Ariana Nash's Blog
April 9, 2024
Why did I write SOS HOTEL now?
I wanted to talk a little bit about why I decided to write SOS HOTEL and why it’s different from * waves at all my previous dark and gritty books *all these.
If you don’t want to read all the below, the TLDR is: I wrote it because I needed something new, fresh, and less angsty after over a decade of writing dark and heavy stuff.
Forgive Me was a tough series to write, due to some of its darker content. (Vitari had me crying three times in the final book). Before that, we had Toymaker’s Son, which if you’ve read it, you’ll know is a complete mindfuck. That book was a BEAST to write. We also had Lark & Arin from the Court of Pain series, who took it out of me too. Basically, what I’m getting at, is every book takes a piece of me. These aren’t easy books to read or write. That’s part of why people read my works, to get that visceral, REAL, dirt under the fingernails experience from a book. I write about fantasy people in fantasy lands, but the feedback I get over and over is how REAL they feel. People are messy, so are all my characters.
After 11 years of this, I really needed a mental break. I wrote in my group about how 2024 would be slightly different, due to burn-out, changes in the market, etc. I intended to write more contemporary books, books with less angst and said then, that fantasy was taking a back seat for a while.
But I hadn’t anticipated SOS HOTEL.
I knew I needed something less angsty, something a bit silly, something that wouldn’t have me sobbing into my laptop three times during the drafting process. As it happened, I was talking about an old series under my defunct pen name (MF fantasy). A series that was never completed due to lack of sales, and frankly, Silk & Steel and this name ‘Ariana Nash’ took off at the same time as that series, through which I found my love of MM. I just couldn’t write MF anymore. I tried to write the final book in that MF series and HATED it. My heart had shifted to MM, and once you go MM, there’s no going back.
Anyway… Discussing that series, the fan said, (paraphrasing) “Why don’t you write it again as MM?” I sort of laughed it off. It doesn’t really work like that. I’d get bored, for one, as in my head, the story had already been told. But that little seed of an idea took root. Other readers were saying how much they had loved those characters. A few days later, I was still thinking about it, and began to wonder, what if I took the very bare bones of that world, and tossed in some funky fun? It would be very different, but I already had the world in my head. I’d done the heavy-lifting, so to speak. The characters from that old series were a lot more serious and dark, but what if they didn’t have to be like that? What if I just sat down and wrote something off-the-wall bonkers? Why does it have to be so serious?
So, the idea for SOS HOTEL took shape. A hotel for Lost Ones (supernaturals) stuck here when the veil between our world and theirs sealed itself. A vampire, a demon, and a not-so-normal human. It’s still a little bit dark – because I need that grit to keep me invested – but it also pokes fun at itself, which I needed. It’s not a fluffy, cozy romance. It’s a cake of silly, with some murders and gremlin sacrifices sprinkled on top. I don’t even know how to market it, or if anyone will read it. But I needed it, just for fun.
That’s why SOS HOTEL is so different from my entire backlist, and why it’s happening now.
I’m sorry to all of you here (pretty much everyone) who came for the dark, angsty, gritty and real stories, and you’re now getting swamped with a sassy sex demon, his boring human, and the suave vampire daddy. If you’re not here for that, please do stick around, as there will be more dark and angsty books coming. I just need to get SOS HOTEL out of my system first.
Normal service will resume shortly…
In the meantime, just enjoy the ride. 😄😘
January 17, 2022
It's Dragon Week!
All this week is DRAGON WEEK in my Facebook Group
Make sure to join up and meet everyone there. We're talking dragons all week, with some games and goodies to win, including fluffy Lysander and a signed copy of Silk & Steel!
It's going to be a BLAST.
Why is it Dragon Week, I hear you ask? Well, Silk & Steel #1 is three years old tomorrow. THREE YEARS of Lysander and Eroan (Akiem, we haven't forgotten you, you precious dragon boi) . To celebrate, Silk & Steel #1 is up to 50% off in the UK & US.
If you haven't tried the series yet, now is a great time to add the ebook to your kindle, and meet some of the most amazingly beautiful and heart-warming characters who fight tooth and claw for their HEA. And yes, they do get a HEA!
Silk & Steel is my personal all-time favorite series, because it changed (maybe even saved) my writing career. I owe a great deal to the readers who first found this series and championed it everywhere. Without your love for Eroan and Lysander, and without your willingness to give a new author a go, I wouldn't have gone on to write more awesome fantasy books (without Silk & Steel, there would be no Vasili & Niko, no Mikhail and Severn, no Dom & TBC) It all began here, with Silk & Steel. And now I'm getting all emotional... So, I'll just say: THANK YOU, READERS. You have my eternal LOVE.
Happy THREE YEARS Eroan & Lysander. We love you.
November 19, 2018
**COVER REVEAL**
**COVER REVEAL**
Silk & Steel is a dark m/m fantasy spanning a world ravaged by dragons. A tormented dragon prince has the misfortune of capturing one of the last elven assassins. An assassin who will change the world, and the prince, forever. #maleromance #lgbt #gayromance #paranormal #fantasy Design by Covers by Combs
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November 6, 2018
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Eroan backed Trey against the table, teasing his open, hungry mouth, as he ran his hands down the male’s waist. He nipped at the messenger’s chin and spread his hand against the bulge in his pants, folding his palm and fingers around his erection. Trey arched into him like Eroan had plucked on a string and made him dance to the sweet music of desire. The male braced his arms against the table behind him and lifted his head. With his eyes closed, those dark lashes settled on his face. He panted through pink, open lips. Eroan had never seen a male so aroused, so close. He wanted to make him pant harder, wanted to make him spill his seed for him. He wanted to make the male writhe and beg. The intensity of it, the madness of it, it was almost too much.
Trey’s eyes fluttered open. He sighed out and suddenly cupped Eroan’s face. “Don’t think…”
“It’s just…” I’ve never done this before.
Trey’s mouth was on his again, and Eroan’s thoughts tumbled like they did when he practiced the Order moves. Like he could fall into the moment and disappear inside of it.
“I’ve got you,” Trey whispered, making it sound like a promise, like nothing Eroan could do would be wrong. His thumb stroked the corner of Eroan’s mouth, and Trey looked deeper into his eyes. “I can blow your mind, Eroan. You just have to stop being afraid.”
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