Title: Stardancer
Author: Ariel MacArran
Genre: Sci-Fiction Romance 18 +
Published Date: October 14, 2013
Publisher: Here Be Dragons
Organizer: Literati Author Services, Inc.
~Synopsis~
Kinara crosses into Az-kye space seeking revenge but her act of vengeance goes horribly wrong when her ship is captured. Defeated and enslaved Kinara offers herself to Aidar, the Az-kye commander, in exchange for her crew's protection. But this warrior wants much more than just her submission, he wants her to give herself completely . . .
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Title: The Consort
Author: Ariel MacArran
Genre: Science Fiction Romance 18 +
Published Date: June 6, 2014
Publisher: Here Be Dragons
Organizer: Literati Author Services, Inc.
~ Book Synopsis ~
After spending a year enslaved by the Az-kye, Commander Kyndan Maere has good reason to hate them. On the eve of peace between the Tellaran Realm and the Az-kye Empire, Kyndan finds himself drawn into a duel for the hand of Alari, the First Imperial Daughter. When their passion ignites, Kyndan learns the only thing harder than winning this princess would be losing her . . .
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Excerpt
Tall and
heavily muscled, the passing warriors were indeed an intimidating bunch. Between
the arrogance of their strides, the dark skins they wore and the obvious scars
of battle-hardened men, they seemed to be spoiling for a fight.
They might be
strong, but she bet if something blocked their way they would probably hammer
at it for hours with a sword rather than simply walk around it.
The thought
made Kinara smile.
“That warrior
pleases you?”
“Huh?” she
said, jolted out of her thoughts to find a warrior looking back at her intently
as they passed.
“Perhaps
pleases you enough to share a bed with him.”
She looked at
Aidar to see that he was genuinely annoyed. “No, I was just thinking.”
“And looking
you on other warriors.”
“Is there
something wrong with looking? I’m curious about your people too.”
“Do you look
so boldly on them, they will think you wish them to join with you.”
Kinara
immediately dropped her eyes. She didn’t want any of these warriors thinking she
was making offers, and she didn’t want any trouble right now either. She
watched her feet and she looked at the walls. She tried to make a mental map of
the ship so she could get back to her crew if an
opportunity for escape came up.
They went down
a passage she hadn’t seen yet, but the curve of the floor was so steep she knew
they were going down another level. Aidar nodded to the warriors at the door. One
of the warriors stepped forward to follow them inside and the other opened the
door.
The sight that
greeted her was appalling. Her crew was here, dressed as she in plain white
smocks, but if Barin’s slave quarters were bad, these were atrocious.
They were
herded together like animals, and there was not so much as a heating unit or a
blanket here. Cold lights placed high on the walls gave a sickly greenish light
and the room was freezing. Kinara suddenly realized that they were huddled
together mainly for warmth.
Tears stung
her eyes at the enthusiastic greeting they gave her. They looked so frightened,
and so young. Tedah rushed forward and and pulled her into his arms.
He was dirty
and the growth of his beard scratched her cheek as he hugged her.
“I’m so
sorry,” she whispered. “I'm sorry about all of this.”
“Kinna, I
thought they’d—no, never mind. You’re all right.” He cupped her face, and
briefly kissed her. “You’re all right.”
“Tedah, is
everyone—?” This was her fault, all of it, and the shame she felt wouldn’t let
her finish.
“We’re all
right,” he soothed. “We haven’t been hurt and everyone else is here.”
All right for now. But in a place like this they
wouldn’t be all right for long.
She let go of
Tedah, motioning him to stay behind.
She stood
before Aidar.
“My lord—” It
took a moment before she could lift her eyes. “My lord, please, my people are
not used to this treatment. They will sicken and die in this cold. Please, some
blankets and heating unit—”
His disbelief
was evident. “They will not die. Even Tellarans cannot be so weak.”
“They will. Look at them.”
His dark eyes ran over them with a mixture of contempt
and calculation.
“Please, some comfort for them would—”
His lip
curled. “Think you I care for the comfort of slaves? Come, if looking on them
upsets you so, we will leave.”
She put her
hand on his arm.
“Please, Ad—my
lord,” she said, her voice low and her eyes downcast. “I would—” She swallowed.
“I would be grateful.”
He looked at
her face, glanced at her body. “And in your gratitude, Cy’atta, what do you offer?”
She wet her lips. “You wanted to bed me. You wanted me willing. That is
what I offer.”
Ariel’s three favorite quotes
from Stardancer and why.
‘How sweet this moment had seemed in the safety of her
rooms when she’d imagined it. The bile rose in her throat. With this last order
she was going condemn everyone on that ship to death.
Maybe — maybe I should—’
Ariel: I love this because it’s the
very start of Kinara’s maturing in the story arc. This is the moment when she
realizes how serious—how out of hand—the situation has gotten. People are going
to die here and she’s going to be responsible; it’s a heavy burden and not one
that she wants to shoulder.
‘“You will disobey me?”
“No. You can order me to your bed but that isn’t the
same as my choosing it, is it?”’
Ariel: This
is part of the conversation between Aidar and Kinara after her ship has been
captured. She and her crew have been taken prisoner and enslaved but Aidar has
chosen her for himself. She’s alone with him, unarmed, separated from her
people but just with her wits and courage Kinara holds her own so well that
Aidar is the one at a disadvantage.
‘She
suddenly had a heart-wrenching thought. “Aidar, if we had a child, he couldn’t
admit to being half Tellaran, could he?”’
Ariel: Aidar
and Kinara’s relationship has a lot of conflict and a whole lot has to be
solved before they get their (well deserved!) happy ending. This is when Kinara
has realized that she’s ready to commit to Aidar, to be part of Az-kye society
but she’s still Tellaran too. She’s not about to give up what makes her herself
and that means Aidar and Kinara need to work together to find a way to forge a
future together.
How did you create chemistry
between the characters?
Kinara and Aidar were a joy to write and just the
vast difference in their cultures sets them up perfectly for conflict! The
Az-kye—Aidar’s people—are a very structured society with strict observance of
traditional ways, where personal honor is everything. His culture emphasizes
the importance of following the established social order while Kinara’s
Tellaran heritage leads her to do everything but! The Tellarans are casual,
warm and unrestrained in their emotional expression. For an Az-kye like Aidar,
falling in love with a Tellaran woman means having his whole life turned upside
down.
Their intense attraction and the inevitable
arguments and misunderstandings of coming from such different societies gave me
so much to work with that their chemistry just sizzles off the page.
Author Ariel MacArran’s take on Stardancer’s the main characters.
Aidar’s tough warrior exterior hides painful loss
and guilt. He’s spent most of his life orphaned in an Empire that values clan
connections above all. He’s smart, fiercely loyal and more of a traditionalist
than most Az-kye because of what he’s suffered.
Kinara is a leap-before-you-look type of woman.
She’s known loss too but she’s warm-hearted, opinionated and—at least at the
beginning of the book—her smart mouth gets her in tons of trouble. (F.Y.I.
people who know me say that Kinara reminds them very much of me. Honestly, I
don’t know what they’re talking about.) Kinara’s story arc takes her from the
childish selfishness of seeking revenge to putting herself aside for the
greater good and undertaking the responsibilities of an entire clan.
About the Author
Ariel MacArran has loved books and writing since childhood. Growing up in New York City, her first self-published works (at 5) were made with construction paper and yarn and featured original stories and illustrations by the author. She holds a degree in English and a Masters in Counseling. Ariel lives in Charleston, South Carolina with her family.
Connect with the Author: Facebook | Blog | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page
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