What can you tell us about your book?
Closer by Morning is a contemporary thriller set in Durham, North East
England, which is where I live. It’s a love story and a murder mystery
featuring two very hot guys; a young lawyer and an American actor. It’s a fast
paced and sexy book. I’m a huge fan of film noir and erotic thrillers like Basic
Instinct and Body Heat, and I’ve tried to bring a flavour of those
movies to the book with a MM twist.
What was the hardest thing about writing this book?
The hardest thing about writing any book is finishing it. It took 7 months to
complete the first draft of Closer by Morning. Round about the middle of
any project your initial enthusiasm can start to lag and it’s important to keep
going. Whenever I’ve stumbled in the past it’s always because I started to
write without a clear plan. The approach of seeing where the story takes you
has never worked for me, it always leads to a dead end. So with this book, I
had a well planned outline in place before I started. If you don’t make it to
the end, all you’ll have to show for your effort is an unfinished novel.
Is this a standalone or a series book?
Closer by Morning is as standalone book. It was always intended to be
and reaches a very definite and hopefully satisfying end. I love both
standalones and series novels. Variety in everything, that’s what I’m all
about. My next book will the first in a trilogy. I’ve already completed the
first novel and have started writing the second. But what I will say about
series books, I think each novel should work in it’s own right. I’m not keen on
books that build towards a climax and instead of reaching it, they end on a
massive cliff hanger, leaving everything unresolved. As a reader I find that
massively frustrating. Personally I think a book should be reasonably self
contained but leave something unresolved for the next novel. Chapters should
end on big cliff hangers but not novels.
What books are you reading at present?
I’ve just started reading Stephen King’s IT which is a massive book.
It’ll probably take me the rest of the summer to get through it’s 1350 pages.
It’s epic. But as I said before, variety in all things. The book I read last
was a short MM novella Enough For Him by Em Woods. I never like to read
the same kind of books one after the other, but rather mix it up with romance,
thrillers, horror, classics, erotica, biographies. Even when I read a series of
books, I like to pick up something else in between each volume. I’ve got a
massive pile of books on my to-read pile. This year is the 50th
anniversary of Jacqueline Susann’s Valley of the Dolls, the original
glamorous blockbuster, so I intend to reread that right after Stephen King.
Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?
I wish I’d met the late, great Jackie Collins. More than any other author she’s
had the biggest influence on me. She did a signing a few years ago at bookstore
near me and I’ll always regret not taking the time off work to go and met her.
Her novels are just effortlessly enjoyable and she had an incredible work
ethic. As soon as she finished writing a book, she would start work on the
next. Following her diagnosis with cancer, she wrote another 5 books before her
death.
What advice would you give to aspiring writings?
Find the story you want to write and do it. And once you get started, see it
through to the end. Your first draft might be rough and require a lot of work,
but at least it’s a complete thing. You can’t polish an unfinished book.
And don’t make excuses. Don’t have the time? Find it. I don’t write full time.
I wrote Closer by Morning on my evenings and days off. Do whatever it
takes to get the book done. Set yourself a realistic target and deadline too.
If you write 3000 words a week, which isn’t that hard, 600 words a day for 5
days a week, you will have a 78,000 word book within 6 six months. Another 4 to
6 months for revisions and within a year you’ve written a book. It’s totally
achievable, you just have to do it. Don’t procrastinate, get on with it.
Title: Closer by Morning
Blurb: When Matt
Blyth, a handsome young lawyer, joins an early morning boot camp, all he wants
is to get in shape. His 30th birthday is approaching fast. He’s
ready to throw away the past and embrace a new future. The last thing he
expects is to fall in love … or become embroiled in murder.
Dale Zachary, an American actor, is stuck firmly in the
closet. He spent his 20’s playing good-looking jocks in a bunch of bad horror
films and romantic comedies. But that boy next door act has a limited shelf
life. Dale has landed the role of his career playing a sexy psychotic killer in
a major British TV series. It’s a part that could make him a star. It’s no time
to fall in love but when Dale meets Matt, the attraction is impossible to
resist and they both fall hard.
Someone is killing young men in the city. A killer like no
other. The murders bear an uncanny resemblance to the script Dale is shooting.
A devious mind is at work. As their relationship becomes more complex, Matt and
Dale find the murders intruding further into their lives. The killer is closing
in on his next target … it could be either one of them … or both.
Author Bio: Thom Collins lives in Durham,
North East England. He enjoys writing racy, romantic thrillers and creating
strong, sexy characters. He is currently working on a new romantic trilogy. He
lives with his husband and two cats.
Twitter: @thomwolf @realthomcollins
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