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Cold Day Dawning (Jagged Shores) MM romance, thriller, suspense From Author Thom Collins ➱ Book Tour with Guest Post & Giveaway
Book Title: Cold Day Dawning (Jagged Shores #4)
Author: Thom Collins
Publisher: Pride Publishing
Release Date: August 22, 2023
Genres: Contemporary MM romance, thriller, suspense
Tropes: Small town romance
Themes: Family, rivalry, revenge, overcoming PTSD
Heat Rating: 4 flames
Length: 63 223 words
Although it can be read as a stand-alone, this book is best read as part of a series.
Available from Amazon, Kindle Unlimited, Pride Publishing,
First For Romance, B&N, and Kobo
Danger comes in the cold of morning
Blurb
It should be the perfect weekend away. Dalton Caine makes the long journey to Nyemouth to attend a party hosted by his sister. Catherine is estranged from most of the family, but Dalton feels the time has come to build bridges between them. Things don’t turn out how he wants, however, when Catherine gives him a cold reception at the party. But the evening is not a complete waste of time when he meets local photographer Antoni.
Following a near-fatal attack six months earlier, Antoni has struggled with his physical and mental recovery. Catherine’s party is the first time he has been out at night since then, and he’s ready for an early exit when he meets Dalton. The stranger is warm, friendly and incredibly handsome. When Antoni overcomes his reservations and accepts a drink at Dalton’s hotel, it could be the start of something new for them both.
Despite the joy of fresh romance, things soon take a darker turn. The morning after the party, Catherine’s boyfriend reports her missing. Dalton isn’t initially concerned. Catherine has disappeared of her own will before, and he’s more interested in getting to know Antoni, but the men soon find themselves at the centre of a twisted mystery, one that puts both of their lives at risk.
Reader advisory: This book contains violence, murder, PTSD, memories of a child in danger and mental illness. Although it can be read as a stand-alone, this book is best read as part of a series.
Excerpt
A few moments later, a door on the right opened and a man stepped out. He caught Dalton’s attention straight away. Dressed in jeans, a black T-shirt and a dark overshirt, the man looked nothing like the pretentious people he’d encountered so far this evening. He was also very handsome, which didn’t hurt. He was naturally good-looking, with brown hair, slightly wavy on the top and cut short at the back and sides where it was starting to turn grey. He had a serious-looking face, and Dalton’s initial impression was of something quite sad about his eyes and downturned mouth.
“Hi,” Dalton said cheerfully, hoping the guy wouldn’t turn out to be like all the other guests.
“Hello.” The man didn’t return the smile, but seemingly noticing Dalton’s interest in the photographs, he came closer. “Do you like them?”
There was a trace of an accent there. Dalton couldn’t quite place it. Eastern European, he guessed.
“Very much,” he replied. “They’re remarkable. I’ve never seen Catherine like this before.”
The man looked between Dalton and photographs. “I’m glad you like them. I took all of these.”
Up close, he was even better looking than his first appearance. His eyes were dark grey and there was stubble on his square jaw, also flecked with grey.
“Wow,” Dalton said. “They are sensational…really.”
At last, his mouth turned upwards into the smallest suggestion of a smile.
“Thank you.” He held out his hand. “My name is Antoni.”
Dalton accepted the handshake. The party had finally improved.
Author Interview
Indie or Traditionally published? - Tell us how this works for you...
Most of my romance titles have been published by Pride Publishing. They are great to work with. They have a supportive editorial team and they have produced some incredible artwork for my books. I know I’m in safe hands when I publish with them. I have dabbled with self-publishing on a couple of novellas and one novel. I enjoy the freedom that comes with indie publishing. A lot of publishers want their authors to pitch and write on-going series, and sometimes I just want to tell a standalone story, so indie is always there for those one-off books.
There’s a lot more work involved with indie. You have to be across everything: writing, editing, artwork, promotion. It requires building up a network of contacts to help you along the way. While that’s great, my time is limited, and I like to focus on the writing. I think I’ll continue with a hybrid of both without being exclusive to either form.
Do you pre-plot your books, use an outline, fly by the seat of your pants or some combination of things? How do you keep track of characters in a series? Do you keep a journal of your characters statistics, such as hair and eye color, relatives, hometown, etc.
