Dreamspinner Press discussion

Ariel will be here today from 1 to 5 to chat with us. In the meantime, feel free to start asking her questions!

Hello, everyone! Ariel Tachna, here. I'm looking forward to spending the next few hours chatting with everyone. I have a couple of contests to run today as well as some excerpts to share (Yes, I'm taking requests if you have a specific story you'd like to see). And of course, I'm always willing to entertain questions.

Hello Ariel. I am looking forward to reading Overdrive.

Hey Ariel, good to see you here. I'll be popping in and out to check for any intersting excerpts, as usual. :-) Good luck and I hope you'll have fun!

Can I ask how did you do the research for the book?

Hi, Lasha, Hi, Serena!

Lasha, I'll post an excerpt in a minute, but you should check out this link, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4UrKE... if you haven't already seen it so you can see what the Overdrive boys do for a living. *grin*

Since Lasha asked about Overdrive, here's an excerpt for everyone to enjoy.


“There’s no fresh snow this morning,” Frank reported as they drove north to Hagfors for the service park and the day’s stages, “so the roads should feel very much like they did yesterday except for the better traction from the racing tires. The trick here is going to be not making mistakes. We don’t have to beat everyone else’s times. We have to stay in the race and place high enough to get points toward the championship.”

“Yeah,” Daniel said, “the winter rally almost always goes to one of the Nordic drivers, although Michaels took the stage last night.”

“A two-minute stadium course that was more showboating than anything else,” Frank scoffed. “I know he’s good on gravel, and he’s proven himself on ice in the past, but it isn’t a given that he’ll win. He’s had some pretty spectacular crashes on the ice too. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes.”

“Let’s hope we don’t make any this time,” Daniel said.

“We won’t,” Frank replied, his voice confident. “Do you want to go over the pace notes for the first three stages again today, before the regrouping and service park at lunch time?”

“Yes,” Daniel said. “Going through them before the race helped keep things clear in my head for yesterday. Let’s not mess with success.”

They spent the rest of the drive to Hagfors to meet Isabelle and her mechanics, as well as the other drivers and race officials, discussing the stages to come. Isabelle shooed them away from the car the moment the service park time began, the four mechanics going over every inch of the car with as much care as if they hadn’t seen it in ages. Daniel would have made a comment about Isabelle second-guessing herself or not being sure she’d done the job right the first time, but she’d been surprisingly civil last night after the super special stage so Daniel hoped maybe Frank’s conversation with her had helped. He wouldn’t start anything if she didn’t.

Forty minutes later, the race officials called for the drivers to start lining up for the first stage. Daniel strapped in and took his place behind Ryan Michaels’s Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X. Daniel would start two minutes after Michaels did, enough that he wouldn’t have to worry about catching up with the American, not at the speeds they’d be driving, unless Michaels had a wreck or technical problems that slowed him down. He’d be happy with not losing time.

Michaels disappeared in a spray of snow, and Daniel drove into position, eyes fixed on the starter. It flashed one minute and started the countdown. He waited, foot hovering over the accelerator as the count continued. As it neared zero, he gunned the engine, foot still hard on the brake. The moment the counter hit zero, he released the brake, Frank’s voice in his ear guiding him through the bends. The car skidded beneath him on the bends, but their practice in the Alps held him in good stead and he managed the bends with enough control not to lose time. He clipped a snow bank on one curve, but it didn’t slow him down by more than a fraction of a second as he manhandled the car back to the race line and around the next bend. He’d have a second chance at that stretch of road this afternoon. Hopefully he wouldn’t make the same mistake a second time, but he’d worry about that during the break for lunch. For now he had to concentrate on the road in front of him, the car beneath his hands, and Frank’s voice talking him through the course.

Eleven minutes and thirty-three seconds after they started, they crossed the flying finish. “How’d we do?” Daniel asked Frank breathlessly as he slowed the car to normal speeds and started the trek to the next starting line.

“We won’t know until lunch, but it felt good,” Frank said, “other than the one snow bank. You ready for the next stage?”

“Bring it on,” Daniel said, flashing Frank a cocky grin as he navigated the narrow country roads, glad of the metal spikes on the tires even at normal speeds.
Michaels was already there ahead of them when they reached the second starting line of the day. They had a few minutes before the start of the next stage, so Daniel got out of the car to stretch a bit, hissing at the cold temperatures.

