Interview with cover model Alisa Sharoikina!

Hello friends! I am bubbling with excitement today because I had so much fun with this post! I had the distinct pleasure of getting to interview hot model Alisa Sharoikina. Now, on blogs such as this one, there’s often a lot of attention paid to the male models on our covers, and rightly so. However, after meeting Alisa, who graces one of my covers, I decided it was time to celebrate the ladies!

Now which of my covers does the lovely Alisa grace? Well, Predator’s Serenade, of course! Here she is:

Now in real life, Alisa is actually a beautiful blonde, but as she can probably tell you, models have to be chameleons. Cover artist Lyn Taylor transformed Alisa into a stunning brunette, so she could portray my feisty Italian-Canadian heroine Gioia Clementine. I’m so proud to have her on my cover. She was gracious enough to answer a few questions for me and I hope you enjoy our interview!

1) How did you get into modeling?

I always had a passion for modeling but didn’t know where to start. I applied to a few modeling schools when I was 16 and got accepted but never went through with it as I couldn’t dedicate my full time to it since I was still in high school. A couple of years later I had a photographer contact me on one of the social media websites asking me if I wanted to do a photoshoot and I agreed. After I received the photos from him I put them up on modeling websites and it kind of snowballed from there on.

 2) What is your favorite sort of picture to do? Fantasy? Realistic? High fashion?

 I would say my favorite shooting style would be editorial. I like edgy stuff, I like to push the limit in photography and create unique images that have a lot of emotion and feelings. I strive to constantly perfect my work and love critiques. The best compliment to my work is saying that it inspires others. I recently had a painter message me asking permission to paint one of my photographs because he was inspired by my work. I was flattered beyond belief and I cannot wait to see the painting.

3) You grace my cover for Predator’s Serenade. Do you enjoy book cover work?

 First of all, I gotta say I’m honored to be on the cover of Predator’s Serenade.I’m happy that the creative team was able to bring Rosanna’s vision of the character to “life” and that I fit the look of the heroine. I really enjoy shooting book covers. I enjoy the creative process and enjoy collaborating with so many talented people who are involved in the creation of the covers.

(Rosanna here *blushes* Thanks Alisa!)

4) All the women here envy you for the fact you get to cozy up to gorgeous men on a regular basis. Were you nervous the first time you did a couples shot?

 I gotta be honest, the first time I shot with a male model I wasn’t into his look (though he is a good looking guy) so I wasn’t intimidated by him – therefore, wasn’t nervous.

5) What do you think about when you’re in a hot clutch with a sexy man in a shot?

It’s a mix of thoughts and feelings because while being in a professional environment you have to project “real” feelings and emotions to the camera. So particularly with couple shoots, imagine trying to be intimate with a stranger while someone is watching and taking pictures…kind of uncomfortable, right? *chuckles* But don’t get me wrong of course I enjoy being held by a sexy man, who wouldn’t??

6) Do you prefer working in a studio or on location? Any fun locations you can share with us?

Definitely prefer working on location. White backdrops could get very monotone and boring, there isn’t much to work with. Locations fill me with certain energy, if that makes sense. “It’s that I don’t like white paper backgrounds. A woman does not live in front of white paper. She lives on the street, in a motor car, in a hotel room.” – Helmut Newton

There are a few great beach locations in Deal, NJ.

7) I have to ask…ever had a “wardrobe malfunction?”

 Ahhh…YES! I actually had a few that were pretty bad. Probably one of the worst wardrobe malfunctions was the one at Times Square. I was wearing this gorgeous elegant and flowy gown by Spencer Dargan. As I was crossing the road I heard the photographer snapping shots in the distance, the stylist screaming “work that dress girl” and hundreds of eyes watching me…right at that moment the wind blows and the entire top of the dress flips to the side exposing both of my breasts!! With a look of terror in my eyes while laughing at the same time, I took a few seconds to put myself together (as the stylist was fixing the dress) and continued shooting.

8) What is the best part of your job?

 The best part of my job is that I get to meet so many talented people and collaborate with them! So many different personalities and creative minds collide to create something unified, it’s really inspirational and special to me. And just on a side note, I love that most of the projects are challenging. I will never forget laying in a bikini on a rooftop in the middle of the December with cold wind literally getting to my bones and photographer saying “I need you to pretend that you are sunbathing on a hot sunny day”. I was not happy and it definitely was not easy BUT the results were so worth it.

9) Any upcoming projects you can share with us? Where will we see you in future?

I have a few projects coming up but unfortunately I have to keep that hush-hush for now. Follow me on instagram (@ahhh_lisa ) to stay tuned 😉 And don’t forget to “like” my facebook fan page www.facebook.com/sharoikina

Thanks for spending time with us, Alisa, and for being my gorgeous heroine!