My favorite scenes are mostly still to come.
Probably, this one is my favorite of what I've already published:
Most of the novel to this point has had a lighter tone, even when things are going—well, poorly, to put it mildly—because Iyu is an incurable optimist who takes very little seriously. This is one of the first times things get heavy and he can't joke his way out of it. It's a huge turning point in the story and affects my main character's motivations for the rest of the novel.
But here's one of my favorite exchanges between my main characters:
“Okay, okay. I’ll sit with you and think about my crimes.” I sat down close enough to him our knees were nearly touching. He stiffened. If he moved away from me, that would be petty of him indeed. Unbecoming. But sitting this close seemed to physically pain him.
Unfortunately, sitting at all physically pained me. “Sashka—”
“No.”
“Aleksandr Artyomovich, how can you stand it? Or sit it, rather.” I laughed at a joke even I would not have made for any purpose but to annoy him. “The roof is so cold, if this is what we have to do all night, I don’t think I’m gonna be able to have children by the time we’re done.”
No response.
“Seriously, Aleksandr Artyomovich, when you stand up, are your balls gonna stick to the floor?”
At that, he rose abruptly (apparently taking his balls with him) and stomped to the other side of the roof.