Pantsing fills me with anxiety. I’m a control freak and just can’t do it. I plot everything before I write a word. That means character bios, settings, storylines all have to be worked out in advance. It works really well for me, especially when writing a series like Jagged Shores. I keep detailed notes for each book that includes lots of things that never makes it to the page, like what my characters first job was, childhood events, shoe size etc. It’s all there. My memory is awful, so I need to have all this stuff written down and within easy access.
I’ve been developing a fictional city as the setting for a new series and I’ve drawn maps and street names. I know where all the bars, cafes and parks are. When they first opened, what their busy times are, etc. Like I said – control freak.
Tell us about your first published gay fiction/romance
My first gay romance was a book called Closer by Morning. It was a thriller about an American actor called Dale, who is working on a TV series in the UK. He meets a local man called Matt when he attends a fitness boot camp and they hit it off right away. The story is set in Durham, in northeast England. As the guys get to know each other, a serial killer is attacking young men in the city and Dale and Matt soon become his latest targets. I love mixing passion and danger and Closer by Morning is loaded with both.
and then your most recent one…
Cold Day Dawning is the fourth title in my Jagged Shores series. These books are set in a fictional town called Nyemouth on the Northumberland coast. While the books are loosely linked with some recurring characters, each one can be read as a standalone with a satisfying conclusion. Cold Day Dawning features Dalton, a young man visiting Nyemouth to build bridges with his estranged sister Catherine. He falls for handsome local photographer Antoni, but as the guys get to know each other, things become complicated when Catherine disappears.
Which character still pops into your mind to visit from time to time?
Some of my supporting characters who didn’t get a chance to shine in the stories they featured in. There’s Max LaFranchi who appears in the Anthem trilogy. She’s a former child actor turned theatrical diva. I adored writing her and would love to bring her back in another book someday. The same with Davina Summer from Storm Warning. She’s a cruise ship singer and mother of one the main characters, I keep wondering how I can fit her into an upcoming book. Then there’s Jacob in the Jagged Shores series. He’s in his 70s with a colourful history and appears briefly in all of the books. I’ve considering writing a standalone prequel about Jacob as a younger man.
What are your writing goals for the next year? The future?
I’m halfway through the fifth and final Jagged Shores novel now, so that will be out sometime in the next year. I’ve also completed an erotic thriller. It’s a lot darker and sexual than the Jagged Shores series. I have some ideas about how I could turn that into a new series but haven’t committed to doing that so far. And if I do, I don’t know if I want to go traditional with it or keep total control with an indie publication. I’d also like to write a couple of novellas in between the longer books. So, other than completing Jagged Shores, the future is full of exciting possibilities.
What do you do if you hit a wall while writing? How do you combat writer’s block?
To be honest, it’s never happened yet. I outline and plan everything in such detail before I start, I don’t get stuck once I begin because I know exactly what has to happen and where I’m going. I’ll whisper this next bit quietly - I don’t believe in writers bock. To me, it’s just lack of planning.
What do your friends and family think of what you write; do they know?
They all know about my MM books. My husband’s cousin has actually become a big fan and has been pestering me to know what happens in Cold Day Dawning. I don’t expect my family and friends to read my books. Not everyone is into romance and that’s absolutely fine. If anyone asks for a copy I’ll send one, but I don’t force them upon people.
Thank you
About the Author
Thom Collins is the author of Closer by Morning, North Point and the Anthem Trilogy. His love of page turning thrillers began at an early age when his mother caught him reading the latest Jackie Collins book and confiscated it, sparking a life-long love of raunchy novels.
Thom has lived in the North East of England his whole life. He grew up in Northumberland and now lives in County Durham with his husband and two cats. He loves all kinds of genre fiction, especially bonk-busters, thrillers, romance and horror. He is also a cookery book addict with far too many titles cluttering his shelves. When not writing he can be found in the kitchen trying out new recipes. He’s a keen traveler but with a fear of flying that gets worse with age, but in 2013 he realized cruising is the best way to see the world.
Check out his website for news updates and a free ebook, The Night.
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