the
population is illiterate. American technology is ridiculed the way Japanese
tech was derided in my youth. And homosexuality is a capital crime.

I prefer “soft” scifi to the “hard” rockets-and-robots
stuff. I’m most interested in stories that begin with a simple premise about
future society and then explore the ramifications. I’ve tried to do that in Quarantine.

I have to admit, however, that writing this book was the
toughest thing I’ve attempted since I began publishing. About half way through
the book, I lost faith in my vision. I didn’t write a word for nearly six
months. Mostly it was stubbornness that made me pick it up again – along with
some instructive conversations with my crit partner. I’d already invested so
much time and energy in the darn thing, I couldn’t stand the thought of not
finishing it.

But I still worry – not about the romance or the sex but
about the science fiction backdrop. In writing scifi, there’s a constant
tension between originality and believability. You want to demonstrate radical
changes in technology and their societal impact – but go too far and you’ll tip
over into fantasy, where everything is magic and there are no constraints. (I
view the fantasy genre as quite distinct from science fiction). Actually,
though, in the case of this book, I’m concerned that my view of America thirty
years from now doesn’t show enough change. I really wonder whether my future is
plausible. 

Of course, my readers will likely treat Quarantine first and foremost as a romance. I’m on less shaky
ground there, I think. But the book is still the most serious thing I’ve
written, and the most political, too. I’m hoping that at least some readers
will appreciate more than the tender kisses and the hot sex.

When love is forbidden, the whole world’s a prison.

Dylan Moore will do anything for freedom. Seven years ago, a
gay plague spread to heterosexuals, killing millions and sparking brutal
anti-gay riots. The Guardians rounded up men who tested positive for the
homogene and imprisoned them in remote quarantine centres like desolate Camp Malheur.
Since then, Dylan has hacked the camp’s security systems and hoarded spare bits
of electronics, seeking some way to escape. He has concluded the human guards
are the only weakness in the facility’s defences.

Camp guard Rafe Cowell is H-negative. He figures the lust he
feels watching prisoner 3218 masturbate on the surveillance cameras must be due
to his loneliness and isolation. When he finally meets the young queer, he
discovers that Dylan is brilliant, brave, sexy as hell – and claims to be in
love with Rafe. Despite his qualms, Rafe finds he can’t resist the other man’s
charm. By the time Dylan asks for his help in escaping, Rafe cares too much for
Dylan to refuse.

Dylan’s plan goes awry and Rafe comes to his rescue. Soon
they’re both fugitives, fleeing from militant survivalists, murderous androids,
homophobic ideologues and a powerful man who wants Dylan as his sexual toy.
Hiding in the Plague-ravaged city of Sanfran,
Dylan and Rafe learn there’s far more than their own safety at stake. Can they
help prevent the deaths of millions more people? And can Rafe trust the love of
a man who deliberately seduced him in order to escape from quarantine? 

I want to thank Kayelle for having me as her guest here at Romance
Lives Forever. 

More than a
decade ago LISABET SARAI experienced a serendipitous fusion of her love of
writing and her fascination with sex. Since then she has published four single
author short story collections and seven erotic novels, including the BDSM
classic Raw Silk. Dozens of her
shorter works have been released as ebooks and in print anthologies. She has
also edited several acclaimed anthologies and is currently responsible for the
altruistic erotica series COMING TOGETHER PRESENTS.

Lisabet holds more degrees than anyone needs from
prestigious universities who would no doubt be embarrassed by her chosen genre.
She loves to travel and currently lives in Southeast Asia
with her highly tolerant husband and two cosmopolitan felines. For more
information on Lisabet and her writing visit Lisabet Sarai’s Fantasy Factory (http://www.lisabetsarai.com)
or her blog Beyond Romance (http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com).