Anthem Sale and Jagged Shores Behind the Scenes Part 2

 

Dear reader

I hope this finds you enjoying the warm summer days. I didn’t think we were going to get they there in the UK this year, but we’ve had a few nice days lately. Best make the most of it while we can. It’s been quiet a busy summer for me. Owing to a restructure at Pride Publishing, my next releases have been pushed back to early next year. The first two books in the new series are already complete, so rather than rush headfirst into book three, I’ve spend the summer writing a MM suspense novella. I’m working on the second draft right now before it goes off to the editor. All going to plan, I hope to put this out for my birthday at the end of October – Halloween to precise.

More news on that soon once I know we can definitely hit the release date, but you can expect a contemporary MM thriller with hot guys, mega suspense and plenty of spice.

In the meantime, Pride Publishing are running a special offer on Anthem of the Seas, the first book in the Anthem Trilogy. If you missed this first time around, you can get book one for just 99c/99p. Don’t miss out on a bargain just in time for summer.

GET IT HERE



JAGGED SHORES – BEHIND THE SCENES – SAFE HARBOUR

It’s always a challenge when starting a romance book to deliver what the readers expect of the genre, without repeating yourself and Safe Harbour was no exception. As Dominic and Arnie got their happy ending in North Point, the first idea I had was to use Dominic’s old house as the setting for the second book. With the property now being used as a holiday let, it was the perfect opportunity to bring a stranger to the town.


When Matt and Jake meet, they both have a history of bad marriages behind them. Matt’s marriage is far in the past, though Jake’s ex-husband is very much a present problem. Vince, who became the villain of the story, was based on some I used to know, but to be fair, the Safe Harbour version of Vince is much worse than the real person. Matt and Jake are mainly fictional, though my husband is a lawyer so that must have filtered through into this great guy. I also wanted to continue the lifeboat theme from the first book, so it made sense that local boy Jake would be a volunteer hero.

I decided early on that the big, suspenseful climax would take place on a boat, but it couldn’t be too similar to the finale of North Point. Add in a jealous ex and a gun and the stage was set for a nail-biting end. I’ve mentioned before that North Point was intended as a standalone so I wasn’t sure if I could pull off a second book, but I was delighted with the way Safe Harbour turned out. The mix of romance, tension, sexy and danger were so much fun to write. Together with North Point, this second book set the template for what the Jagged Shores series would be.

GET IT HERE


 

Happy reading

Thom X

JAGGED SHORES Behind the Scenes Part 1

 Dear reader

With the series now at an end, I thought it would be fun to share a few behind the scenes moments with you on the creation of Jagged shores.

First up – it was never intended to be a series. The first book, North Point, started life as a standalone. I wanted to write a story set on the north east coast of England which would feature a life boat volunteer as one of the heroes. I grew up in Northumberland and am familiar with the coastline but there wasn’t one specific town that I thought would be best suited as a location, so I created Nyemouth, which was an amalgam of several different places.

   

I plan all of my novels in advance using a student project book. I usually start with a bit of a mood board, collecting images of the kinds of people and locations I want to feature.

 

From there it’s a case of creating a cast list, building the characters and then the story outline. Only when that is all in place, do I start writing.

It was when I turned the book in to the publisher that they came back and asked if I could develop it into an ongoing series. My initial reaction was – not really. Dominic and Arnie had their happy ending, and I didn’t want to mess with that. But I quickly realised that Nyemouth itself could be the basis for a series of loosely connected standalone thrillers. There were supporting characters like Jacob who could return again and again. Once I hit on that idea, everything fell into place.

  

GET IT HERE

I hope you’ve enjoyed this behind the scenes look at my creative process. Look out for more details in the coming weeks.

Happy reading

Thom X

JAGGED SHORES 75% off Books 1-4

 

Dear readers

If you have missed any of the previous Jagged Shores books, First for Romance have a great deal on at the minute with a massive 75% off the first four books – North Point, Safe Harbour, Deep Waters and Cold Day Dawning. They also have Jagged Ends for Just £3.99 – considerably less than other retailers. At the time of writing this, Jagged Ends is also the number 1 book across all romance genres at the site.

Get them here: Jagged Shores Series (firstforromance.com)

It’s been just over a week since the release of Jagged Ends and there have been some fantastic early reviews.

“The climax is so suspenseful I couldn’t put the book down. It is not often the suspense side of the story captivates me so much more than the romance but for me, JAGGED ENDS is all about the suspense and I loved it.”

“I’ve read every book in this series and each one was a 5-Star read for me and Jagged Ends is no exception. This gripping story had me hooked right from the start and for much of it I was on the edge of my seat. Thom Collins really knocked it out of the park with this one.”

I love that readers are appreciating the thriller aspects of the book as much as the hot romance. I put so much effort into building suspense that it’s a huge reward to hear it paid off.

That’s all for now but if you’re a Jagged Shores fan look out for upcoming posts where I’ll let you into the development of the series and some of the guys who inspired all those hot characters.

 Happy reading

Thom X

JAGGED ENDS Out Now

 Dear reader

 I’m delighted to be celebrating the release of Jagged Ends, the fifth and final novel in my Jagged Shores series. I can’t quite believe we’re here. When I wrote North Point, I intended it would be a standalone, but my editor at the time asked if there was any chance of turning it into an on-going series. Five books later and here we are.

Are you ready to return to Nyemouth for one last time? If you do you can expect hot guys, passion, romance and a very twisted villain. In Jagged Ends we meet Andy, manager of a local hotel. Andy’s quiet life is turned upside down with the arrival of Jerico, a celebrity chef, who is about to open a restaurant in the town. Jerico also happens to be Andy’s ex. Their reunion gets off to an explosive start when someone attempts to sabotage Jerico’s new business  and as the two men reconnect, they find themselves in increasing danger.

