A short time ago, posts started appearing with the cover of Taking Chances. So without any further ado, here it is. :)

Now everyone can see what I was so excited about. It's just so beautiful! Designed by Sprinkles On Top Studios.

I'll be working hard on the book over the next few weeks, but I got the cover reveal out of the way, as after the success of Another Chance, I'll be working with Apple to put Taking Chances up for pre-order.

Taking Chances is a follow up to Another Chance, featuring Lauren Burrows from the book. It can be read after Another Chance, but if I have things right it can also be read as a stand-alone.

When I wrote Another Chance, I adored Cassie. She and the other characters from Another Chance will feature in Taking Chances, but Lauren is the star of this book. She is an amazing woman, with very real issues, and I have just as much love for Lauren as I do Cassie.

This is going to be another very special book to me, I hope you will like it too. :)

Not just yet...

In the next few hours, blogs will start posting the cover for Taking Chances. When that happens, I'll post it on Facebook and here in the blog.

I am so excited about this. Writing this book has been both a lot harder and a lot easier than I've struck before. I know this doesn't make sense right now, but bear with me!

Lauren's story is tough. We saw the cynical side of her as she struggled to find what she needed in Another Chance. When Mark and Cassie met, she saw what they had and wanted it for herself.

We caught a glimpse of Lauren at the end of Another Chance and what happened to her. Taking Chances is about her journey to that point and a little beyond.

The hard part of writing this has been putting into words the journey she takes. It has some really rough moments. The easy part is that she is even more amazing than I ever realised, and I'm the one who created her.

By the time I'm finished it's hard to know who is going to be my favourite between Cassie and Lauren. They're both amazing, tough, capable women and I have more love for them than I ever thought possible.

Ethan is definitely going to have some good ,and some not so good moments, but you all know by now that I love a happy ending!

I've been thinking a lot lately about names, particularly my own. I adopted my pen name just over a year ago when I started publishing erotic romance and I thought it might be interesting to share where it came from.

Ariadne came from a story I started writing some time ago. It is still sitting there with around 40,000 words completed and ultimately will be 100,000 words plus with what I had planned.

She was a girl who is married off as a child to a young man. When they finally meet again as adults he falls in love with her. It's a little fantasy and a whole lot of romance and one day I might just get back to it.

I also thought it was quite a pretty, romantic name and suitable for a romance writer.

It came to picking a last name, and I am a huge Batman fan. The idea of a secret identity stuck with me, so Wayne was a nod to Bruce Wayne. Besides, who doesn't like a sexy billionaire (even if he does dress as a bat).

Ariadne Wayne was born and she is sometimes more me than I am. I have been pondering writing under my own name at some point. Taking Chances will definitely be published as Ariadne Wayne, but depending on how that goes, you may just see the real me appear in 2014.

If I do that, I'll use my real name for contemporary romance, and Ariadne can take care of the naughty stuff. We'll see!

Taking Chances is shaping up quite nicely. Lauren is an absolute joy to write and I think I've nailed the reason why she can be so cynical at times.

Ethan is a real sweetheart, and Lauren is about to turn him inside out I think!

The cover reveal is booked for the 28th of January, and I can't wait for people to see it. It's beautiful and made by Sarah from Sprinkles On Top who did the cover for Another Chance and also the revamped cover for The Sultan's Bride. She also made the cover for The Accidental Sultan when I finally get to it. :)

Taking Chances is a bit darker with the issues that Lauren has to face, but as with Another Chance the emphasis will be on the love story that develops later in the book. The more I wrote Lauren, the more I wanted to know about her, and her issues that were touched on in Another Chance will be at the forefront in Taking Chances.

I thought I'd share a piece that I've written. It still needs a lot of work so it's really early but...

--

    “How’s the work going on the store renovations?” Lauren asked Mark. He had been on the same job for a few weeks now.
    “Great. She’s great.”
    Lauren looked puzzled. “Who’s great?”
    “Cassie. She’s perfect, Lauren. I think I’m in love.”
     “Who’s Cassie? Mark, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
     He laughed. “I thought I told you. The store manager is amazing. She’s beautiful, smart and I think she likes me too.”
     Lauren shook her head. “Trust you to have a thing for the person you’re working for.”
     “She could tell me to do anything and I’d do it. The best thing is that she needs some work done around her house, and she asked me to help out and give her a quote. It’s my chance to get to know her better.”
     “Mark, we’ve talked about you getting involved with clients. It’s always a bad idea.”
     “I know. It’s just that there’s something about this one. She’s got balls, Lauren, and I don’t know anything about her but something about her just does it for me. Big time.”
     Lauren laughed. “Good for you. I just don’t want to hear about some big heartbreaking story, or go through the drama that was you and Jessica.”
     Mark pulled a face. “I don’t think Cassie would be like that. She’s professional at work most of the time, though she does have an amazing sense of humour.”
     “Well, whatever happens at least you’re getting some work out of it.”
     She watched as he left the room on his way to the shower. Mark hadn’t had a smile on his face that big in so long. Cassie had better be worth the effort he seemed to be going to.
     Lauren looked around the room. The old house needed renovations of its own, but Mark was always delaying things until they were so far gone they had to be replaced.
     “Wonder if I can get Cassie to ask you to do up this place,” she muttered.

