Dark fantasy and adult fiction writer Sasha LeFleur talks about his latest release, "The White Room."
So, what was the inspiration for The White Room?
Well, I spent nearly a decade writing custom erotica for clients, and this story is from that collection. So, the inspiration is from the client it was written for: their desires, fears, insecurities, and hopes. The stories were always designed to explore the psychological roots of their particular desires, and The White Room is a great example of that.
The White Room did feel like a character study in many ways. How did you approach creating the characters?
It was just important to develop them in a way that was true to their hopes and motivations but affected by their shortcomings in very real ways. I didn't want there to be a sense of passing judgment or disparaging them. Everyone's trying to find their way on their own terms, and the characters of The White Room no different.
Do you have a favorite character from the book?
I'm delighted by all of the characters, but Sarah, the protagonist, is my favorite. She has suffered. She suffers from debilitating chronic pain, much like the client I wrote this for, yet there is strength in how she manages a burden she knows she'll never completely escape from.
It is interesting how Sarah, with her own relationship to pain, projects that pain onto everyone else around her.
Exactly! All Sarah has known her entire life is pain. She doesn't really understand a world without it. It's so ingrained in her identity that it becomes a part of how she communicates, how she relates to other people, and even how she needs to express herself intimately.
But also, she lives in a world where there are very few consequences for your actions. If Sarah inadvertently really injures someone, for example, with the medical and technological advances of her world, she knows they are ultimately going to be okay. She has never had to deal with the lasting consequences of her actions until now.
You also mentioned how escapism plays a major role in this novel.
Yes, that's a pretty big theme in The White Room. All of the characters are running from something in their own way, and the ways in which they try to cope with that, whether it be drugs, sex, or what have you, play a major role in the story. I feel that is also a direct reflection of where we are as a society today.
The novel is very graphic. Have you received pushback for how sex and violence are depicted in the book?
Well, this novel is not for the faint of heart, that's for sure. But when you think about how it originated, it makes sense that it's graphic in nature. And I feel there is an authenticity in being upfront about what's occurring between the characters and not tip-toeing around it.
When an R&B singer sings about "making love," they are talking about the exact same things as the R&B singer who sings about it in a more direct way. So, it always felt a little disingenuous to me when I'd see people be outraged at one but not the other.
But it feels to me that this novelette should have a trigger warning. It is very shocking and always pushes boundaries. Was that your goal when you set out to write it? To shock?
No, my goal is never to shock. My goal is to hold your attention. I feel that, in general, we have been exposed to so much media that when something comes along that cuts through the monotony of it all, it's going to feel shocking. For me, in particular, I've consumed so much fiction that what's going to keep me invested in a story is naturally going to push boundaries because it has to feel new or seldom explored in order for me to be interested in it.
Are there scenes you won't depict in your writing? Are there things that are even taboo for you?
Of course! There are limits. Consent is very important. Even when my characters seem like they are being pushed beyond their boundaries, it is only because they want it that way. I feel you can push boundaries while still being kind of ethically and morally responsible.
What was your method for writing intimate scenes for your cis characters vs. the lgbtq+ characters?
One thing I wanted to accomplish in this piece was to blur the sense of gender for the reader. I wanted the cis and lgbtq+ relationships to be so secondary to the story that the reader would barely notice there was a difference between the two. So, in that way, I approached them similarly. Sexual orientation was never really on my mind; it was more about what motivated the character and what they needed to feel connected to someone on a psychological level and feel sexually fulfilled. And I feel I accomplished that.
The blurring of genders did lead to a particularly interesting scene. Was that a scene you had planned beforehand? Or did it occur as you were writing?
Well, I did have that final scene in mind before I started writing. I knew that, ultimately, that was where the story was heading. That was important to me because of my client's own exploration of their own gender identity, so I knew I needed that reflected in the piece.
There are some obvious references to other sci-fi IPs. Was that a conscious decision?
Yeah. I always enjoy Easter eggs. It gives your story another level of depth and detail, something the reader can go back and look for these little winks and nods to other sci-fi classics. And, like you say, some are obvious references, but others are subtle. It would be interesting to see if someone is ever able to find them all.
You consider yourself the new wave of adult fiction. Why do you find that an accurate description?
When I was freelancing, clients came to me because they needed a certain type of experience they weren't getting from the romance novels available to them, from the fiction they were reading. They were looking to explore a side of themselves that they didn't find much representation for, and my style of writing filled that niche, creating, I feel, a new style of adult fiction.
Unsurprisingly, The White Room has a pretty shocking ending. What does that mean for the protagonist moving forward?
All I can say is I guarantee you that there is more to Sarah's story, and you will see her and the other members of The White Room again.
The White Room is available now on Amazon/Kindle and Sasha's online store.
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