Breaking Out: Myah Ariel

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We first connected with Myah Ariel during her debut novel's publication and featured her in our March/April 2024's Breaking In column. Now that her next publication is hitting the shelves today, we're reconnecting with her.

I did the heavy lifting in terms of drafting and editing No Ordinary Love in the Spring and Summer of 2024. Although the initial concept came to me in the late fall of 2023. 

That first book was truly an exercise in proving to myself that I could write the thing. Without an agent or a book deal, I was really writing just for me. I was alone with my ideas and only the expectations I’d set for myself. But then the agent and the book deal came, and things changed. Selling the book, working with an editor as well as a marketing and publicity team, engaging firsthand with readers—it all really changed my outlook on the process. I was no longer doing this for my own creative outlet, but as part of an entire commercial ecosystem.

Honestly, that I could write another book! I’ve commiserated with author friends about the challenge to produce again after our debuts. Whether it’s the come down after all the energy and excitement from promoting your first novel, or the outside pressure to excel again, or just your own internal doubts—the sophomore struggle is real. When I sat down to write, I found out quickly that getting words on the page was not at all like riding a bike. I had to really massage those creative muscles to get them working again. But in all seriousness, I’ve been blown away by the excitement I’ve seen from readers of my debut who are looking forward to reading my second novel. That makes it all worth it.  

I’m proud of how No Ordinary Love captures the sense of fragility and tenderness that comes from falling in love, both in the public eye and after suffering a massive heartbreak. I also really love that I was able to include an epistolary element in the novel that I think gives readers an intimate view of Ella and Miles’s unique vulnerabilities, and why they are so perfect for each other.

Absolutely. I’ve heard it said that in traditional publishing, we never finish our books. But at some point, we have to stop writing them in order to get them on the shelves! There are elements of the central relationship that I would expand if given the chance. But ultimately, I’m happy with the story that’s being told.

My best advice is that inspiration can come from anywhere. No Ordinary Love comes from my millionth relisten of Mariah Carey’s Butterfly album, which sparked me to think about the possibilities of a forbidden romance between two people in the public eye—one in the midst of a contentious divorce and the other in the brutal aftermath of one. But every day I get inspired by random turns of phrase I pick up in conversation, songs on the radio, television shows I’m bingeing, even current events. Be interested in the world around you, and you may just find your next story.

I’m writing two books right now. One is yet to be announced, and the other is a dream project of mine, that’s very different from anything I’ve done before. I hope to be able to share more soon!

Instagram, Threads, and TikTok: @MyahMeetsCute

Website: MyahAriel.com