It makes me very happy that so many people enjoyed Lukas and Alan. I love writing, and I’d do it no matter what–but it’s such a marvelous feeling when people are book-happy (you know that feeling when you’ve just spent five hours when you should have been sleeping reading a book you couldn’t put down, and now you’ve got to go to work/school on two or four hours of sleep and you don’t CARE? Yeah, that feeling.) It’s amazing when people are book-happy and it’s YOUR book that did it.
I felt awkward about it, but I posted a link to my fundraising page in the story’s thread (it’s right here if you want to jump in!) and people DONATED! People gave money to a charity because they loved my story! I’M DOING GOOD THINGS!
Yeah, the squee has not worn off yet. 😀
So I’m trying to focus on Remy and Sammael for Camp NaNo. They are two awesome characters, and I love their story and I want to write it. But I don’t know it as well as I need to in order to just put my head down and write. And every time I hit a bump, I seem to end up on the internet looking at Lukas and Alan comments, or pondering a sequel (that doesn’t exist and may never!) because several reviewers have hinted how they’d love to see one.
I’m about two thousand words behind on Camp NaNo (I’m not behind today’s count till today is over, dammit!) I’m not worried, though. One of the benefits of having done this before–I know I can pull it out, and do so gloriously.
Of course, in the past I had panic to pull me through, and confidence doesn’t let panic in till maybe too late…
Naw. I’ll be fine. How could I NOT write this awesome story, especially when my set-pieces are SMEX?
Which, by the way–for those not accustomed to my hotter stuff which for a long time was shyly confined to my fanfic–the goal with Beast is heat. Hot, hot, hot. I set out to write a story full of sex, and though I’m changing it to make it a novel instead of a PWP, it’s still got lots of sex in it. So, umm…when it comes out, watch your step. 🙂
This snip, however, is completely SFW and has Mazin, one of my new favorite people! Remy is trying to figure out a battle plan that will let him win a badly-unequal border skirmish. Mazin is trying to get out of work.
“If you follow Antedon’s example I’ll trip you,” Mazin warned, tugging at Remy’s boot. Remy lifted his foot as he leaned on the table. “And wrap you in a rug to ship home. Duke Sammael may lead from the front, but you know better.”
“It worked for him, didn’t it?”
“I think it was the howling. Our men don’t howl; they whimper.”
“Not to mention,” Remy grumbled, “if I led from the front, there would be none to drive the men behind me. They do not love me enough to follow.”
“Kick their arses to a victory and they will,” Mazin said, tugging off Remy’s stocking. “Or make them fear you enough. Sammael is not loved by any, but it would be a brave man indeed who did not charge at his order.”
“Has he horns, then?” Remy asked, bending over the map where the battle had taken place, learning the lay of the land to better imagine the battle from the reports. He wriggled his bare toes on the rug and felt like he might survive the heat after all. Still under the table, Mazin tugged at his other boot. The man really was in a hurry to leave, wasn’t he? “What makes Sammael so fearsome?” Remy asked. He’d heard whispered rumors himself of the Duke of Antedon, but they were more of a scandalous nature than dangerous.
“I haven’t met him either, my lord,” Mazin pointed out. “But those who have barely speak of him, so mayhap he is horned? And also terrifying?”
“Mayhap.” Remy rubbed his eyes. “I should have gone to be a priest,” he muttered. “I am not built to be fearsome. Or terrifying.”
“You are not built for celibacy either, my lord,” Mazin said. “Current habits to the contrary. Consider, though—in summer we broil in the valley while King Paleb enjoys his mountain breezes. In winter, however, the valleys will be better. If you simply contain Paleb until—”
“Have you forgotten the winter-fever,” Remy asked, “that nearly stilled your saucy tongue forever when I trained in Gazyf? Wait until winter and King Paleb need not leave his warm castle to dislodge us; the winter will do it for him. No, this must come to a crisis ere Paleb grows too entrenched to move. Three days, a week at the outside, and we will have battle, ready or not. This must be done. Now.” Remy leaned back over the map. Somehow, the answer lay—
“It needn’t, however, be done this moment.” Mazin reached around Remy and Remy’s pants fell to floor.
“Mazin,” Remy said. “My pants?”
“My lord needs a bath. My lord smells of horses and idiots.”
“Is she that pretty, Mazin?”
“If you must have reason to leave off work beyond that you need to bathe, eat, and sleep—then I’ll tell you that yes, she’s a goddess walking the earth, and her sister is even prettier and both like me. Yet here I am, having to undress a full-grown man rather than riding off to play peg-or-poke with bouncy tavern wenches.”