Wednesday, July 11, 2007

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

By day, Arianna Hart is a mild mannered mother and high school teacher, but at night Arianna Hart puts on her mask and cape over her size 4 leather cat suit and saves the world from evildoers. . .

Okay, in the real world Arianna lives on the East Coast with her husband and three daughters and is most often seen in sweatpants instead of leather. When not teaching, writing, or chasing after her children and the dog, Ari likes to practice her karate, go for long walks, and read by the pool.

She thinks heaven is having a good book, warm sun, and a drink in her hand. Until she can sit down long enough to enjoy all three, she’ll settle for the occasional hour of peace and quiet.


Visit her website at www.ariannahart.com
Blog: www.ariannahart.com/blog
Newsgroup: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/friendsofari


ABOUT THE BOOK:


BLURB:

Shana thought going on a job interview was going to be tough, she had no idea it could cost her life.

Getting the chance to rescue computer guru Royce Renault’s kidnapped niece is the opportunity of a lifetime for Private Investigator wanna be Shana Quinn. Unfortunately, her attraction towards Royce was not part of the job description. Can she solve the case without losing her heart? And will she live long enough to show Royce just how womanly she can be?

Shana’s out to prove she can do the job as good as any man, but manly is definitely not how Royce sees her. The little spitfire sets off sparks in him the moment he lays eyes on her. How can he let her face goons twice her size without wanting to protect her?


EXCERPT:

“Thanks for the ride, I’ll get the pictures to you tomorrow. If David recognizes anyone have him call my cell.” She tossed him the helmet and stormed towards her cottage.

“Don’t get in a snit. I didn’t say I didn’t think you were competent, I just said I worry about you.”

“It amounts to the same thing. You’re worried because you think I can’t do the job. And I’m not in a snit.”

Royce grabbed her arm and turned her around to face him. His eyes blazed and a muscle twitched in his jaw. “Maybe I’m worried because I don’t want to see you hurt? Did you ever consider that?”

“Oh yeah, right. And I’m sure you’d act the exact same way if it was Horton out here.” She jerked her arm out of his grasp and stared him down.

“If it was Horton I wouldn’t be trying not to do this every time I get near you.”

Shana’s breath caught in her throat as Royce pulled her into his arms and planted his lips on hers. This wasn’t the gentle, teasing exploration from yesterday. This was a full assault on her defenses, and he wasn’t taking any prisoners.

His tongue prodded the entrance to her mouth, and almost against her will Shana allowed him access. He tasted of mints and man, a devastating combination. Shana’s arms crept up around his neck and pulled him closer. Her fingers twined in the hair at the collar of his jacket, the strands felt as silky as she’d imagined.

Royce’s hand drifted up from her arm to the back of her head, angling her to get a deeper connection. Shana’s breasts pressed against his chest, and found the experience just as stimulating as being pressed to his back.

“We have to take this inside,” Royce murmured against her throat as his lips moved to her earlobe.

“What?”

“Let’s finish this inside.” His tongue swirled around the shell of her ear, sending flames of heat right to her core.

She had to get this under control. “No. We’re not finishing anything. I can’t do this. I won’t do this.” Shana pulled herself out of his grasp and backed a safe distance away. With trembling knees she turned toward the cottage and kept moving.

“Shana!” Royce called from his spot. “This isn’t over.”

“I’ll send the pictures to you tomorrow.” She ignored his challenge as she fumbled in her purse for her keys. The damn thing was too big and she couldn’t find anything.

“It’s not going to go away just because you ignore it.”

“Wanna bet?” she muttered to herself. Finding her keys she jammed them into the lock and wrestled to get the door open. “Goodnight. Thanks again for the ride. I’ll have a report on your desk by noon tomorrow.” Slamming the door shut, she leaned against it with her heart pumping so loudly she was surprised it hadn’t popped out of her chest.