“Having problems there, Leroux?” Michaels sneered from his car.

“Not me,” Daniel shot back, stretching his back a little.

“Don’t worry,” Michaels added. “You won’t be eating my dust for long.”

“No, you’ll be eating mine,” Daniel retorted, finishing his stretches and returning to the car. “His ass is mine,” he said to Frank as he climbed back in the car.

Frank laughed. “Somehow I don’t think you mean that the way it sounded.”

Daniel scowled at his co-driver. “We can’t let him win the championship. Regardless of how he does during this rally, he’s going down for the season.”

“You bet, boss,” Frank agreed. “Are you set for the next stage?”

“All we need is the green light,” Daniel replied as Michaels’s start time arrived and he sped off down the course. Daniel pulled the car into position and prepared to tackle the third stage.

Hi Ariel! Better late than never, eh?

Hi, Lena! You're not late. The chat's just getting started.

Great excerpt! I may have to add this to my ever-growing TBR pile. :-) How did you come up with the idea for this story?

Contest number 1!

To enter the first contest, for an e-copy of , tell me an unusual profession you'd like to see included in a book. Make sure to put contest 1 in your answer as well.

Ariel wrote: "

Since Lasha asked about Overdrive, here's an excerpt for everyone to enjoy.


“There’s no fresh snow this morning,” Frank reported as they drove north to Hagfors for..."

Lena wrote: "Hi Ariel! Better late than never, eh?"

This sounds good. I am looking forward to reading 'Overdrive' as well.

I used to be an international flight attendant, so I'd love to see that setting with some hot guys!

Contest 1

Serena wrote: "Great excerpt! I may have to add this to my ever-growing TBR pile. :-) How did you come up with the idea for this story?"

The idea for this story actually came from a friend who was teasing me about writing "gay" books and why wouldn't I write something he would read. So I asked him what he would read and he said something about racing. I told him I would, but only if he would help me with the details since I knew nothing about racing before I started this.

The idea for this story actually came from a friend who was..."

Has your friend read the book?

Lasha wrote: "The idea for this story actually came from a friend who was..."

Has your friend read the book?"

He has. He read it as I was reading it. All except the sex parts, which he made me highlight so he could skip those. But he read all the relationship stuff, all the way up until the point they got naked. And he checked the racing details as well.

I love history and researching old stuff and I so would have loved to be an Archivist......reading old documents and catalogueing them.

Unfortunately, I became a Maths teacher, and progressed into computers in the 80's - so diametrically opposite........... :)

Anyway, I've now got all your books on my TBR list.....ungh....along with all the rest !!

He has. He read it as I was reading it. All except the sex parts, which he made me h..."

That's cool, guy advise. :) Loved the YT video. Driving in all that snow - looks dangerous.

Carole-Ann wrote: "I love history and researching old stuff and I so would have loved to be an Archivist......reading old documents and catalogueing them.

Unfortunately, I became a Maths teacher, and progressed in..."

I love research too! I had a blast looking stuff up for
The Matelot. I won't swear I got every single detail right, but I did my best to check all the facts I could. I'll post an excerpt from it in a few minutes.

Are you planning any other historically-themed books in the future, Ariel?

You might not know, Ariel, but is Dreamspinner Press going to be at Media West this year?

Lasha wrote: "He has. He read it as I was reading it. All except the sex parts, which he made me h..."

That's cool, guy advise. :) Loved the YT video. Driving in all that snow - looks dangerous."

It's very dangerous, although they do have metal-studded tires, almost like nails sticking out, to help them with traction.

Lena wrote: "Are you planning any other historically-themed books in the future, Ariel?"

I am, Lena. Nicki Bennett and I have started work on All for Love, which will be the third (and probably final) book in the universe.

Unusual occupation? Hmmm. Astronaut! How come we never see any of those? Love a take-charge guy. (Don't enter me in the contest though, have gift card, will buy!)

excerpt


The West Indies, 1641



The Dark Dream was barely afloat, taking on water from so many leaks that the carpenter couldn’t keep up. The crew bailed manfully to keep her from foundering, but everyone knew they had only a small chance of reaching Tortuga alive.

