An Interview with Marianne Arkins

DEE: Marianne, your book came out on Samhain on February 12-congratulations!! Tell us a little something about the experience of having a book released. Have you written a book before?

MARIANNE: Several times, actually! I wrote my first book when I was nine years-old. I'm guessing that one won't ever be published (at least, I HOPE it won't be! LOL). I wrote three more as a teenager, and two as an adult, prior to this one. This just was the first one I felt was ready for submission, and apparently I was right!

DEE: How did you celebrate?

MARIANNE: Well, after my heart stopped racing when I got the e-mail from my editor, I didn't tell anyone for a few days. I didn't entirely believe it until I had the contract in hand, and ironically the person at Samhain who sent out contracts was on vacation. I wanted to shout it to the world, but was a little afraid of jinxing things. I did call up my husband and he asked if he could retire now. LOL… even now, he asks me why I'm not writing more so he can stop working and I can support him in the manner to which he'd LIKE to become accustomed. I never really "celebrated" per se… I'm too practical. I decided to pull out a half-finished manuscript and start working!

DEE: Tell us something about your book. MARIANNE: "One Love For Liv" is about a sheltered, wealthy woman who comes to believe her seemingly perfect fiancé is cheating on her. Instead of running the risk of anyone else finding out, she decides to become her own private investigator. As a result she's pushed far, far outside her comfort zone and ends up doing a lot of learning and growing. That sounds a lot more serious than it is… I'll just say this: the story includes drooling dogs, dead crickets, a precocious ferret, hair remover, a painting of dogs eating pizza and do-it-yourself dog washes. DEE: What made you decide to have your heroine own a spa? MARIANNE: I wanted a heroine who was the complete antithesis of my hero. He's a slob who's a mechanic and very blue collar. She's pampered, tidy, very concerned about her appearance and white collar all the way. A health spa seemed to embody that.

DEE: What did you find to be the most fun about the writing experience?

MARIANNE: Creating people and situations. It's so much fun to make someone exactly as weird or strange or quirky as I want and then to throw them into uncomfortable situations. I like to find strange things that you wouldn't typically find, or odd habits, or pets that are a little off center. Playing God can be a hoot!

DEE: Tell us about the blog tour. I know you're near the end, but where will you be blogging from now on, and where have you been? MARIANNE: My entire tour schedule can be found on my website here. DEE: You have a great contest associated with your book. Tell us, please! MARIANNE: Enter to win a spa set, along with a big Lindor dark chocolate bar and two books of your choice from my Library Thing list AND either a free download of "One Love For Liv" --or-- if you already bought it (and why wouldn't you?), a $5 gift certificate to MBaM (the Samhain bookstore) or Amazon.com!

DEE: Now a few silly questions:
What's your favorite movie?
Ooh… only one? I love the movie "Undercover Blues"-and you've probably never heard of it. It's warped and funny and unusual. Probably my favorite movie ever. I also love "While You Were Sleeping," "Ever After" and "The Princess Bride." A little romance and fun.

Do you love American Idle or wish it had a network of its own and leave Bones and House alone? (Not that I know anyone who feels that way.)
I love American Idol! I watch almost no TV, but AI is definitely on my "must see" list. It's the only reality show I do watch and I look forward to it all year long. I don't watch "House" or "Bones," so … sorry… really don't care much what happens to them. ;-)
[Note from Dee: Well, damn.]

Roller coasters or merry-go-round?
Roller coasters for sure. Merry-go-rounds make me motion sick (and, no, roller coasters DON'T… go figure).

Rock, easy listening or country? (Or something in between?)
I actually like nearly any kind of music except rap or acid rock. I mostly listen to country or adult contemporary, but I also LOVE classic rock and 80s music.

DEE: Say anything you want to my readers.

MARIANNE: My absolute favorite part of writing is hearing from people who read my work. When you read my book, drop me a line. I'd love to hear if something touched you in some way. Hearing from readers is as much fun as hearing my book is getting published. I hope to hear from some of you!

DEE: Where can we find you and how can we contact you?

MARIANNE: I have a website, a blog, and a MySpace page. And of course, I'd love for people to write!

Marianne, this was fun! Thanks so much for being with us.