Introduce the title of your story: My story is called ‘Sláinte Is Táinte!’ This is a Scots Gaelic expression, which translates as ‘Health and Wealth’, and it is used in the same way as ‘Cheers!’ might be in English. Usually, it is shortened to ‘Sláinte!’ Unsurprisingly, the story is set in Scotland.
Genre/Category: Love Stories
Provide the link: https://www.lushstories.com/stories/love-stories/slainte-is-tainte
1. What first inspired you to write this particular story? I was looking for a contrasting location in which to set the story. Most of my stories are set in and around London, so it’s nice to get my characters out of the metropolis from time-to-time. As a Christmas story, I wanted a snowy location, and one which reflected the isolation the protagonist feels at the start of the story. A small cottage in the Highlands fitted the bill perfectly. I also wanted to write a love story, documenting a young woman’s journey from disappointment, through rediscovering her sexuality, to love and stability. I hope that’s what is captured here.
2. How did you come up with these characters? Apart from minor characters, the principals are Priti Acharya, Cameron Munro, and his father, Donald. Priti and Cameron are the love interest, but Mr Munro senior is a catalyst in bringing them together. Often, we need the help, encouragement, and matchmaking of friends or family to make things happen with that special someone, and Priti and Cameron are no different.
I tried to give the characters a complexity many of my characters don’t have. Priti is a writer of erotic fiction, but since she called off her engagement, her juices (creative and otherwise) have stopped flowing. Cameron is a tall, athletic sportsman but also has a more sensitive, artistic side. Both of these characteristics later become evident in the bedroom. As always, this story is character driven, so it was important to build the characters carefully, to realise the mutual attraction between the two.
3. How does it differ from some of your other stories? Many of the key elements are the same: it’s a slow burner with a hot finish, and it documents a very sexy mixed-race relationship through humanity and humour. It differs in its setting, and in that it is a love story. Capturing so many elements: love, sex, Christmas, New Year, a unique setting, and two completely new characters, while doing them all justice, was a difficult balance.
The biggest difference for me, and, it seems, my readers, was a form of sex I’ve never written about before. I won’t give the game away here, but let’s just say it involves a firelit cottage bedroom, and a very large icicle.
4. What was the most challenging thing about writing this piece? The language, no doubt about it. Trying to give my Scottish characters an authentic voice without isolating non-Scottish readers was difficult, not least for me as a Sassenach. My husband, who has a Scottish mother, was a huge help, but even then, I had to ensure that the dialogue could be quickly and easily read. To achieve this, I stuck mainly to contractions, and tried to avoid dialectical phrases as much as possible. I hope I avoided the thing I feared most; writing fundamentally English characters, transported to Scotland.
5. Anything else you want to tell us about it? This story was written for the Christmas competition last year, but my sister’s death meant it wasn’t released. I revisited it in September and tweaked it further, ensuring that I reward my readers’ patience in the early stages with some very hot sex scenes as the story builds to its finale. Of all my stories, I think it’s the most complete, in that I don’t feel some scenes which would have enhanced the story were edited to make the word count. I’m proud of the story, and of its overwhelmingly positive reviews. If you like straight, athletic, desperate sex mixed with something more tender, and a pinch of coldplay, this story is for you.
Thank you for reading.
