Friendy Friday with Arden Blair and GIVEAWAY!

Welcome to Friendy Friday on the Rock 'n' Romance Blog with Arden Blair. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you've probably guessed that not only do I read far and wide in Romancelandia, but I also have been blessed to make many friends who write fantastic books in all of the romance sub-genres. Not too long ago I had Ardy Kelly as a guest with a book called The Cub Club which was absolutely a surprise favorite read of mine. I love being able to bring you a diverse bunch of books and hope that you, too, find some surprise favorites from Friendy Friday posts.

As many of you know, authors frequently write under pennames, and several authors have more than one penname. Occasionally two or more authors will get together and write under the same penname. In the case of Arden Blair, two friends of mine got together when one of them said, "We totally need to write this." So they did, and voila! Pup's Creek Omegaverse was born! I started this last night after writing THE END on a new project (more on that soon I SWEAR!) and was immediately tickled by how well these two authors' voices flowed together. I'd love to be a fly on the wall for one of their brainstorming sessions!

Arden Blair graciously agreed to answer my interview questions, so here you go:

What’s one thing every reader should know about you? I have a tendency to become a wee bit obsessive about TV shows. I think it’s because I was an only child and I think of Deanna Troi, Buffy, Veronica Mars and Dean Winchester as my friends...is that tragic? Should I change my answer? :)
What’s your worst habit as a writer? Ooh, getting distracted. Why write one story when I can write five?!? And then I’ll lose interest in one or two of them. They’re like baby ducks that didn’t swim fast enough and now they’re raised by swans or other ducks. (I say that because all missing ducklings are just fine!) I go with the Elizabeth Gilbert theory that stories want to be written and if it isn’t for me or I don’t do the story justice then the idea will wander away and find someone it likes more.
Have you had a major setback as an author, and how did you overcome it? I’ve had issues with my hands and forearms because I type too much. I recommend pilates, a foam roller and being nice to yourself. Sometimes, you just have to call it a day.
What is the best reader response you’ve ever received? Oh, ha! Well, I think the most memorable response was a 1 star review I got because there was too much sex in the book. Like, isn’t that a compliment?
Did a teacher in school ever encourage or discourage your desire to write? Care to share? Yes! I went to law school and one of my first papers was sent back with a note on the bottom that said, “I hope this is a rough draft.” It wasn’t.
Who do you share your story ideas/writing with first? What can you expect from them? I’m a big believer in keeping ideas secret for as long as possible. They have to be protected from outside influence because they all sound dumb. Seriously, if Stephanie Meyer started telling me about her 100 year old virgin vampire who lived at home with his family and was still in high school for decades I would have had some strong opinions about how that was not a good idea. Fortunately, Stephanie Meyer didn’t have someone like me crapping on her ideas. I say, guard your stories, yo!
Ever find yourself writing/thinking about writing when you’re supposed to be doing something else? I think this is why I write. It means I don’t have to think about real stuff hardly ever. It’s all conversations and kinky sex in my head all the time.
What do you do to hold yourself back/motivate yourself? I do a lot of self deprecating and internal trash talk. I’m trying to be nicer to myself and frankly that kind of goes along with motivating. If I’m being nice to myself then I encourage myself and have faith that I can do stuff.
What music inspires you? My recent obsession has been Banks and her Goddess album. Florence and the Machine and Depeche Mode are my classic go to bands.
What’s your reading not-guilty pleasure? OMG. Don’t ask. I read a lot of fan fiction. And I pretty much only read kinky MM or ABO now. I’m sorry to say that I’m pretty over heterosexual romances. Like been there, done that and got the IUD. But a hot alpha who wishes he was an omega or a may/december daddy kink story, I will read Every. Single. Time.
Which book boyfriend/girlfriend (either one you’ve read or written) sets the standard for heroes/heroines in your writing? I’m gonna go with Jean Claude from Laurell K Hamilton or Eric from Sookie Stackhouse. I loved those boys. I might even make a heterosexual exception for them. Go me!

I love the example of the ducklings swimming off. There are truly so many stories I want to write and finding the time and energy lately has been tough. I hope all of them will find their way into the world someday. Oh, and I too love Eric Northman. Book Eric was my favorite, although Show Eric was oh so nice to gaze at. Readers, I'd love to hear who your favorite book boyfriends are, so for a chance to win a copy of Arden Blair's ebooks, please shoot me an email at rlmerrillauthor@gmail.com.

Here's their bio:

About Arden Blair

Welcome to Arden Blair's Omegaverse! Where the alphas are hot, the omegas are spirited, and there are plenty of small town shenanigans. When not writing (which is hardly ever) Arden can be found walking along the beaches of California, taking a nice long bath, or curling up with a blanket and good book.

Book Two in the Pup's Creek series just came out this week, but here are the blurbs and links for books one and two. I understand book three will be out shortly as their goal is to satisfy reader cravings in a timely manner. Isn't that thoughtful? Here are the links for the books:

The Honeymoon Suite - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07N4D4Y25

The Second Chance - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PJP5HFP

Thank you to Arden Blair for joining us this week and thank YOU readers! Because of you, Hurricane Reese was a bestseller last week in Bisexual Romance on Amazon. It was a 24-hour roller coaster ride that was pretty damn satisfying. I am so grateful to everyone who has bought the book and shared their thoughts with me. I can't wait for book three!

Have a great weekend and Stay Tuned for more Rock 'n' Romance...