Blog Tour: Saving Samuel by Nicole Colville

4/10/2015

Police officer Milo and Fireman Daniel have been dating off and on for six years, but it always seems more off than on. Just when their relationship reaches breaking point, someone enters their lives, unknowingly helping the confused couple work through their differences.

Falling in love with the man Daniel rescued and who Milo is investigating as a potential arson suspect isn’t a conventional start to any relationship, especially one which includes a mysterious blond who’s afraid to stop running. But they both see what didn’t work out as a couple, could work out as a ménage.

Daniel and Milo unite to help save Samuel, but quickly realise he’s not the only one being saved.

With so many obstacles in their way threatening to destroy the future they desire, all three have to fight to create a bond too strong for anyone or anything to break.

Meet the first three men in my Manchester Ménage Collection.

Pages or Words: 95,000 words, 317 pages

Categories: Contemporary, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Menage/Poly, Romance

About the author:

Nicole Colville was born and currently lives in Leeds, England. She is a wife and mother of two young girls who somehow manages to fit in being a full time author of m/m romance and erotica. She loves writing complex characters in bittersweet romances which will leave you addicted and craving more from her men

Although best known for her popular series, Hidden and Knights to Remember, she also enjoys writing with friend, and fellow author, E.M Leya. Together they have published two books in their Sinful Temptation Collection with more planned.

Her new menage collection based in the popular city of Manchester, England is her first solo full length novel outside of The Hidden Series and has three books planned for release in 2015 & 2016.

Where to find the author:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nicole.colville.the.hidden.series
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/The.Hidden.Series.Nicole.Colville?pnref=lhc
Twitter: @NikkieColville
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/nicolecolville/

Goodreads Link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25047836-saving-samuel

Publisher: Hidden Pleasures

Cover Artist: Kellie Dennis. Book Cover by Design. http://www.bookcoverbydesign.co.uk/

Interview:

If you could be any character male or female from one of your books, who would it be and why?
I would be Scot Victore who’s in almost all my Hidden books. He’s a person who I admire and respect and I just stand back in awe of his honesty and lack of tact. He has all the qualities I admire in a person. Intelligence. Honesty. Loyalty. Bravery. He’s also outspoken and gets what he wants in life through any means possible. The fact he’s a billionaire has nothing to do with it. Nothing at all. Nope! Okay, it would be awesome to have that lifestyle. I mean, I wouldn’t turn it down lol

Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Definitely a pantser. LOL I never plan. I mean, I think about my characters. I spend months before a book living with them, getting to know them. Some more than other, but I see them as real people, and in real life some people take more time to understand them.
Every character is different and unique, so how we understand each other is new each time. The only time I write anything down is if I can’t start the book there and then. I’ll do a page, a rough outline or any ideas I have wafting around my blonde brain. But I can write three different books at the same time. I get bored easily, so I need plenty of things to keep my mind occupied.

How do you think your writing has developed since you started?
I’ve improved so much it’s difficult to pin point one area, but I’m going with grammar and my knowledge of editing. I am the first to admit when I started out I had no idea what made a good editor, and because of that, I chose badly… twice. Finding the right person to work with took time, and of course, I wish I could go back in time and meet my editor and now friend Jessica earlier, but I can’t.
I’ve learned so much in such a short time, and I now feel more confident at spotting my errors than when I first published. I even help out other people and pass on that knowledge.

Are you tempted to write in other genres?
Hmmm, I have had requests from some people to write a M/F story. I’ve written M/F with one of my characters who’s bisexual, but it was just short glimpses into his life. I really don’t see a big difference in the actual relationship, it’s the sexual part which throws me. When I get down to those parts, it always… icky? LOL I can’t explain it. But I do have a great M/F couple in my Hidden series which I would love to write about, so we’ll see what happens.

