Below is my interview with romance author, Eli Gilić, a writer who actually works in the book industry. You can really see her skills at work in the detailed way that she answers my questions. Learn about her artistic hobbies, her travel history, and her writing process, and be sure to follow and check out her book, Slaves to Desire, at the links below!
About Eli Gilic
Author Links (links will open in a new tab)
Genres: Historical romance, Erotic romance
Slaves to Desire book summary
This short story collection explores love, mania, pain, and desires. Does unconditional love exist or is it only a myth ‒ the story of George Sand and Frederic Chopin tries to answer that? Does easy access kill romance and inspire deviations, as Rasputin muses during his existential crisis during an orgy? Is free will an illusion and everything that we think and feel is actually ancestral heritage, as Hamlet and Ophelia try to find out when they escape Shakespeare’s scroll?
Book excerpt
Charles Baudelaire, Rasputin, Anna Karenina, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and Ophelia, Fyodor Dostoevsky, George Sand, Frederic Chopin, Vincent Van Gogh, Antonin Artaud, Maria Izquierdo, James Joyce, Federico Garcia Lorca, Salvador Dali. Can Rasputin find redemption through the sins of others? What awaits Anna Karenina on the other side? Does passion still flow through the veins of the lovers from Verona? Can Hamlet and Ophelia escape their fate? Is Van Gogh’s loneliness a blessing or a curse? And can Dali dispel Lorca’s fear? Eli Gilić deftly weaves fact and fiction to bring some of the world’s great writers, literary characters, artists, and composers to life as they reach the heights of passion and the depths of despair in this mesmerizing erotic short story collection.
Review excerpts
**** by Literary Titan
Slaves to Desire is composed of 11 short stories that are as insightful as they are erotic. By weaving fictional tales around some of the most successful European artists of all time, she manages to find that storytelling sweet spot between fact and fiction.
Ultimately, Slaves to Desire is much more than a book about sex, it discusses complex issues that are inherent to the human condition.
Slaves to Desire is a well-written and thought-provoking work of art.
5.0 out of 5 stars A breath-takingly accomplished and exquisitely written compilation.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 August 2020
Slaves to Desire is a collection of eleven, erotic short stories in which both fictional and non-fictional literary characters, artists and composers are depicted in settings where the facts and reality of their lives and loves are woven with re-imagined settings, consequences and actions.
I thought Ms Gilić’s writing was truly beautiful. The skill in creating this collection through her knowledge, understanding and the wonderfully adroit use of language was second to none.
Talking Shop
What is the central theme or message of your story? What do you want readers to take away from it?
Love is the central theme. But not a love story in which a girl meets a boy, they fall in love, fuss, argue, and live happily ever after since I find that boring. But I must add that I wish everyone had that kind of happily-ever-after story in real life. Love in literature should be thought-provoking, and I hope that I managed to accomplish that.
What’s the best review/compliment that you’ve received about your book?
An older lady didn’t want to read it since the genre is technically erotica, which she hates. Somehow, we managed to spark her interest, and she told me that the story about Anna Karenina moved her to tears and made her cry. Since my favorite books are the ones that provoked strong emotions and tears, that compliment will always be the best.
How active are you in the online writing community? How has this community helped you as a writer?
I am afraid that I’m not very active. There is a great author’s community on Instagram, and I have met awesome people there. We occasionally give shoutouts and mention each other, but the real benefit of this group is that warm cozy feeling after interacting with likeminded people. On the other hand, I am very disappointed in the writing community on Twitter since I have met only people focused on the numbers instead of engaging.
How long did it take to write your book from the day you got the idea to write it to the day you published it?
I started writing it in 2014, and Laguna, the biggest publisher in Serbia, published it in 2015. Then it took me a long time to translate it into English since my job was getting in the way. And the process of hunting for a publisher in the UK was so challenging that I often thought of giving up.
What is your day job? How, in any way, does it relate to your life as a writer?
I have the best job in the world ‒ translating books from English into Serbian, and occasionally the other way round. I have also worked as an editor and proofreader but stopped because I wanted more time for writing. Sometimes it seems crazy ‒ translating a book half the day, writing a book in the afternoon, reading a book in the evening.
Do you have a writing ritual or any odd habits or superstitions?
Unlike most people who write early in the morning or late in the evening, writing for an hour or two after lunch and coffee works best for me. It is the time when I have already finished half of my day’s work, eaten, washed the dishes… so I am relaxed and feeling good. I don’t like to write sitting at the desk. Instead. I curl on the sofa with one of my dogs. And I always listen to music, unless I’m working in the garden and listening to the birds.