“Bail faster, lads, or we’ll all be sleeping in the deep tonight!” Quinn Davies, quartermaster of the foundering vessel, exhorted, moving through the hold and the knee deep water with all the confidence of his position as the keeper of order on the pirate ship. Her captain, Amery White, might choose the heading, but Quinn made sure the orders were carried out. When he was sure the crew was working their hardest, he returned to the main deck. Amery stood on the quarterdeck, steering rod in hand as he fought the wind and the drag of the ailing ship. Determination showed in every line of his face and body as the setting sun limned his golden head in a reddish glow.

Automatically, Quinn sought out Gavin, the third of their merry band, the ship’s surgeon in time of need and an able seaman in his own right. His heart leapt as he caught sight of his friend high in the rigging. He didn’t bother to shout at him to be careful, but he wanted to. He glanced back at Amery, wondering how the captain felt about having his lover aloft in the precariously swinging ropes.

“Land ho!” Gavin shouted over the roar of the wind, for while the storm that had scuppered them had passed, the near-gale winds remained.

“Quinn,” Amery called, the familiarity unusual on the deck of the ship. However comfortable they were with each other in private—a level that had varied drastically in the twenty years of their friendship—Amery never used Quinn’s or Gavin’s first names in front of the crew. That he used it now told more clearly than words could ever say how desperate the situation truly was. “Take the spyglass up to Gavin. We need to know where we’re heading.”

“Aye, Captain,” Quinn replied, trying subtly to remind Amery of their audience, but the captain didn’t seem to notice or care. His eyes were fixed firmly on the horizon as if he could bring the land Gavin had spotted closer by will alone. Quinn fetched the spyglass and scrambled up the rigging with the ease of nearly twenty years at sea.

Gavin took the glass in silence, peering through it in the direction of their destination.

“Can you make anything out?” Quinn asked, studying Gavin’s face.

“Not enough,” Gavin replied. “I don’t have Amery’s memory for landmarks. There’s a reason he’s captain and I’m the ship’s surgeon.”

Quinn laughed. “Because he fainted when he had to watch you amputate that boy’s leg.”

“Don’t say that where the crew can hear you,” Gavin laughed. “They’ll vote him out and try to make one of us take his place.”

“And that would be the death of us all,” Quinn agreed, sobering. “Let me see if I can make anything out.”

Gavin handed Quinn back the spyglass, moving over to make room for Quinn in the crow’s nest. Scanning the horizon, Quinn located the shadow of land Gavin had sighted, running its length with his eyes, searching for any recognizable features. He could not find the distinctive headland that marked Tortuga, but it was only visible from the south, and as buffeted as they’d been by the storm, they were not coming toward the island from that direction. The island was lush with greenery despite the mountainous terrain, though, suggesting they could at least find fresh water and game, as well as plenty of wood, while they tried to repair the ship.

“I can’t tell either, but it’s land. I don’t think we have any choice but to make landfall. The Dream isn’t going to hold together much longer than that.”

Gavin looked down at the listing deck. “Unfortunately, I think you’re right.”

“Let me go tell Amery,” Quinn said, throwing a leg back over the wall of the crow’s nest and descending to the deck again.

“Well?” Amery demanded.

“It’s a port in a storm,” Quinn said with a shrug. “The Dream has held together better than we could have hoped after the beating we took, but she isn’t going to hold much longer.”

“Assemble the crew,” Amery ordered. “We’ll take a vote to see if we beach here or try to make it to Tortuga.”
Quinn nodded. They weren’t in battle now. A decision of this magnitude belonged to the whole crew, not merely to Amery and himself.

“All hands on deck,” he cried, even knowing the risk they were taking abandoning the pumps.

When everyone had gathered, Amery strode to the railing on the quarterdeck. “We’ve sighted land,” he told them, “but we aren’t close enough to tell if it’s Tortuga, some other colony, or an uninhabited island. We can put ashore and take our chances, or we can keep going in the hopes of making it to a friendly harbor. I know what my preference would be, but this isn’t my decision. What says the crew?”

The thirty men muttered and argued for a few minutes, but finally Cullen, the boatswain and unofficial spokesman of the crew, stepped forward. “We’ll heed your judgment and the quartermaster’s. If you think we can make it to Tortuga, we’ll give it our best to hold her together. If you think we should go ashore here, we’ll do our best to get the Dark Dream back in shape as quickly as possible.”

“Let’s see what a closer look reveals,” Amery proposed. “We can decide once we know where we are. For all we know, we could be on the north side of Tortuga.”