Today, I found out at what age little boys stop holding their mother's hand in public. Well, my little boy.

It doesn't seem that long ago he was a baby, but now he's running around with his laptop, playing Minecraft and talking about a career as a programmer. He wants to make computer games for a living.

He is eight and a half.

He was at his holiday programme today and when I picked him up, I reached for his hand as I usually do. Up until now, he's taken it, but today he shook his head.

I always knew this day would come. In fact, I used to tell him one day he wouldn't want to hold my hand or hug me. I just didn't think it would be so soon.

While I know he still loves me, and I'll still get the hugs, but at home and not in public, it sucked. My baby didn't want to hold my hand.

As upsetting as it is, I am really proud that he is independent enough to be like that. I look forward to seeing the man he grows into, and I'll remember these early moments of him grabbing his independence.

I'll always remember that little boy who used to grab my hand wherever we went, and I'll miss him. You're growing up far too fast, my baby.

Yesterday, I made a decision on the name of my next book, Lauren's story.

It's a story of two people who find each other. and both have issues. It's the story of how they take a chance on each other.

So, the book will be called Taking Chances.

I had the cover made yesterday and it is beautiful! I'm now just waiting on a date for the cover reveal so I can show you all.

For those who bought Another Chance on iTunes, Taking Chances will be available on pre-order, which is a first for me.

Lauren is a complex character, and after it being suggested to me by a reader, I fell in love with the idea of writing her story. Ethan has his own issues and I found I wanted to explore those as well.

These are two beautiful, loving people coming together by chance with hopes of a happy ending. I might just be able to give them one. :)

Today I said goodbye to a friend. She was her husband's best friend, and they were one of those couples who just seemed perfect together.

At the age of 47 she had a stroke and died three days later. It has been a real shock and while the funeral was beautiful and emotional, today has been really rough.

So for Louise. Something that has sentimental value from my family to yours.

Near a shady wall a rose once grew,
Budded and blossomed in God's free light:
Watered and fed by morning dew,
Shedding its sweetness day and night.
As it grew and blossomed fair and tall,
Slowly rising to loftier height,
It came to a crevice in the wall,
Through which there shone a beam of light.
Onward it crept with added strength
With never a thought of fear or pride,
It followed the light through the crevice length,
And unfolded itself on the other side.
The light, the dew, the broadening view
Were found the same as they were before.
And it lost itself in beauties new.
Breathing its fragrance more and more.
Shall claim of death cause us to grieve,
And make our courage faint or fall?
Nay, let us faith and hope receive,
The rose still grows beyond the wall.
Scattering fragrance far and wide,
Just as it did in days of yore.
Just as it did on the other side,
Just as it will forevermore.

I know I keep saying thank you to everyone, but I really mean it. From the bottom of my heart.

The reaction to Another Chance has been overwhelming, and I have said over and over again how grateful I am. Because I am.

I wrote Cassie's story for me, and it means a lot to me. If other people enjoy it, then I'm glad it's found a home in their hearts.

Today, Another Chance passed 5000 sales. That is huge and I never expected at this stage to hit a figure like that with one book.

So thank you yet again. I'll be working hard on Lauren's story now, and am going to work out the title and release date soon. I want to do her justice too; she has her own set of issues and her own happy ending to find.

Today I made a big change to the website. I wanted a clean, crisp look and the redesign leaves room for more content. Hopefully it's more tidy. :)

I hope everyone has had a good new year. Another Chance stayed at number one on iTunes Australia until this morning, and right now is still in the top three.

The last few days have been amazing, and I'm working on the follow up now. Lauren is a complex character, and I'm loving getting into her head.

I already said thank you on my Facebook page, but I can't express my gratitude enough for those who have bought my books, liked my Facebook page, followed on twitter, visited my website. You're all awesome.

2013 was a huge learning curve, and things will only get better from now on. I've tentatively approached a new editor, as I want to make sure what the readers get is the best I can possibly deliver and at times I have been disappointed at falling short in that regard.

It's a matter of finding the right people to work with, and I know I'm on the right track.

Other than Lauren's story, I still have Loving the Rake to complete. As my NaNoWriMo book, it's completed, but still needs editing and some corrections made. The basic plot will remain the same, and Robert and Eleanor will get their Happy Ever After.

I don't know how likely I am to write any more novellas, I like the longer size book and have an idea of what to do after Lauren's story and Loving the Rake. I'll be sticking to writing what I know, and continuing to try to write about regular people with regular problems.

As I think I've said before, while Another Chance is not autobiographical, I wrote about things that meant something to me. There are scenes in the book that did happen, just not quite in the way that I've written them. I knew people would struggle a bit with the birth scene, but I had a similar experience in a hospital where another friend had the last minute dash to the hospital.

Real life can be so much more interesting than fantasy. I'm not knocking anything else, as I love to get lost in a good story, whatever it's about.

For now, I'll be getting Lauren's story done (I'll be glad when I come up with a name for it) and clearing my backlog. 2014 is quickly shaping up to be as busy as 2013!