Ariel MacArran's Blog
May 31, 2016
Binge Romance for All!
To celebrate the release of The Princess all the Tellaran ebooks are on sale for $.99 on Amazon!
May 24, 2016
The Princess is available!
So happy to announce that The Princess is now available!
Click to be taken to The Princess on Amazon.
Click to be taken to The Princess on Amazon.
May 11, 2016
The Princess is coming!
I'm happy to announce that The Princess will be coming out this month!
I'll announce the exact release date as soon as I know it!
September 15, 2015
Smart Girls love Stolen!
Check out the newest review on Smart Girls Love Sci-fi Romance!
https://smartgirlsscifi.wordpress.com...
https://smartgirlsscifi.wordpress.com...
June 29, 2015
Fracked If You Do, Fracked If You Don’t
In the Tellaran Series I originally used ‘frack’ instead of the real word. When you read The Princess or go get an updated version (Amazon will probably give you one if you purchased an ebook and ask nicely) of the other Tellaran novels currently out —The Seer, Stardancer, and The Consort—you will no longer see ‘frack’ but, instead, the real four letter word.
So, let me tell you why.
At first I used ‘frack’ in hopes that I would give the reader an opportunity to be more immersed in the story. I wanted to say ‘hey, you aren’t on Earth people!’ And it’s kind of an homage to Battlestar Galactica. They used it on that show, I loved the series and I thought it worked really well there.
But there are over twenty Tellaran novels planned (so far!) and I feel like ‘frack’ was a distraction to readers. Of course, on the other side, some readers might like ‘frack’ better. They might prefer books that don’t have any profanity in them. But the readers I heard from complained that it stopped the flow and pulled them right out of the story. Some wrote to tell me they had bypassed the books completely (despite really liking the writing and the story preview) because they couldn’t get past ‘frack’.
Also, with the production of the Tellaran series as audiobooks gearing up, ‘frack’ just wasn’t working. For me it worked in my head, it worked on paper, but when the narrator said it . . . it didn’t.
I discussed this at length with my editor, fellow writers, trusted friends and the bottom line is—whatever I do here I’m going to tick someone off.
Right. Fracked if I do, fracked if I don’t . . .
I finally came to the decision that this series is really strong and I just don’t want one word to get in the way of (most) people enjoying it.
So to those of you who preferred ‘frack’, I apologize. I hope you will still enjoy the series. For those of you who prefer the real word I hope you enjoy the stories more.
For those of you who are mad at me for doing one thing then changing my mind all I can say is—I made a choice I felt comfortable with at the time and now I’m making a different one. I think I’ve done the right thing by making this change and the books are better for it.
I love the Tellaran series and I can’t wait to share more stories from that universe.
And hey, if you bought the paperbacks they are now collector’s items. ;)
So, let me tell you why.
At first I used ‘frack’ in hopes that I would give the reader an opportunity to be more immersed in the story. I wanted to say ‘hey, you aren’t on Earth people!’ And it’s kind of an homage to Battlestar Galactica. They used it on that show, I loved the series and I thought it worked really well there.
But there are over twenty Tellaran novels planned (so far!) and I feel like ‘frack’ was a distraction to readers. Of course, on the other side, some readers might like ‘frack’ better. They might prefer books that don’t have any profanity in them. But the readers I heard from complained that it stopped the flow and pulled them right out of the story. Some wrote to tell me they had bypassed the books completely (despite really liking the writing and the story preview) because they couldn’t get past ‘frack’.
Also, with the production of the Tellaran series as audiobooks gearing up, ‘frack’ just wasn’t working. For me it worked in my head, it worked on paper, but when the narrator said it . . . it didn’t.
I discussed this at length with my editor, fellow writers, trusted friends and the bottom line is—whatever I do here I’m going to tick someone off.
Right. Fracked if I do, fracked if I don’t . . .
I finally came to the decision that this series is really strong and I just don’t want one word to get in the way of (most) people enjoying it.
So to those of you who preferred ‘frack’, I apologize. I hope you will still enjoy the series. For those of you who prefer the real word I hope you enjoy the stories more.
