The
Scorpion’s Empress
Yoshiyuki
Ly
Genre: Erotic romance
Publisher: Solstice Publishing
Date of Publication: June 1st,
2016
Number of pages: 185
Word Count: 60,900
Cover Artist: Michelle Crocker
Book Description:
After years of serving a corrupt
government, Ser Videl, an idealistic paladin, learns that her younger sister is
tangled in a dark scheme against Raj Mangala, the compassionate yet troubled
empress of the city’s oppressed lowtown; the two women meet and are deeply
drawn to one another, finding a shared sanctuary in their violently-divided
city. The Scorpion’s Empress is intimately written through the eyes of both
twenty-seven year old women.
Videl’s loving devotion is just
what Raj craves, but Raj is wary of letting her guard down while protecting her
throne. Determined to prove her worth, Videl chases after Raj and works to
unravel the mystery of the plots against the empress. Raj wants Videl to serve
her emotional and sexual needs, and the two explore a meaningful relationship
of dominance and submission that delves fully into their deepest wants. When
the conspiracy against Raj comes to a head, Videl’s loyalties are tested when
she is forced to choose between her past and her empress.
Excerpt:
Her stare
trailed down to my neck. She kept her eyes there. I watched her pupils widen as
she took in my shoulders from her periphery. She watched me breathe, watched my
pulse through my skin. When she looked in my eyes again, she held her hand out.
“Will you dance
with me first, Empress?” she asked. My breath hitched in surprise. No one dared
to be this forward with me. I'd always hoped someone would. I didn't know what
her intentions were, and yet… “I know. I'm surprising myself by asking this.
We've only just met. But I believe you when you say my sister's all right. I
want to thank you. This is the best I can come up with for right now.”
I stared at her
in disbelief. This woman was too fucking perfect. Smart, resourceful,
determined, influential up in her part of the city, and she had a pair? There
was no way this was real.
“…is that a no?”
she wondered, still holding her hand out to me.
“Just as a thank
you?” I asked, brow raised.
Ser Videl smiled
like in her picture. “For now,” she said. Her voice deepened just enough to
make me hold back a reaction. She saw enough. She saw just enough to feel me
and shed a little more light over her meaning: “I can make it more than that if
you'd like. If you'd allow it.”
I laughed
softly. “Ser Videl, you're attractin' attention,” I pointed out. It was true—people
stared, whispering; trying to figure out what this was all about. “I'm the
Empress of this place. You don't just ask me to dance like this. Especially
when you don't know me. You ain't from here. I'll give you that much. But
you've gotta know some kinda rules from guessin'.”
“I assumed you
wouldn't let me into your headquarters,” she reminded me. “Then you told me you
would have. I guessed you wouldn't dance with me if I asked. I'm asking you in
the hopes that you'll make another exception for me.” She stared down at my
neck again, breathing harder. When she moved her eyes back to mine, hers
darkened, sharpened in deep, lustful focus. “Or is that too much to ask?”
About
the Author:
Yoshiyuki Ly was born in San
Diego, CA. She lived there until moving away to college. In high school, she
began writing fanfiction as a serious hobby. Her pen name is representative of
her multiracial heritage and a unique, diverse outlook that is reflective in
her work. While pursuing an undergraduate degree in philosophy, she spent her
free time reading the works of Virginia Woolf, Soren Kierkegaard and Simone de
Beauvoir. She then spent the next years honing her craft to become a published
author.
Interview
Where are you from?
Southern California.
Southern California.
Tell us your latest news?
I’ve just ironed out the details for my current work in progress. I’d been in a rut with ideas for a few weeks. I’m always working on the next thing.
I’ve just ironed out the details for my current work in progress. I’d been in a rut with ideas for a few weeks. I’m always working on the next thing.
When and why did you begin writing?
Back when I was middle school, I started with fanfiction as a fun way to explore the video games I liked. I picked it up again in high school as a way to cope with a rough situation I’d been in at the time. It’s my foundation.
Back when I was middle school, I started with fanfiction as a fun way to explore the video games I liked. I picked it up again in high school as a way to cope with a rough situation I’d been in at the time. It’s my foundation.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Not until last year once I was finally satisfied with my writing style.
Not until last year once I was finally satisfied with my writing style.
What inspired you to write your first book?
Personal experiences with a friend in high school. I saw how dangerous it was that I would have sacrificed anything for her. I doubt I’ll publish this one any time soon.
Personal experiences with a friend in high school. I saw how dangerous it was that I would have sacrificed anything for her. I doubt I’ll publish this one any time soon.
Do you have a specific writing style?
I have a holistic style that emphasizes visual details.
I have a holistic style that emphasizes visual details.
How did you come up with the title?
I like astrology. I’m a Libra, but some people think I’m a Scorpio because of how intense I am. The Empress part comes from a folktale I made up in one of my fanfiction stories, as well as the power plays I planned on including.
I like astrology. I’m a Libra, but some people think I’m a Scorpio because of how intense I am. The Empress part comes from a folktale I made up in one of my fanfiction stories, as well as the power plays I planned on including.
Is there a message in your novel that you want
readers to grasp?
That even the most selfless, giving people have dark sides that will come out in relationships. Embracing that darkness instead of shunning it will bring both people closer together.
That even the most selfless, giving people have dark sides that will come out in relationships. Embracing that darkness instead of shunning it will bring both people closer together.
How much of the book is realistic?
The themes are relevant to real life political and economic situations.
The themes are relevant to real life political and economic situations.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events
in your own life?
They always are. But I go out of my way to make sure no one can pick them out.
They always are. But I go out of my way to make sure no one can pick them out.
What books have most influenced your life most?The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison opened my eyes to the harsher realities in the
world.
If you had to choose, which writer would you
consider a mentor?
I’m more focused on self-teaching than learning from others.
I’m more focused on self-teaching than learning from others.
What book are you reading now?
Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewen.
Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewen.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your
interest?
A few fanfiction authors. There’s a lot people can do with existing material.
A few fanfiction authors. There’s a lot people can do with existing material.
What are your current projects?
The spiritual sequels to The Scorpion’s Empress that take place in the same world, only in different eras, focusing on different characters.
The spiritual sequels to The Scorpion’s Empress that take place in the same world, only in different eras, focusing on different characters.
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