Samhain Publishing

Have you ever had an idea that you just couldn’t shake? That’s what happened to me with Macayla and Jared from TAKE YOUR MEDICINE. Originally, when I wrote SURPRISE I had no intention of writing a sequel to it. Heck, I wasn’t even sure if I was going to finish the book. Jared and Macayla had other plans for me.

As I was writing SURPRISE, I though of putting Jared and Macayla in as a secondary plot. Apparently, that still wasn’t good enough. They wanted their OWN story, and they weren’t going to be satisfied until they got it.

But first I had to get to know them. Easier said than done. Every time I thought I got a handle on Macayla, she danced out of reach. I couldn’t figure out just who she was and why she was so driven. What happened to her to make her so determined to be the best at everything she did? And why couldn’t she trust?

Finding out those answers drove me crazy. It didn’t do much for Jared either. But the journey I took while writing the book started me on a path I can never get off. Every time I sit down to write a book, I need to know what makes my characters tick. And figuring that out makes writing as much of an adventure for me as it does for my characters, and hopefully for my readers too.

Okay, first I have to apologize for not blogging until the 11th hour (almost literally) on my release day. I’m usually the first one on the computer checking to see if the new releases have come out yet. Today, this is the first chance I’ve had to go on the computer. I am NEVER moving again.

Whining is done, now onto Marley. . .

A few years ago, I was honing my writing skills writing romantic suspense. I was in the middle of writing a very bad (and I mean BAD) romantic suspense novel and it was just dragging on and on. While I was slogging through the angst and trauma of my characters, I had an idea for a lighthearted story where no one got killed.

I generally have an at least 1 kill rule in any books I read or write, but sometimes, you just need to read the literary version of junk food.

Sigh, I really do love junk food. . .

But, I digress. The idea for A MAN FOR MARLEY popped into my head almost fully formed. At the time I wrote it, no one was really writing about NASCAR. There were a lot of fans, especially female fans who gave me some information on the sport, but no one wrote about it.

I didn’t care. I wanted to write about a tough girl and an arrogant playboy, and what’s more arrogant than driving a million + dollar vehicle at excessive speeds with a huge probability of crashing?

I had my hero all lined up, but what about my heroine? I knew what she was like, but what was her name?
At the time, I was on the message boards a lot, and one of the women there was named Marley. I latched onto her name and knew it was perfect for my character, so I asked her if it was okay that I used it. I’m not sure if she was flattered or scared, but she let me borrow her name, and the rest is history!

Let’s hope this is just the beginning for my Marley. .
Ari

I made it! I made it! I made it in the blog!!! La la la la la!

I’m a little technically challenged, so this is quite a thrill for me. Actually, if I manage to blog without totally screwing up, that will be the ultimate thrill!

What can I say? Little things excite me.

Something else that excites me is RELEASE DAYS!!!
And today I have a book out, yippee!!!
(|) (/) (\) (/) (\) (/) (Ari butt wiggle dance)

TAKE YOUR MEDICINE is a re-release, but I feel so much better about it this time around. I love love love my cover, and the story is so much tighter. I can really see where my writing has grown over the last 4 years. Good thing too, hahahahaha

I thought about putting the cover up, but I don’t want to push my technical luck any farther. I have the directions, but my eyes glaze over by about the third paragraph. I’ll figure it out eventually, but for now, if you want to see my awesome cover. . .

http://www.ariannahart.com/books

and if you want to read more about TAKE YOUR MEDICINE

http://www.samhainpublishing.com

Hopefully those links will work!

I plan on running a contest to celebrate my release so stay tuned to my website for more info on that. And enjoy a day of awesome books! It’s great to be out there with so many wonderful authors!!

Happy release day and happy blogging!
Ari