Why don't you start with telling us a little about yourself? What genre do you write in and why?
I’m a 38-year-old mother of two with a husband who works crazy hours and too many stories in my head. I write m/m romance in a wide variety of subgenres because I discovered m/m about six years ago and can’t seem to get it out of my head. That’s the simplistic answer, of course, but it is an answer. The rest of the answer is that I abhor discrimination in any form and so I see my writing as a little step toward fighting that. If I can present likable, well-adjusted, sympathetic gay characters, maybe I’ll help persuade a person or two that love is what matters, not gender.
What comes first for you when you sit down to write a book? Plot or Characters?
It depends. If I’m writing something completely new, I tend to start with a situation and see what characters walk into it. I always try to have plot in mind when I’m writing because I like a plot-driven book, but I also try to be open to my characters. The few times I’ve truly had writer’s block, it’s been because I was trying to dictate to my characters something that did not fit them.
Do you "cast" your characters using pictures or actors to help inspire you when you're writing?
Oh, yes! The Lord of the Rings cast are perennial favorites as is Johnny Depp, Ralph Fiennes, and Naveen Andrews, but I’m just as likely to take a waiter at a restaurant or a cute guy at the movie theater or one of my former students, all grown up. I need some visual, but it doesn’t have to be an actor.
How long does it take you to finish a book from start to finish?
That depends on whether I write it from start to finish or whether I work on it, work on something else, come back to it, go work on something else. I wrote A Perilous Partnership, my next novel, in about five weeks. The same for Out of the Fire. Other books have taken longer because I was still working at the time and so only had the evenings to write or because I worked on multiple stories consecutively. I’d say three months for a novel is probably average, less than that for a novella.
Your work is very popular with readers and reviewers; how does it feel to have such positive recognition for your work?
It’s an incredible thrill for me. I’ve wanted to be an author since I was twelve years old. We won’t discuss how long that’s been, but suffice it to say that it wasn’t yesterday. I get little chills each time a new book or review comes out.
What do you consider to be the key elements of a great story?
Engaging characters, believable plot, sustained storytelling. I’ve read far too many books where the story starts out great and then the author tacks on an ending as if they got bored with it or else throws in some farfetched deus ex machina at the end to make everything right. Nothing gets me to put away a book faster than that.
Tell us a bit about your latest book, and what inspired you to write such a story.
The cover for Why Nileas Loved the Sea actually inspired that one. Dreamspinner is doing a series of fairy tales and Dan Skinner, one of the cover artists, designed a series of covers that could then be claimed by an author. I took one look at the merman on the cover and knew I had to tell his story. It’s not exactly The Little Mermaid, but it is a fairy tale, complete with the magic of the Greek gods.
How would you describe your creative process while writing this book? Was it stream-of-consciousness writing, or did you first write an outline?
I always have an outline, and I always end up ignoring it. Because the fairy tale had to be novella-length, I did make myself start with an outline so the story wouldn’t run long, but I didn’t end up sticking to it. Aeolus and Nileas had other ideas.
Did your book require a lot of research?
It required some, into the Greek legends concerning mermaids and mermen and the gods associated with them as well as into the Sirens and the geography of the Mediterranean. I’m pretty good with western European geography, but you lose me when you start heading east.
If you could have any vice without repercussions, what would it be?
Chocolate. I love chocolate, but it’s not exactly good for my figure. Although wine would be a close second.
What do you see for the future of publishing and ebooks?
I’m very fortunate to have gotten on board with a publisher who saw the value and validity of ebooks from the very start. All of my titles are available in ebook, even the ones that are too short to be available in print. I think the reality of publishing, and certainly of niche market publishing, is that ebooks are here to stay. They’re less expensive to the consumer, less costly in terms of the environment, more portable, and, when the occasion warrants it, more discreet.
Which of your characters do you love/hate/fear/pity the most and why?
Oh, that’s a hard question! I think I pity Takoda from Out of the Fire the most. He’s been through something no one should have to live through, although he would argue that he’s getting past it and that he doesn’t want my pity.
I think I hate Claude Blanchet from the Partnership in Blood series the most because he’s a cruel, sadistic bastard of a man who gets off on hurting other people.
I’m not sure I can pick the one I love the most. I’ve loved all my leads in their time.
Do you get along with your muse? What do you do to placate her when she refuses to inspire you?
My muse and I generally get along quite well. When we don’t, it’s because I’m trying to force my characters to do something my muse disagrees with. When I stop trying to have my own way and start listening again, everything goes back to being normal.
Do you have another book in the works? Would you like to tell readers about your current or future projects?
I have four scheduled releases in the next four months. Next week, it’s Transcending Limits, volume 5 of the Exploring Limits series.
When Camelot castmates Jonathan Braedon, Devon Aldridge, and Kit Webster admit their love for each other, it doesn't magically eliminate every issue in their evolving romance. Devon, free of the demons from his past, still hesitates to resume a dominant role in their lovemaking, and Kit's discovery of a kink Jonathan would have preferred to keep hidden leads to an explosion that might tear the threesome apart.
