Book Name: Nights Like These
Author Name: Chris Scully
Author Bio:
CHRIS SCULLY lives in Toronto, Canada where she grew up spinning romantic stories in her head. When the tedium of a corporate day job grew too much, she took a chance and found her creative escape in writing. Always searching for something different, she has discovered a home in M/M romance and strives to give her characters the happy endings they deserve.
Author Contact:
https://www.facebook.com/chris.scully.author
A few questions to get to know the author a little better….
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Every writer is on their own path—we have different things we hope to get out of the experience and different philosophies about it, so it’s difficult to give advice.
Writing is like golf. In a sense you’re competing against yourself, trying to do better in each outing. For me, writing is a never ending process of self-improvement. And so, I think the most practical piece of advice I can offer anyone serious about writing is to think of it like any other profession; expect to work hard, take the occasional training, embrace continuous learning, and practice, practice, practice so that you can perform better. Learn to accept critical feedback and recognize that without it you can’t improve. If you get a bad review, don’t give up—work on it. No writer is perfect. Work on developing those technical skills. Take a creative writing course, join a writer’s group, or check out many of the free online writing resources out there. Not because I think you can teach someone to be a writer, but because it will show you ways to improve the skills you already possess.
I definitely practice what I preach. When two early beta readers commented that Nights Like These was too slow and boring, I did some research on mystery writing and found my issue right away—I was breaking the cardinal rule of mysteries, which is to introduce the “mystery” within the first 3 chapters. Even though I’m a mystery reader, that bit of advice was something I hadn’t really considered before.
When it comes to technical writing tips, the most valuable thing I ever learned (and would like to pass on) was to show, not tell. “Show, don’t tell” is the first rule of writing, and yet so many people don’t follow it. I’m not sure why—maybe they don’t understand it, or maybe it’s too difficult. But if you want to elevate your characters, you have to do this.
Because I’m a visual thinker, the trick for me has always been to imagine my story as a movie or TV show. If you’re writing a script, you can’t just describe a character’s personality or backstory—you have to show it in the way they act, the way they dress, the way they talk. Sometimes you have to parse it out. If your character is a workaholic lawyer, don’t just write that…show it. Maybe the secretary says “Did you stay here all night, again?” His girlfriend complains “I never see you anymore.” Another trick is to write a profile of your character, listing all his attributes. Then for each of those, list an example of how you would demonstrate that—those become your scenes. Yes, it’s more work to do this, but your characters will thank you in the end.
Other than writing do you have any hobbies?
I’m a hobby junky, although I rarely stick with them for long. Over the years my hobbies have included sewing (primarily historical costumes), gardening, interior design/ home renovations, architecture (I’m obsessed with Frank Lloyd Wright), acrylic painting, jigsaw puzzles. Reading is the only one that has really stuck with me from the beginning.
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Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Bree Archer
Sales Links: Dreamspinner eBook & Paperback
Blurb:
Starting over sucks. At forty, Miles Koprowski thought he had life all figured out. He had a nice car, a hot young lover, and a cushy job… and then he didn’t. Call it fate, or karma, or a downturn in the market, but this opinionated cynic is now forced to play rent-a-cop in a dying office building in the burbs just to make ends meet. Throw in an unhinged ex, a coworker who hates him, and a hot new boss, and suddenly everything is uncertain.
Miles doesn’t plan on liking the night shift or becoming embroiled in a mystery that reawakens old passions and puts him in danger. And he certainly doesn’t plan on falling for the overbearing head of security, Colton Decker, former soldier and doting dad. But nights like these can change a man, make him start to believe there’s more to life than a high paying job and a warm body in his bed. With a thief on the loose and his new job in jeopardy, Miles will have to decide what’s truly important. He might discover things he never knew he wanted… as long as he makes it through the night.
Categories: Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Mystery
Excerpt:
“Why don’t you watch where you’re going, dumb—” I managed to sputter before my mouth stopped working entirely and dropped open. The ability to speak, to think, deserted me at the first sight of the hunky stranger standing in front of me, his face contorted with apology as he tried to mop up my sodden jacket with a handful of napkins. He was a few inches taller than me—closer to six feet—and on the stocky side. His broad shoulders filled out a nicely tailored suit, and he projected an air of confidence that I’d never be able to pull off in a million years. He was clean-shaven too, with a dark buzz cut that made me long to run a hand over his head simply to feel the texture. And gorgeous. Did I happen to mention that?
In short, he was the kind of guy you’d want to be stranded with on a deserted island; the kind you could count on to save you. If you were so inclined. Me? I didn’t need saving.
A pair of friendly, light-colored eyes now stared back at me, bemused. Odd that his lips were moving, but no sound was coming out.
“What?” I asked, blinking back to attention. I couldn’t remember the last time anyone had literally made me speechless. Me, Miles Koprowski, who never met a silence he didn’t want to fill.
Hell, I couldn’t recall the last time I’d been on the receiving end of a full-body pat-down either. At least not so quickly. His hands were still drifting over my chest, wiping up the last drips of coffee, and the simple touch was doing alarming things to my heart rate.
“Are you okay?” he demanded. “Did you get burned?” Before I could react, he seized my wrist and held my hand up for inspection. Strong, lightly calloused fingers, I added to my mental list. Working hands. Dumbly, I looked down. The skin on the back of my right hand was red and stung like a son of a bitch, but it wasn’t blistering. I did flinch slightly when he skimmed his thumb over the sensitive area, but not from pain, more from the touch itself. My entire body lit up, as though I’d stuck a finger in an electrical socket. “It doesn’t look too bad. I think you’ll live. Put some aloe on it when you get home.”
“Doctor?” I croaked, because really, that would be too perfect.
“Nope. Just seen a lot of injuries.” His lips twitched with barely contained amusement. “Sorry to disappoint you.” Sense of humor, check
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Words: 69,000
Tour Dates/Tour Stops:
Parker Williams, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, The Hat Party, LeAnn’s Book Reviews, BFD Book Blog, Queer Town Abbey, Havan Fellows, Amanda C. Stone, Gaylist Book Reviews Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Love Bytes, Fallen Angel Reviews, Molly Lolly, Bayou Book Junkie, Inked Rainbow Reads, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, EE Montgomery, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, MM Good Book Reviews, My Fiction Nook, Cate Ashwood, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Velvet Panic, Andrew Q. Gordon, Kristy’s Brain Food
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Most people see Chase Manning as the party-boy twink he seems on the surface. Only James, Chase’s BFF, knows the depth of his loyalty and the extent of the wounds Chase carries inside. When Chase meets Rhys Sayer things don’t go well, but he can’t shake his attraction to the huge, sexy man.
Rhys is a man of contradictions and fear—a strange combination for a PI and bodyguard. He’s in a bad place emotionally when he sets eyes on Chase for the first time. When Chase puts the moves on him, Rhys insults him, thwarting any possibility of a relationship. Rhys doesn’t see himself as a complicated man, but he dreads the very kind of connection he desires.
Just as they’re trying to overcome their uncertainties, Chase is put in harm’s way. Luckily Rhys and their friends have all the right talents to help Rhys save the man of his dreams.
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Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 