“What If” Scenarios
If your book ever becomes a movie, and you get final say over the cast, which actors would you hire to play your characters?
Keira Knightly and Tom Hardy would be Anna Karenina and the devil from the story Sinners. Of course, I would like all my stories to become movies or series, but I have never thought about the actors even though I have envisioned the dialogues, settings, furniture, costumes, almost everything except the actors. But the actors for the Sinners were in my mind even when I was writing the book.
If you could have one person that you admire, living or dead, read your book, who would it be?
Oh, I would love Charles Baudelaire, the character of one story, to read my book, tell me what I got right and what irritated him. I would pester him until he told me what he thinks about my language, descriptions, and thoughts about him and his relationship with Jeanne Duval. We would drink red wine, argue, and then he would confess the true inspiration for some of his poems. And, of course, he would conclude that my insights are superb. J
If you could be in a writer’s group with up to four famous writers, who would they be?
Nicole Krauss, Ali Smith, Jenny Erpenback, and my crush Robert McLiam Wilson. They are my favorite modern writers not only because of their superb style, but also irony and delving into emotions without mercy and constraint.
Your favorite character that you’ve written comes to life for one day. What do you do together for 24 hours?
Dostoevsky, my favorite classic and the character of one story from this collection. I would just talk with him the whole day while walking through deep snow, eating a hearty dinner, drinking vodka ‒ which I hate, but never mind. And the day wouldn’t be enough to cover all the topics.
Your book becomes a best seller. What do you do next?
Write another one. But instead of squeezing an hour or two in the afternoon, to write whenever I feel like it on a long vacation to all the places I have always wanted to visit.
Would you rather own your own book store or your own publishing house, and what would you sell or publish?
My book store. Book-wise, it would sell the same as every big book store. But I would have special super cool programs and events. And my artist sister would fill it with her art and furniture. Wherever it would be, my book store would definitely be the most popular place in town.
Just For Fun
Your trademark feature.
I always wear jewelry and handbags that I design. And I try to design as much of the clothes I wear as I can. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough time for that hobby. It relaxes me, and my mind wanders and writes new books while my hands are busy. And I love the fulfillment after completing something new.
What legacy do you want to leave behind?
This will sound ambitious and maybe proud, but I would like to leave behind books that will make people think about their relationships ‒ partner, family, friends ‒ honestly. Many people disguise other feelings such as dependence, fear, uncertainty as love. That isn’t fair not only to others but to them as well since it inevitably brings sadness.
One year of your life you’d like to do over.
Any year before my tenth. Every other great thing that happened after that can be repeated more or less in the same way, but that carefree, innocent attitude towards life can’t be replicated without some magic.
One bucket list item you’ve completed and one that’s still on your list.
Jumped from waterfalls and crossed suspension bridges over water ‒ my greatest fear since I almost drowned as a child and have an irrational fear of water. I thought that I would faint or even die, but I managed to overcome the fear.
Skydiving is still on my list, and I am not sure if I will ever make it. The water thing depended only on me so I had full control over the situation. However, with skydiving, I can’t control the things that can go wrong and that discourages me even though I would love to experience it. Falling in love forever is also on my bucket list.
Favorite time of/part of your day.
Mornings are my favorite part of the day. Before yoga or running, showering, and breakfast, the world looks full of endless possibilities. The weather can change from sunny to rainy or vice versa, the mood can change a hundred times, but in that half an hour before lists and chores cry out, everything looks possible.
Favorite place you’ve visited/place you want to visit.
The French Riviera is the favorite place I have visited so far. Not only is everything beautiful, the narrow cobbled streets, the quaint atmosphere, the vivid colors and plants, the buildings… but the people are different too. Maybe because they are living in such a magical environment, everyone is smiling and friendly.
I would like to spend a year traveling through Italy, visiting all the galleries and museums, exploring the picturesque villages, and talking to people. I had Latin in high school and the uni, so I understood people when I was in Italy and even started talking after five days ‒ but then it was time to return home. I love the singing loud way Italians talk in the south.
Food you’d like to win a lifetime supply of.
Raw cocoa. Must useful food since it can be used as food and a drink too. Nothing more comforting than hot cocoa in the winter. And nothing more refreshing than handmade chocolate ice cream in the summer.
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I enjoy romance that is more than a love story. Slaves to Desire sounds like an engaging and unforgettable read; the cover is striking and the author’s voice shines in more than her book.
Thanks for sharing!