“Back to your stations, men,” Quinn ordered. “We’ve come too far to sink within sight of land!”

The men scrambled to return to their posts, throwing themselves into their work with even more energy than before, the sight of land enough to give them the hope of survival. Whatever Amery ended up deciding, the crew would respect that decision more for having been given a say.

An hour later, the island having come into full view, Amery made his decision. “We’ve found Tortuga. We need only circle the island until we reach the harbor.”

The men gave it their best effort, but the ship simply had no more to give, and before they could reach the port, they had no choice but to beach the ship’s remains.

Quinn, as quartermaster, saw to the division of the resources left on the ship, promising to seek out the crew when they had a ship again, but releasing them in the interim from the Articles of Agreement that had held them together these past months. If they so chose, they could find a new ship without repercussions.

They were a ragtag bunch as they straggled into Tortuga, carrying only the clothes on their backs and the few belongings they could salvage from the beached vessel.

The officers’ quarters had been particularly hard-hit, leaving Quinn with the bit of change in his pocket but not even a change of clothes. Amery and Gavin had fared only little better, able to salvage a few of their belongings from the captain’s cabin. The rest had washed away when the glass windows shattered in the storm.

Quinn regretted very little of what he’d lost except in terms of the cost of replacing them, but he knew Amery would miss his charts. Quinn wondered what a new set would cost.

When they reached Tortuga, the crew scattered, carrying the news of the Dark Dream’s demise to every corner of town. If there were captains in port in search of a crew, they would know by morning that sailors were available. Quinn didn’t know what would happen to Amery, Gavin, and himself—he couldn’t imagine returning to the status of grunt after having been quartermaster. Gavin would always be in demand as a surgeon with some actual skill, having apprenticed with a ship’s doctor on the first pirate ship the three of them had sailed on at seventeen, when they’d escaped the merchant ship they’d worked on. But while Quinn and Amery had twenty years of sailing experience and five years as captain and quartermaster, many of their crew had as much experience or more, and no captain would hire on someone who might displace him in the esteem of the crew. Quinn rather feared they were stuck until Amery could beg, borrow, or steal another ship.

“We need a place to sleep,” Gavin declared. “We’ve been fighting the storm and the sea for too many hours to think clearly now. We can decide in the morning what we want to do next.”

They inquired in four seedy taverns, the smoke in the air so thick they could barely breathe before they found one with rooms to rent. The proprietor looked askance when they insisted they would share a room, but ultimately the sight of their gold was enough to persuade the man to turn a blind eye and provide a trundle bed for Quinn.

After Gavin’s comment about sleeping, Quinn fully expected to fall into bed and not move for the next twenty-four hours, but Amery obviously had other intentions, drawing Gavin into a torrid kiss as soon as the door shut behind them. Quinn suppressed a sigh, putting out the stub of the candle the innkeeper had provided. He couldn’t blame Amery for wanting to spit in the eye of fate and celebrate their survival. He could have wished, however, that he had a room of his own while his two best friends were tupping like rams.

“I’m going to see if they serve food as well as ale in the tavern,” he said abruptly, not sure he could stay and listen to the sounds of their lovemaking, knowing they would never invite him to join them.

A muffled grunt was their only reply.

Quinn closed the door behind him, a husky moan he recognized as Gavin’s following him down the hall.
With a soft snort, he set out to find his own bedmate for the night, or at least the next few hours.

Finn wrote: "Unusual occupation? Hmmm. Astronaut! How come we never see any of those? Love a take-charge guy. (Don't enter me in the contest though, have gift card, will buy!)"

Oh, that's a fun idea, Finn! Another one of those things I'd have to research. Maybe a 1960s thing where one's an astronaut and the other has to stay at home, watching the rocket going up, knowing all the dangers... sort of an Apollo 13 thing, only without it being a real mission.

Hi Ariel.

It's a dull and dreary day here today. I hope it's sunnier where you are.

John wrote: "Hi Ariel.

It's a dull and dreary day here today. I hope it's sunnier where you are."

Nope, up to our ears in rain. The river has been in flood stage for weeks.

Oh, that's a fun idea, Finn..."

I think that would be a cool idea too. NASA guys back in those days were military pilots. I love men in uniform.

Ariel wrote: "Hi, Lasha, Hi, Serena!

Lasha, I'll post an excerpt in a minute, but you should check out this link, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4UrKE... if you haven't already seen it so you can see what th..."