On October 8, I have A Perilous Partnership coming out.
A year after the end of the war that brought them together, Raymond Payet and Jean Bellaiche have found a balance in their relationship: Jean drinks only Raymond’s blood; Raymond sleeps only in Jean’s bed. The demands of their public roles as president of l’Association Nationale de Sorcellerie and chef de la Cour of the Parisian vampires keep them busy dealing with fallout from the war and the alliance, particularly the not-always-successful partnerships between vampires and wizards.
The foundation of an institute to research and educate wizards and vampires about the implications of the partnership bonds only adds to those responsibilities. When political factions, both vampire and mortal, oppose their leaders' decisions, the stress begins to affect Raymond and Jean's deepening relationship. And when political opposition turns to vandalism and then to violence, they'll have to find a way to reconcile their personal and professional lives before external and internal forces pull them apart.
The foundation of an institute to research and educate wizards and vampires about the implications of the partnership bonds only adds to those responsibilities. When political factions, both vampire and mortal, oppose their leaders' decisions, the stress begins to affect Raymond and Jean's deepening relationship. And when political opposition turns to vandalism and then to violence, they'll have to find a way to reconcile their personal and professional lives before external and internal forces pull them apart.
In November, we’ll release the last of the Exploring Limits series, this one entitled No Limits.
As the end of filming the miniseries Camelot nears, lovers Jonathan Braedon, Devon Aldridge, and Kit Webster are trying to find a way to deal with their imminent separation. Each man suggests a special way to mark their commitment to each other, but will promises and memories be enough to sustain their relationship when roles and family responsibilities pull them apart?
And finally, in December, there’s The Matelot, a historical pirate novel.
Their pirate vessel destroyed, Captain Amery White, ship's surgeon Gavin Watson, and quartermaster Quinn Davies are left without a livelihood or a home. The three men have served together since they were old enough to put to sea, sharing hardships and comfort until Amery and Gavin formalized their union with a matelotage—the pirate equivalent of a marriage contract.
Now they’ve been offered a letter of marque and a fine English galleon with enough speed and firepower to catch and capture any ship in the Caribbean. But their mission brings back memories long buried and puts a strain on Amery and Gavin’s relationship, especially when the Silver Queen captures a Spanish slave ship, bringing the very young, very beautiful, and very abused Eliodoro to their crew.
Quinn finds himself torn between the love he’s always had for his friends and his desire for their new crew member. When secrets from the past come to light and cause a rift between Amery and Gavin, Quinn will have to choose between substituting for Gavin’s true love and becoming the center of Eliodoro’s world.
Now they’ve been offered a letter of marque and a fine English galleon with enough speed and firepower to catch and capture any ship in the Caribbean. But their mission brings back memories long buried and puts a strain on Amery and Gavin’s relationship, especially when the Silver Queen captures a Spanish slave ship, bringing the very young, very beautiful, and very abused Eliodoro to their crew.
Quinn finds himself torn between the love he’s always had for his friends and his desire for their new crew member. When secrets from the past come to light and cause a rift between Amery and Gavin, Quinn will have to choose between substituting for Gavin’s true love and becoming the center of Eliodoro’s world.
Have you ever experience weird cravings while you write? If so, what kind?
Chocolate. And occasionally alcohol.
What are the most challenging and the most rewarding aspects of writing?
The most challenging aspect has always been finding enough time to write, although that’s gotten easier since I quit teaching in May to write full time. The most rewarding aspect has to be the emails I get from readers telling me they enjoyed my books.
What character (s) in any of your books is most like you?
Spirit, in Seducing C.C. is most like me.
You are told you have to meet one paranormal creature, no safeguards, what do you choose? What do you bring with you?
I’d choose Rhianne Aile’s werewolves because they might have a beast inside, but it’s a beast they’ve learned how to control, and I think they’re fascinating creatures. I’d take a pen and notebook so I could ask all the questions I still have about them.
You have to ask a fictional character out on a date—who would you ask and what would you do together?
Aragorn from Lord of the Rings. As for what we’d do, I don’t even care as long as I got to spend time with him. Of course, there might be an Elf or two who would have something to say about that.
If someone hasn't read any of your work, what book would you recommend that they start with and why?
It would depend on what genre they like, but if they didn’t have a preference at all, I would say probably Checkmate because it has what I consider to be the most gripping plot. If they don’t read historicals, then either the Partnership in Blood series because I’m pretty sure that will always be my favorite of all my books or Her Two Dads because it seems to have a pretty universal appeal.
Where can readers find out what's new and how can they contact you?
Links, links, and more links.
Web site: http://www.arieltachna.com
Twitter: @arieltachna (although I should warn everyone that I’m awful about updating there)
Facebook: http://tiny.cc/29npd
To purchase my books, you can always go to Dreamspinner’s web site, http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com or you can go to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance eBooks, Fictionwise, or my new favorite, Rainbow eBooks, http://www.rainbowebooks.com/store/. I’m sure there are probably other eBook outlets as well, but I don’t go searching for them. Also, if you want to buy the book in print, any bookstore that allows special orders can order the book for you with the title and my name.
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