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26
Dec
2014

Christ Scully’s Nights Like These Cover Reveal

Good morning! I hope everyone is recovering from an exciting holiday yesterday, or a nice day off if you don’t celebrate. This morning I have the pleasure of revealing the cover of Chris Scully’s latest book, Nights Like These. The book sounds amazing. I can’t wait to read it. Plus the cover is beautiful. Be sure to read all about the book and an excerpt that will make you want to know what happens next. Don’t forget to enter for a chance to win a copy of the book all the way at the bottom. Without further ado, I give you Nights Like These, by Chris Scully.

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.

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.

Fun Facts About Chris:
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your first book?
I am one of those people changing words around until the last minute, but at some point you have to let a book go and stand on its own. Sure there are minor changes I’d love to make, but I don’t think that’s enough to generate a new edition. My first novellas were written on spec, meaning that the theme and length were pre-determined. Fourth and Long was my first published novella; it’s a time-travel story about a guy who gets a “do-over” and goes back to his high school, and I still think it’s a respectable first effort. It’s not something I would have written unprompted though. Some reviewers called it “derivative” (football player meets nerd), but some of that was intentional—it was meant to evoke thoughts of all those teen movies.

Looking back, I see that the themes in that novella are ones I continue to explore. I guess in that sense I am continuously “refining” that first book, but I don’t really believe in going back and doing new editions unless there are major additions. There are just too many new ideas waiting to be birthed. Do I have cringe-worthy moments? Of course. But that’s mostly because my writing has continued to evolve. I’m in a difference place right now; if I were to revise an earlier work it might not turn out to be the same story.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
From a process perspective, I find staying motivated extremely difficult. I’m a procrastinator. For me the challenge is not coming up with the stories—it’s getting them on paper (or in type). From a technical perspective, the thing I struggle most with is Canadian/ American linguistic differences. Although a story may take place in Canada, it has to be written in American English. I worked for an American-based corporation and many of my colleagues were American, so I thought I had a handle on the variations, but I’m continually surprised by the things that get pointed out to me on edits.

About Chris:
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.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chris.scully.author

Pre-Order Links:
Dreamspinner Press eBook: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5935
Dreamspinner Press Paperback: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5936

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

Giveaway:
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