Leather and Newfound Land

I've had my charity sip accepted! It's going to be published by Torquere Press on the 15th of September 2012. This year we'll be supporting NOH8, and it's a really good cause - but more about that later.

For now, I want to talk a bit about the story. See, the previous years, I've been doing very serious stuff, sweating over cramming several life-changing events onto fifteen pages - or getting all of Mischa's commitment-phobia told reasonably well on those same fifteen pages. It has been hard work (I prefer writing longer things), but I really wanted to participate.

This year, however, I've written a piece of very naughtly fluff. One of my readers suggested a theme for me, and I immediately felt so inspired that I sat down and wrote the entire story in less than a day. And I had so much fun.

First, there was the dog. Have you ever seen a brown Newfoundland puppy? They're the most adorable little creatures - and such a pain in your ass you wouldn't believe it:)! They once used to be water rescue dogs, and that means that they're crazy about water. If they don't have access to an ocean, then they'll make do with a puddle. Or a hole filled with mud. Or their water bowl. I've wiped up a lot of water after our Newfoundland had found yet another way to get wet.

Then I got a suggestion to write something about a very neat guy who meets a very messy dog owner - and I immediately got to think of how catastrophic - and fun! - it would be to put a Newfoundland puppy into that equation.

I'm afraid that things got a little out of hand at this point. First, I had to force myself to stop writing about the damn dog. It was just so cute; however, most people prefer to read romance about actual people. Then I started fooling around with my characters' names, and that led to the inclusion of a guy who's got a pet lobster on a leash. Sadly, the last part is not a figment of my imagination - it's the true story of the poet Gérard de Nerval.

The really naughty part is that I've sort of included my own book in the story. And a name from that very same book. Yep, the adorable Newfoundland puppy is named Mischa.

I'm still blushing a little over that; I mean, it's a little naughty, isn't it? Even though my comparative lit professors would probably have called it "intertextuality", I just think it's slightly self-centered;). But hey, it's a charity sip, it's all in good fun - and I did include a pretty hot sex scene for my guys as well. It isn't all lobsters and Newfoundland dogs!

Anniversary month at Torquere is going to be a lot of fun with good stories and competitions - and you can win your very own little Mischa plushie! And with that cliffhanger, I'll get back to editing:).

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