As it’s the last book, you can also expect appearances from some old favourites to ensure the series goes out on a high.

GET IT HERE: 

JAGGED ENDS

 Jagged Shores may have reached an end but I’m currently putting the finishing touches to the second book in a brand-new series. Stay tuned for more information when an introductory story drops later this summer followed by the first book in October. Expect the same thriller and suspense elements that make Jagged Shores so much fun, only things are about to get a lot sexier and darker.

Have a great time and happy reading.

Thom X

DEEP WATERS - only 99c

 In the run up to the release of JAGGED ENDS on 30th April, you can get the ebook of Deep Waters for just 99c for a limited time. 

Don't miss out and take advantage of this great offer

GET IT HERE

The previous titles in the series are all also available at a discounted price in the lead up to the release of the new book.

NORTH POINT

SAFE HARBOUR

COLD DAY DAWNING

JAGGED ENDS the final book in the series is available to pre-order now.

JAGGED ENDS

PTSD and the final Jagged Shores Book

 After last weeks post about the Cold Day Dawning character of Antoni, I’ve been asked by a couple of people to elaborate on my own PTSD experience which informed Antoni’s character development. Happy too.

Trigger warning – some reader might want to skip what follows.

I won’t go into huge detail because I don’t want to reignite the situation, but about 11-12 years ago, I encountered someone who bore a grudge against me. After a short period that involved threats and menacing phone calls, this person broke into my office, emptied two cans of petrol over my desk and chair and set fire to it. Long story short, this person was arrested within a few days, admitted to the whole thing, and went to jail.

Although it was a shock at the time, it didn’t seem to bother me too much in the beginning. I was made to go for counselling by my employers, but it did nothing for me (not least because the counsellor spent most of the sessions telling me about her holidays – but that’s another story.) It was a few months later that I started to feel the impact. Nightmares. I was angry a lot of time. I didn’t trust the people I encountered at work. I withdrew and didn’t want to go out. I became security obsessed. It all culminated in some suicidal thoughts, which is when I finally asked for professional help. Getting help was only the beginning of a long recovery process and although I’ve processed it, I still get triggered occasionally.

When this person was first released from prison, they went on to commit an even more serious violent offence against someone else, which brought a lot of my anxiety back. They went to prison on an even longer sentence, but when they escaped from custody a couple of years ago, I wasn’t allowed to go into work until they were apprehended.

They are next due for release in two years time.

So that’s basically it. Although I’ve never written about what happened directly, I can see that it’s influenced a lot of the stories and characters I have created. My first novel Closer by Morning is very dark. I wrote it as I was still recovering, and I think it reflects the troubled place I was in at the time. I was certainly able to draw on those difficult times to write about what Antoni goes through in the aftermath of Deep Waters and during Cold Day Dawning. I don’t think PTSD defines me or my books. I write romance stories, but I’ve had a life long love of thrillers and horror which have always been huge influences. I think I’ve been able to harness the PTSD experience and process it in a positive and cathartic way.

If anyone is going through that kind of thing now, I can only offer my best wishes. There’s a lot of help available but it’s not always the right help, or the help you need at the time, but it’s better to reach out and tell someone. As I said above, recovery is a long process, it takes years, but for me acknowledging something was wrong and talking about it, was a great beginning.

So, on a happier note, the reviews for Cold Day Dawning are fantastic. I’m delighted that the book is being so well received. Last week I sent the final book in the series to my publisher, and they have fixed the release date already. Jagged Ends (Jagged Shores 5) will be out on 30^th April next year. I can’t say too much about it yet. It’s another standalone romance, but if you’ve enjoyed the series so far, I can promise the return of some favourite characters before the series reached an end.

GET COLD DAY DAWNING HERE

Cold Day Dawning - who is Antoni?

 Cold Day Dawning is out in the world and getting a great reaction – always a relief. I thought I’d share a little bit of my writing process and how I came to create one of the main characters Antoni Nowak.

Antoni was easy in a way as he had already appeared in a supporting role in the previous book Deep Waters. I make detailed notes and bios of all my characters, so I already knew his backstory. The challenge this time was to discover how his injuries in the last book had impacted upon him.

Antoni is a photographer who runs a gallery in the town centre with his brother Roger. He was left in a critical condition at the end of Deep Waters with serious injuries. When we meet him again, his physical wounds have healed but the mental scars have left a more lasting impact. He suffers from anxiety attacks, lack of appetite and has trouble sleeping, but he’s a survivor and is slowly rebuilding his life with support from his family and friends.

I found myself digging deep into my own past for this. I went through an event in 2012 that left me with PTSD for a several years afterwards. While my own experience was more psychological than physical, I was able to tap into that to address Antoni’s circumstances in this book.

I plan all of my stories and characters in project books. No modern software or folder structures for me – it’s all done on pen and paper. I use a lot of actors and models to give the physical features for the characters. Again, I’m very old school with this, printing and cutting out photos of people I like.

So Antoni already had a detailed bio and physical description from my Deep Waters story notes. For this book I had to update them with what he’d been through since and where he was right now.

When Antoni meets handsome Dalton Caine at a party, it seems like his life is about to take a turn for the better. But as they get to know each other and their relationship develops, Antoni and Dalton are plunged into a twisted mystery that put both their lives at risk.

I’m so proud of Cold Day Dawning and the character of Antoni. I enjoy romance and suspense in equal measures and feel I hit it just right in this book.

GET IT HERE

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