Ariel’s Comments (group member since Mar 07, 2011)

Ariel’s comments from the A Chat with Ariel group.

I just got a fabulous review of Inventor's Companion. http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/Book...

Join me all day today on Dreamspinner Press's blog, http://dreamspinnerpress.com/blog/ as I celebrate the release of !

And the winner is Bookbee! Message me so I can get you your prize!

Nicki and I started a new novel tonight. *happy dances* The third (and probably final) volume in our Checkmate series. Anyone want to venture a guess as to who the characters might be?

I'm up to almost 17000 words. Raymond and Jean have, once again, stolen the show and dragged me (okay, each other) into the bedroom. *grin* I love horny vampires and wizards.

Great answers! Wusswoo, if you haven't read Match Maker by Alan Chin (sorry for no links, goodreads wouldn't let me add them for some reason), you really should. It's all about the pro tennis circuit, and it's an amazing book.

Dianna, the characters in my upcoming novel, Once in a Lifetime (due out in July) play football on the weekends. It's not pro level, just a bunch of guys hanging out and having fun, but you might enjoy it.

Beth, try In Dreams He Came by Trina Lane for swimmers or Rocking the Boat by Christopher Koehler for rowers.

I thought I'd start this thread both as a way to keep track of interviews I've done for my own use and also to give everyone a way to find out more about me if they want. (Or you can always just ask. That's what the question thread is for.)

So here's the first one. I'm the Featured Author this week at All Romance eBooks. http://www.arecafe.com/behind-the-boo...

It's official. I have started Book 6 of the Partnership in Blood series. It doesn't have a title yet, but anyone who's hung around me for long knows I hate coming up with titles. I usually farm that job out on my betas.

The Word file is temporarily titled Adele's story, although I promise there's much more to it than just that. After the way I treated her for the five previous books, though, I thought she deserved her chance at happiness.

The other two main characters are Denis Langlois, chef de la Cour of Autun and Martin Delacroix, a Canadian wizard on a year sabbatical at l'Institut.

I'll post updates as I go. I'm working on chapter 3 right now, 9329 words so far.

I've noted the requests and started messing around with them. Just a warning - my muses seem to be in an angsty mood at the moment, so if you want to rescind your prompts, now's your chance!

Thank you, Mickie!

I finished plotting out the next book today, although it will have to find another home than Dreamspinner since it will be Cressida's story.

My intention is to continue the story. We'll just have to see how long it goes on.

I'm very, very glad you enjoyed it.

My muses are being difficult today, not wanting to cooperate with anything I set out to write. Sometimes having prompts that I can turn into short (less than 1000 words) ficlets helps. Anyone want to give me one to three words they'd like to see incorporated into a bit of fluff (or maybe angst, there's never any telling with my muses.)

Since I'm working on book 6 in the Partnership in Blood series, I thought I'd open the series up for discussion.

Ki wrote: "SERIES?!? Wonderful news! I really love this book and can't wait for more. You've built up a beautifully intricate universe with so many endearing characters that it would be a shame to stop now..."

Hi, Ki! I have at least one more book planned, centered around Cressida and what happens to her in her new situation. After that, we'll have to see if there are other "secondary" characters with a story to tell. And if not, if there are other stories to tell in the universe as a whole. But for sure one more book. I already have 12,000 words written on it.

Mickie wrote: "Lady Merydith needs to DIE!!!!

The caste system is monsterous

You have made Lucio so sweet and kind without being whimpy that it makes what that B*tch did even worse.
I love how you don't make u..."

Thank you, Mickie. I debated long and hard about how to deal with the Lady Merydith scene. I'm glad my choice of strategies worked.

I agree about the caste system. I'm hoping as the series goes on (if I can ever get free of other things to write it) that things will get better.

Thanks, Mickie. You'll recognize one of the characters in Crossroads in Blood from the original series. The main character in it will feature quite prominently in volume 6, which still needs a name. (I hate titles!)

Thanks, Antoinette. I'm excited about it. It's a stand-alone, but it will eventually tie into the next Partnership in Blood book.

Woot! I found out today that Crossroads in Blood will be in the Dreamspinner Daily Dose, First Time for Everything, this June. They must have liked my little twist on the definition of first times.

Mickie wrote: "Well I am late for the party LOL. I was gonna say hockey but since everyone else has and I don't want to be a copy cat I think I will say Volleyball hopefully on the beach.

After all hot sweaty..."

Yum! The volleyball scene in Top Gun still does wicked things to my insides.

Thank you so much, Mickie!

When I got the very first inspiration for this story, the muses demanded infidelity, betrayal, and the impossibility of being together, but I wanted the characters to be sympathetic so instead of setting the story in the modern world where Lucio would be a cheater and worse, this was my solution. The muses got all the angst and misery they could desire and I got a situation where I could still keep the characters likable.

Once you're read a little farther, we can discuss the caste system and ways out of it and at what cost.

Anne wrote: "Oh wow, that cover is gorgeous, Ariel."

Thanks, Anne. Justin James did it, and the guys are perfect. They give off that Top Gun, adrenaline junkie sort of vibe, which suits Daniel and Frank to a tee.