For those of you who are mad at me for doing one thing then changing my mind all I can say is—I made a choice I felt comfortable with at the time and now I’m making a different one. I think I’ve done the right thing by making this change and the books are better for it.
I love the Tellaran series and I can’t wait to share more stories from that universe.
And hey, if you bought the paperbacks they are now collector’s items. ;)
June 1, 2014
Meet My Main Character Tour
1. What is the name of your character? Is s/he fictional or a historic person?
Kyndan Maere, fictional. There he is on the cover. Love the eyes. :)
2. When and where is the story set?
The story takes place almost entirely in an area of space called the Az-kye Empire. Kyndan is Tellaran so he’s a foreigner and not at all happy about being back on Az-kye.
3. What should we know about him/her?
Kyndan is still suffering from the trauma of his enslavement by the Az-kye when he returns for the beginning of the peace negotiations and things don’t go exactly as our hero anticipates . . .
4. What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?
The last thing Kyndan expects is to fall deeply in love with Alari, an Az-kye princess. He expects even less to find himself in duel to save her from an arranged marriage.
5. What is the personal goal of the character?
Well, at first it’s just to get off Az-kye and go home. Then to survive the duel for Alari. Then to keep the princess he loves.
6. What is the title of this novel, and can we read more about it?
The Consort and I'm happy to say you can read the novel now!
7. When can we expect the book to be published?
The Consort just came out and it's available on Amazon now!
April 15, 2014
The Writing Process Blog Tour!
What are you working on?
I just finished my fourth novel (the third one for the Tellaran Series) The Consort, and have started on my fifth book. I’m really excited about The Consort because it picks up a few months after Stardancer ends and I revisit a lot of the characters from Stardancer. The Consort is Kyndan and Alari’s story and I got to spend a lot of time in his point of view.
How does your work differ from others in its genre?
My books have very complex plots and usually involve a mystery of some kind as well as lots of twists and turns. I love shocking a reader! My characters are complex people, the good guys do bad things and the bad guys have good intentions behind their misdeeds.
Why do you write what you write?
I love Romance! I’ve read tons of them and for a writer they provide a great structure to explore deeper themes like self-acceptance, integrity and the courage to be oneself—all with a guaranteed happy ending. And Science Fiction Romance is extra fun because I get to build whole worlds!
What is your writing process?
Patchwork! The beginning and end of a book—plus a bunch of different scenes—‘pop’ into my head (usually when I’m driving, jogging, you know, someplace I can’t just flip open the laptop and get it down). I used to try to just write books from beginning to end but it took FOREVER. Now I write much faster. I make one document and write out the beginning, the end and, in between them, any scene or even ideas for scenes I have. Then I rearrange the interior scenes into an order that works. Once that’s done I write to ‘stitch’ those together into a book.
I just finished my fourth novel (the third one for the Tellaran Series) The Consort, and have started on my fifth book. I’m really excited about The Consort because it picks up a few months after Stardancer ends and I revisit a lot of the characters from Stardancer. The Consort is Kyndan and Alari’s story and I got to spend a lot of time in his point of view.
How does your work differ from others in its genre?
My books have very complex plots and usually involve a mystery of some kind as well as lots of twists and turns. I love shocking a reader! My characters are complex people, the good guys do bad things and the bad guys have good intentions behind their misdeeds.
Why do you write what you write?
I love Romance! I’ve read tons of them and for a writer they provide a great structure to explore deeper themes like self-acceptance, integrity and the courage to be oneself—all with a guaranteed happy ending. And Science Fiction Romance is extra fun because I get to build whole worlds!
What is your writing process?
Patchwork! The beginning and end of a book—plus a bunch of different scenes—‘pop’ into my head (usually when I’m driving, jogging, you know, someplace I can’t just flip open the laptop and get it down). I used to try to just write books from beginning to end but it took FOREVER. Now I write much faster. I make one document and write out the beginning, the end and, in between them, any scene or even ideas for scenes I have. Then I rearrange the interior scenes into an order that works. Once that’s done I write to ‘stitch’ those together into a book.