Do you read reviews? How do you deal with the good, the bad, and the ugly?
I always read my reviews, good and bad. Thankfully the bad ones are much less than the good ones, but I see all of them as useful in some way, even the very worst one. If the review is constructive about its criticism, then I’ll genuinely think about what I can change to improve.
Obviously it hits you in the gut if someone leaves you a bad review. We’re all human, and we can’t stop that from happening, but you have to take them with a pinch of salt, because not everyone will enjoy what you write. You can’t please 100% of people 100% of the time. We all have personal tastes, and sometimes a person is going to read your book and hate it just because it’s not their cup of tea.
I have seen ugly reviews where someone has just gone all out and slammed the book and the author personally and I don’t like to see that. It feels like bullying and very personal. Perhaps it’s not and I see it from my writer’s perspective, or maybe it’s my English politeness which makes me gasp. Who knows? :D
I always tell people to take something positive from a negative, turn it around and use it for something good. Don’t let these things get you down.

Do you have an image in your mind of your characters before you start? Do you use photos or character interviews? How do you bring them to life?

I always have an image, a very specific one which can’t be replicated most times because I don’t see a famous person or model when I meet my new men, I just see them. I do my best to convey what I visualize onto the page, and I think from the pictures I get posted about my men from readers I'm doing good with that, because they’ve hit the nail on the head more than a few times.
I do use models to inspire me, certain poses or looks. I feel like Frankenstein collecting parts from a mixture of different bodies and putting them together to achieve what my character looks like.
I love visual things though, and I think it’s important to share and discuss characters with everyone. It’s great fun and we spend hours stalking groups for pictures.
The Hidden men have a popular following and people love to choose their favorite guy for them. We have a few models that are used as muses.

What's the process of your writing?
I get coffee, lots of it, then sit down with my legs crossed in the sitting room with the laptop on my knees… then I write. :D That’s it, I don’t plan, I don’t think about where I'm going, I just let the characters lead me and see what happens next.
Seriously, I am as surprise as some of you when I read what they’re doing. They piss me off. I talk to them all the time, and by talk, I mean bitch at them… “I mean, I didn’t really want that to happen. Can we talk about this some more and re-think this new direction? No? Fine!! Screw you too.”
I'm emotional. A method writer maybe lol Where the character takes over and lives through me. That’s the easiest way to explain it. I can’t plan because I don’t tell them what to do, they tell me what to do. And that’s the way I like it.

What are your strengths as a writer?
My deep connection to the characters. I feel what they feel, and I think that shows in my books. I don’t consider myself witty or intelligent, but somehow I can become both of those through my characters. I would love to act like some of them for the day and get away with it, but I don’t think I would ever be brave enough.

Do you have a favourite book that you've written?
Because I'm a ‘in the moment’ kinda gal, I'm going to say Saving Samuel. But ask me this after every book I've just published, and it would be that one :D

What has been the most useful thing to have helped you with your writing career?
My editor and teacher Jessica McKenna, and my friend and fellow author Emma Leya. Working with them both has taught me a lot. Jessica through her editing and grammar skills, and Emma through her years as a professional author. We were friends on FB for a while then we were asked to co-write an anthology together, which we did and loved, and we know have three books out together. We’re the complete opposite of each other, but we work really well together and our friendship is even stronger now than it was before.
The best advice I can give anyone is get a good editor who understands you and is willing to go that extra step to help you advance and grow as a writer, but not to push you or be demanding about your characters or plot. Then, join writing groups, make friends, write a few things together. Learn from each other.

Do you find the sex scenes easy or hard to write?
Hard so very hard *giggles* Oh, cum on!! You asked for that one. Okay, depends on the men and what’s going in their heads. Ménage threw me a bit when I first wrote it, but I think that was because it was new to the men in the book too. Like them, I grew with confidence every time :D

Of all your characters, which one would you fuck? Marry? Kill?
Oooo great question!! You know when I first saw this, I thought I had it all planned out and I would just write them down. Thirty minutes later and I’m still here... Damn!!
Fuck… Scot Victore. Yes, I would love to marry him, but I think we would kill each other in an act of extreme violence within a month, so best to stick to a fuck buddy relationship. :D And… he’s a good fuck.
Marry…Davide Bosse. He’s one person who could be tender and calm with my tantrums and diva-style behavior, but also be dominant enough to make sure I didn’t take the piss.
Kill… Urgh! Hard one. I’ve killed off all the evil bastards, so that leaves me with the ones I love…Seriously, I’ve stared at this for like half an hour. I just can’t do it. I could never kill off one of the men I love. It would hurt too much. Even thinking about it makes me break out in a cold sweat.

