Questions and Answers

These questions were asked on a group I'm part of, and I decided to share them and my answers on my blog :)  I was supposed to pick one of my stories to use to answer these questions, so I chose The War Gift. :)
JL-

1. What inspired you to write the fic this way? I'm not sure what the question means by "this way", but the original inspiration for the story came from another book I recently read.
2. What scene did you first put down? Chapter one, scene one.  LOL.  I tend to write my books in order, without jumping around.
3. What's your favorite line of narration? It's very hard to choose.  I'll go with this one for now:
   His body tingled with adrenalin and a feeling of earned acceptance he hadn’t expected to receive.  He did notice that none of the men touched him until Jarek appeared out of the hoard and pulled him into a hug.  It was tight enough to make Cailan’s ribs creak, but the approval he was receiving felt amazing.
4. What's your favorite line of dialogue? Another hard one.  I have many I like, but I can't say there is just one favorite.  Here is an answer for now. 
   “It’s not wrong,” Jarek disputed.  “It’s simply different from what you’ve known.”  He sat on the edge of the bed by the folded clothes and looked to where Cailan had begun pacing.  “You are not beneath me, Prince Cailan, but I have said you are under me in certain ways.  Do you remember what they are?”
   Cailan crossed his arms as he continued to pace, tempted to say no, but thinking this was not a wise time to push his luck.  “I am under your care…and your authority,” he admitted grudgingly.
5. What part was hardest to write? Perhaps the scene where Cailan is forced to say good-bye to Jarek and return to Arten
6. What makes this fic special or different from all your other fics? This is the first story I found myself immersed in and following through from beginning to end in a long time.  It was a great feeling to enjoy writing it so much.
7. Where did the title come from? It took a lot of thought.  I didn't want to call it "The Concubine", because that wasn't ultimately what Cailan was.  When I thought of how I wanted Jarek to picture him, and then the circumstances surrounding their beginning, I came up with "The War Gift."
8. Did any real people or events inspire any part of it? No, not this time.
9. Were there any alternate versions of this fic? Not really.  I had thought certain aspects of it would be different when I first started writing it, but they changed as the story developed.
10. Why did you choose this pairing for this particular story? I wanted to show a relationship that would appear almost doomed from the beginning, and then have it succeed.
11. What do you like best about this fic? I like the way it made me feel as I wrote it, and also the enjoyment I still get as I reread it.
12. What do you like least about this fic? That for now the characters are quiet in my head.  I want them to speak up again.  LOL.
13. What music did you listen to, if any, to get in the mood for writing this story? Or if you didn't listen to anything, what do you think readers should listen to to accompany us while reading? I don't have any for this story, but I'd love to know if anyone who read it could think of a song.
14. Is there anything you wanted readers to learn from reading this fic? I wanted to show the hurt of prejudice, and that submission does not equal weakness.
15. What did you learn from writing this fic? I learned about different types of swords in my research.  LOL.