INTERVIEW:

Why did you become a writer? Was it a dream of yours since you were younger or did the desire to write happen later in your life?
I think I’ve always written stories, or at least began them. I rarely finished a story, but I’ve always had tales bouncing around in my head. When I was kid on long car trips I used to make up whole soap operas while driving for endless miles. I actually finished my first book shortly after I had my third daughter ( I started it while I was pregnant with her, so that tells you how long it took me to finish the darn thing!) My husband dared me to do something with it, so I sent it in, got rejected, but found out there are a whole bunch of other people who think like me and I was hooked!

What do you love about being an author? Is there anything you dislike?
I love love love sharing my emotions with readers. I love telling a story and hearing that it touched someone. I love being able to travel all over the world through my computer, and even out of this world. I hate promo, hahahahaha.

How do you balance your personal and writing time?
Badly. Just kidding. I try to do my writing in the morning while I’m doing loads of laundry and my oldest are in school. When I’m not writing, I’m constantly thinking about plot ideas or characters or what’s going to happen next. I do some of my best thinking while driving to and from work, soccer practice, dance class, etc.

How do you write? Do your characters come to you first or the plot or the world of the story?
I think I have the idea for a story first, the old, “what if” question usually gets me going, then the characters kind of jump in and tell me what they’re going to do and what they’re going to look like. If I’m writing a sci-fi/fantasy, then I try to get my world built before I jump into the plot. That changes from time to time. . .

What genre(s) do you write? Why do you write the stories that you write?
I write contemporary romance, erotic romance, futurist/fantasy/paranormal romance, and romantic suspense. I guess I write what I want to read and since I’m a voracious reader, I have a lot of different interests.

Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?
A little of both. Sometimes I’ll use a characteristic of someone I’ve met or a friend of mine and blend that with how I think the character should be. Sometimes the character tells me what they’re going to be like, whether I like it or not, hahaha.

Out of all the characters that you've written, who is your favorite and why?
I think Shana from SPITFIRE is probably one of my favorites because she’s so tough but so vulnerable at the same time. I also like Sh’rell from SABLE FLAME for kind of the same reasons.

What would you want readers to take away from your books?
I want them to have a few hours of escapism while they’re reading my books. I want people to feel good after they’ve read one of my books. I’ll never win a Nobel prize for my writing, nor do I care to. All I want is to make people happy and give them a break from the craziness of their lives. That’s why I read. I hate it when authors kill off characters I like or make me depressed at the end. If I want to be discouraged or depressed, I’ll watch the news. I read because I want a break from all of that, hahahaha

Do you have any advice for beginning writers in regards to writing a book?
Yes. Develop a thick skin, listen to people who’ve been through it before so you can avoid making the same mistakes, and KEEP TRYING. This business is full of rejection, you need to use those rejections constructively to learn how to make your writing better and/or figure out where the best place for YOUR story may be. Getting defensive is an automatic reaction, but don’t wallow in it. Suck it up and try again!

What are you reading right now?
I just finished Joanne Rock ’s SCENT OF A WOMAN and it was fantastic!!! I also read Catherine Mann’s ON TARGET which was incredible too. I have a TBR pile as tall as my five year old, yet I keep adding to it.

If you could be anyone or anything that you wanted, who or what would you be?
Does someone skinny who’s out of debt count? Hahahaha Actually, I think I have/am everything I’ve ever wanted. I’m married to a fantastic man, have three beautiful daughters, work in a job that I love and still get to write what I love. I have an awesome family and wonderful friends, and I’m healthy, what else could I want?


REVIEW:

SPITFIRE is an engaging blend of likeable characters and intriguing suspense. All of her life, Shana has tried to be the son her father always wanted, excelling in martial arts and marksmanship, and studying to be a detective. She’s tough, capable, and has a little bit of a chip on her shoulder about doing things on her own. Royce is interested in her from the first and can’t help feeling a little protective of her, despite how capable she proves to be. The computer code he is working on is a top-secret government project, which brings some interesting suspects into play, including two senators. The mystery is well-crafted with a slight twist at the end.
- Jennifer Bishop, Romance Reviews Today


Spitfire by Arianna Hart
ISBN: 1-59998-279-X
Length: 75,000 words
Genre: Romantic Suspense
$9.60 from Amazon


Purchase Spitfire by Arianna Hart HERE!!