Sam Cameron's Blog
September 30, 2026
The Nap that Launched My Author Career
The idea for This Happy Wreck came to me in a dream.
Well, sort of.
I originally started with the idea that I wanted to write a queer retelling of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. I don’t remember when I got this idea, but, I had always loved the play, and IMHO, it’s the gayest of all Shakespeare’s plays. (In case you want a refresher on the plot, here’s what the Royal Shakespeare company has to say: https://www.rsc.org.uk/twelfth-night/...)
Gay Twelfth Night is a great premise but it’s still just that: a premise. If I was going to write a whole book I needed a plot, and character arcs, and so much more. When I sat down to start drafting the book in early 2023, I started with an idea for a gaslamp fantasy. Everything I had written before had been fantasy, historical, or both, so, this seemed like a natural fit.
There were some fun scenes and characters in this early draft, but, by and large, I hated it. Working on the book made me miserable. I kept writing it anyway, hoping that it was just my pesky perfectionism and that I’d be able to sort the book out once I had a complete draft.
Around this same time, my wife started watching a lot of Formula 1—and I started napping on the couch during the races.
F1 is the perfect backdrop for a nap. It’s two hours of commercial-free television with nothing but the soothing sounds of track noise and British commentators. If something exciting happens, the commentators start yelling, you wake up in time to watch a replay, and then you’re caught up, refreshed, and ready to watch the rest of the race.
During these F1 naps, I started to learn a bit about the sport and found that while napping was the main draw for me, I enjoyed the races too. As a result, my fantasy version of Twelfth Night and Formula 1 racing were swirling around my subconscious at the same time.
One night, I had a dream that recast the Sebastian and Duke Orsino from my book as Formula 1 drivers kissing on the podium. I woke up wanting to stay in that world. That story seemed fun. That looked like something I would read/ watch the crap out of.
So, even though I had already written two hundred pages of my gaslamp fantasy, I started over.
This time, it was queer Twelfth Night…with racecars.
If that also seems like something you would read the crap out of, the good news is that you can! I wrote it for you! And, not to brag, but I did a pretty great job. Be sure to add This Happy Wreck to your “Want to Read” shelf and keep your eyes peeled for giveaways and preorder specials.
Also, if you'd like to get behind the scenes or bonus content delivered to your inbox, you can hop over to my website and subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.samcameronbooks.com/
Hope to see you there!
Well, sort of.
I originally started with the idea that I wanted to write a queer retelling of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. I don’t remember when I got this idea, but, I had always loved the play, and IMHO, it’s the gayest of all Shakespeare’s plays. (In case you want a refresher on the plot, here’s what the Royal Shakespeare company has to say: https://www.rsc.org.uk/twelfth-night/...)
Gay Twelfth Night is a great premise but it’s still just that: a premise. If I was going to write a whole book I needed a plot, and character arcs, and so much more. When I sat down to start drafting the book in early 2023, I started with an idea for a gaslamp fantasy. Everything I had written before had been fantasy, historical, or both, so, this seemed like a natural fit.
There were some fun scenes and characters in this early draft, but, by and large, I hated it. Working on the book made me miserable. I kept writing it anyway, hoping that it was just my pesky perfectionism and that I’d be able to sort the book out once I had a complete draft.
Around this same time, my wife started watching a lot of Formula 1—and I started napping on the couch during the races.
F1 is the perfect backdrop for a nap. It’s two hours of commercial-free television with nothing but the soothing sounds of track noise and British commentators. If something exciting happens, the commentators start yelling, you wake up in time to watch a replay, and then you’re caught up, refreshed, and ready to watch the rest of the race.
During these F1 naps, I started to learn a bit about the sport and found that while napping was the main draw for me, I enjoyed the races too. As a result, my fantasy version of Twelfth Night and Formula 1 racing were swirling around my subconscious at the same time.
One night, I had a dream that recast the Sebastian and Duke Orsino from my book as Formula 1 drivers kissing on the podium. I woke up wanting to stay in that world. That story seemed fun. That looked like something I would read/ watch the crap out of.
So, even though I had already written two hundred pages of my gaslamp fantasy, I started over.
This time, it was queer Twelfth Night…with racecars.
If that also seems like something you would read the crap out of, the good news is that you can! I wrote it for you! And, not to brag, but I did a pretty great job. Be sure to add This Happy Wreck to your “Want to Read” shelf and keep your eyes peeled for giveaways and preorder specials.
Also, if you'd like to get behind the scenes or bonus content delivered to your inbox, you can hop over to my website and subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.samcameronbooks.com/
Hope to see you there!
