Research - with a little help from my friends.....

So with the deadline for my second Love's Landscapes story fast approaching I am in the final phases of getting the first draft finished - read this if you will as panicking like hell that I am not going to get it finished in time.

Now, it's another historical piece which means lots of lovely research - and this for me has been a whole new era to look into ... and I've had a blast doing it.  Okay I don't feel as comfortable as I did writing a piece set in the middle ages, and there will be issues that I am sure readers will pick up and and rant about but, hey such is life.

This story also came with another problem........ it unexpectedly has ended up quite a  bit, shall we say raunchier? than anything I've written so far!  I was having a crisis moment a week or so back and flipped what I'd written to one of my beta readers (and trusted person to give me a kick up the backside) who pointed out to me that Yves and Christophe really do like to flirt........ so I read it back and, yeah, they do.... well they actually go a bit further than just flirting.

Now, here's the thing... I have a technical problem with raunchy...I am female, and whilst I identify as a lesbian these days, I have some experience with men, but that was a long time ago, I certainly don't have the experience of being a gay man....

I am thinking of adding a warning tag to the story
No period furniture was harmed in the writing of this story!

So, as my characters played out a scene in my head I started worrying....... is that actually possible? what would happen if?  you get the idea.....

So, I wailed a bit, and in the process one of my friends kindly volunteered her partners to be my research assistants..... they were surprisingly agreeable about this and didn't think that the mad English woman should probably be ignored, or possibly locked up for her own sanity... and very bravely one evening acted out for me a particularly scene involving a chaise lounge..... according to my friend who watched and took notes for me.... it was hot

I just hope my written version of the scene works as well!

One of my research assistants is apparently keen to help out again, and if I come up with any other ideas of scenes they could try he'd be only too willing....... I would hate to disappoint so I shall have to see what I can do.....

But you've got to love research!