Brrr! Watching that made me cold!

Lasha wrote: "Oh, that's a fun idea, Finn..."

I think that would be a cool idea too. NASA guys back in those days were military pilots. I love men in uniform."

Me too! Although the closest I've gotten in my writing so far is Hot Cargo *grin*

Lena wrote: "Ariel wrote: "Hi, Lasha, Hi, Serena!

Lasha, I'll post an excerpt in a minute, but you should check out this link, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4UrKE... if you haven't already seen it so you c..."

-25 degrees on average during a January race.

Ariel wrote: "Contest number 1!

To enter the first contest, for an e-copy of , tell me an unusual profession you'd like to see included in a book. Make sure to put contest 1 in yo..."

Ariel wrote: "Lena wrote: "Are you planning any other historically-themed books in the future, Ariel?"

I am, Lena. Nicki Bennett and I have started work on All for Love, which will be the third (and probably f..."

I need to put those on my to read list.

Lena wrote: "Ariel wrote: "Contest number 1!

To enter the first contest, for an e-copy of , tell me an unusual profession you'd like to see included in a book. Make sure to put c..."

I'd like to train animal actors for movies especially domestic rats.

Lepidopterist!

I'm having one over for a Seder later this week. I don't recall ever seeing a story about someone searching through a steaming rainforest for a butterfly.

I think is the best thing Nicki and I have written.

Ariel wrote: " excerpt


The West Indies, 1641



The Dark Dream was barely afloat, taking on water from so many leaks that the carpenter couldn’t keep up. The crew bailed manfully..."

Ariel, you already know how much I enjoyed 'The Matelot'. ::wink::

Ooh! More great ideas, Lena and John! I could definitely see potential for wandering through a rain forest with a sexy jungle guide, and or course with the animal actors, you get all the yummy human actors as well. *grin*

Lena wrote: "Ariel wrote: " excerpt


The West Indies, 1641



The Dark Dream was barely afloat, taking on water from so many leaks that the carpenter couldn’t keep up. The crew b..."

I do, and I'm so glad.

Ariel wrote: "I think is the best thing Nicki and I have written."

I'm amazed at how well the two of you write together. It's still hard for me to imagine writing a book with someone else, but the two of you have it down to an art.

Ariel wrote: "Ooh! More great ideas, Lena and John! I could definitely see potential for wandering through a rain forest with a sexy jungle guide, and or course with the animal actors, you get all the yummy huma..."

Very true, Ariel, although animals are always my first thought.

Well...maybe not if it were Ben Barnes but still...

I know that about you, Lena, but of course the men are always my first thought.

Lena wrote: "Ariel wrote: "I think is the best thing Nicki and I have written."

I'm amazed at how well the two of you write together. It's still hard for me to imagine writing a b..."

Nicki and I share a brain. It's the only way to describe it. We finish each other's sentences, type the same things in chat at the same time using the exact same words, and hand each other things before the other manages to ask for it when we're together.

Ariel wrote: "John wrote: "Hi Ariel.

It's a dull and dreary day here today. I hope it's sunnier where you are."

Nope, up to our ears in rain. The river has been in flood stage for weeks."

rain here i VA too but we live on high ground. The Rappahannock River is very high though.

Lena wrote: "Well...maybe not if it were Ben Barnes but still..."

*snicker*

Lena wrote: "Ariel wrote: "John wrote: "Hi Ariel.

It's a dull and dreary day here today. I hope it's sunnier where you are."

Nope, up to our ears in rain. The river has been in flood stage for weeks."

rain..."

We're on high ground too, but it's a little scary driving across the Ohio at the moment.

Ariel wrote: "Lena wrote: "Ariel wrote: "I think is the best thing Nicki and I have written."

I'm amazed at how well the two of you write together. It's still hard for me to imagin..."

It's not a stretch for me to believe this since I do the same thing with certain people quite frequently.

How about another excerpt? Anyone have any requests?

Ariel wrote: "How about another excerpt? Anyone have any requests?"

Ariel wrote: "How about another excerpt? Anyone have any requests?"

Ariel wrote: "Lena wrote: "Ariel wrote: "John wrote: "Hi Ariel.

It's a dull and dreary day here today. I hope it's sunnier where you are."

Nope, up to our ears in rain. The river has been in flood stage for ..."

'Stretching Limits'?