Is there a couple or character from another book you would love to have appear in one of your stories?
OMG I would love to see a business meeting between Scot Victore and Mr. Christian Grey. That would be worth a lot of money to see how they interacted with each other.

Is there a character in any of your books that you didn't plan on—a character who forced their way into the story?
Oh God! Yes!!! AND… he turned out to be the main character in one of my series. People who have read Hidden will know him as simply Mr. V. Scot. Yep! Scot Victore was never planned out. He just walked in and took over the whole show.
I was writing about a couple, Jamie & Valerio. They were kinda happy, getting to know each other, taking things slow and sex wasn’t happening. It was an open relationship at that point, so Jamie kept his fuck buddy on the side. I got to the line where I needed to give this random person a name and just typed the first one which popped into my head. Skot. Later changed to Scot. One T. That’s important. ;)
He changed everything. I fell in love with him. He made me go back and write the beginning and hey presto, Mr. V took over.
Also…. People may hate me for even thinking this, but before I decided what to do about my love triangle, I thought about killing him off. Yeah, I know, I just said earlier I couldn’t do that, but I didn’t love him like I do now and the guy was pissing me off big style by changing my sweet love story into some melodramatic, deeply messed up angsty love triangle thingy. So, he was going to go skiing, and die in an avalanche. I’M SORRY!!!

Which of the characters in your books did you have the most fun writing?
Sebastian Knight. He’s a male escort from my short story series Knights to Remember. He cracks me up. Some of the things he comes out with is just so amazingly funny, he has a really quick wit and a bitchy attitude which I wish I had the balls to use myself.

When you finish writing a book, how do you say goodbye to the characters?
This may, or may not, be a surprise, but… I just can’t say goodbye to them, hence the Hidden series having fourteen books in it so far. Even the standalone books I plan never end up being standalone because I want to keep in touch with them and see what happens. I already have a novella planned for Saving Samuel because I feel bereft of their company so much. It’s like your best friend moving away suddenly and leaving you alone. I want to travel with them for a bit longer.

Excerpt:

Their mouths parted, Daniel moaning as Milo slipped his tongue inside him, teasing him with soft caresses until he plunged deeply into his mouth, fighting with Daniel’s tongue as their bodies began to grind together in that perfect dance. Both were so in tune to the other, both knowing just what to give to drive the other insane with desire.

“I need you, Danny. You can feel how much I need you.” Milo pressed the ridge of his swollen cock against Daniel’s, both groaning as their lengths rubbed against each other. “What I need, I can only get from you. You’re the only one on my mind. Even when I'm alone, you’re the one I see, who I hear with me, who I feel under me, over me, against me. It’s just you, Daniel. It has been for three years. There’s no one else.”

Daniel’s hands were in Milo’s hair, clinging onto him tightly and forcing their mouths to collide again, his hips raising up and crushing their cocks against each other. They were both breathing too fast, their bodies crying out for more when Milo lifted from Daniel’s swollen lips.

“You don’t have to lie to me.” Daniel moaned as Milo worked his hand over his cock, the sweatpants he wore tenting over his length.

“I’m not lying.”

Daniel’s eyes focused more on him, the truth finally seeping through that thick skull of his. “Milo…”

Milo fisted his hand tighter in Daniel’s hair. Seeing him like this turned him on too much. “Tell me what you want.”

Daniel paused, but his body rose up to Milo’s, begging for what it needed before he could say the words. “I need you inside me.”

Sales Links: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00U6H9846