David C. Dawson has a new MM mystery romance book out: "Heroes in Love."
Can forbidden love stand the test of time?
Will its strength inspire lasting love in today’s generation?
There are not only heroes, but unlikely heroes, who are determined to see love win.
Billy’s life changes in a single day when he meets Daniel, who becomes the love of his life.
Billy’s aging client Chuck has a dark and sad secret to reveal. As Billy and Daniel fight to help Chuck reunite with the love of his past, their own fledgling relationship is threatened.
Who will remain the heroes in love?
Get It On Amazon | Boroughs Publishing | Smashwords | Universal Link
Giveaway
David is giving away a $10 Amazon gift card with this tour. Enter via Rafflecopter for a chance to win:
Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d47104/?
Excerpt
Daniel’s kitchen was filled with a jumble of antiquated cooking gadgets accumulated from different eras in the social history of domesticity. An ancient, blackened stove stood in the chimney alcove. Next to it, an oversized American retro blender perched precariously on a mottled red Formica work surface, alongside a vintage 1930s toaster. A Victorian clothes dryer hung from the high ceiling above an antique pine table. The walls were cluttered with framed pictures, mostly collections of actors smiling from bygone West End productions. Every surface seemed cluttered with either elaborate culinary equipment or music manuscripts.
Billy looked around him in awe. The house was narrow, but extended a long way back. There seemed to be so much space. “Can I ask a cheeky question?”
“You mean, how can I afford this?” replied Daniel. “I know. I’m very lucky. My grandfather left it for me when he died. This was where I ran to when I left my parents and came to London. Grandpa Bob was the world to me. He was my mum’s father, and the dad I never had.”
“It must be worth a fortune now.”
“Three bedroom terrace house in desirable Battersea?” Daniel turned to the worktop, and opened a cupboard in front of him. “I suppose it is. But it means more to me that this was Grandpa Bob’s home. Lots of the things I have here were actually his.”
He turned back to Billy.
“I said coffee, but would you prefer tea?”
Daniel crossed to the stove, picked up a large whistling kettle, and carried it to the sink.
“Have you got mint tea?” asked Billy.
“Ooh, there’s fancy,” replied Daniel as he filled the kettle. “Give me a second and I’ll gather some leaves from the garden. Peppermint or spearmint?”
“Now it’s my turn to say ‘ooh, there’s fancy,’” replied Billy. “I’ve got no idea, but probably peppermint.”
Daniel set the kettle down on the stove and lit the gas. He picked up a pair of scissors from the dresser, crossed to the backdoor, and undid two heavy bolts.
“Come and have a look at the outside space Maggie created for me,” he said.
Daniel swung open the door. Billy could see a hazy glow of twinkling lights beckon him into the mysterious space beyond the threshold. Leading away from the kitchen door he saw an avenue of sculpted shrubs, each festooned with tiny lanterns. The pathway seemed to be endless, disappearing into the far distance. On either side of the doorway were two Victorian lampposts. A flickering yellow light illuminated huge glass globes on top of the wrought iron posts.
Billy stepped across the threshold into the garden. The ground felt soft beneath his feet. He squatted down and gently brushed the palm of his hand over its mossy surface. His nostrils were filled with the scent of chamomile. Billy looked back over his shoulder. Daniel stood smiling in the doorway.
“This is how I keep sane in this city of madness.”
Billy stood and walked farther into the garden. After a few yards he came across a break in the avenue of shrubs. It revealed a small, half-walled patio lit by two more wrought iron lanterns. They spilled yellow flickering light onto two chairs and a neat, glass-topped table. Suspended on the walls around the patio were earthenware pots in which grew many different types of herbs.
Daniel appeared at Billy’s side with the scissors in his hand.
“I’ve come to get you your tea.”
Billy felt as if he had been transported into a film set. Every one of his five senses was overwhelmed by the magic of Daniel’s west London wonderland.
“It’s beautiful,” said Billy. “It’s so - tranquil. Surely this must have cost a fortune to build?”
Daniel bent down to the chamomile lawn.
“I’m afraid it’s mostly fake, but it’s very realistic.”
He walked across to the wall of herbs, and harvested a handful of mint leaves.
“I haven’t switched on the mist,” said Daniel. “The pump needs some fixing. If I did, the romance here would’ve been overpowering.”
Billy turned as Daniel stopped behind him. He held a handful of mint leaves to Billy’s nose, and Billy inhaled deeply.
“Peppermint,” said Daniel. “I hope I made the right choice.”
He lowered his arm, hooked it around Billy’s waist, and pulled him closer. He leaned forward and kissed Billy slowly on the mouth. Daniel’s lips parted as he said quietly:
“Shit.”
He dropped his arm from Billy’s waist, reached into his front pocket, and pulled out the scissors.
“I wasn’t planning on giving myself a circumcision tonight.”
Daniel let the scissors and the handful of mint fall to the ground. He wrapped his arms around Billy, and pulled him close. Suddenly they were kissing, wildly, passionately. Daniel placed his hand on the back of Billy’s neck, holding the two men close as their tongues hungrily explored each other’s mouths. He wrapped his arm tight around Billy’s waist, and slipped his hand down to push their groins closer together.
Billy had never felt such immediate connection with a man before. Daniel was both passionate and tender. So many men he had met simply behaved like sexual animals. Encounters with them would start promisingly, but soon they would slip into clichéd actions copied from a badly made porn movie.
But Daniel was different. One moment he was kissing Billy with a passionate urgency. His raw aggression filled Billy with a sense of sexual danger. The next moment Daniel was gently sliding his tongue across Billy’s stubble, or tenderly kissing him on his forehead, on his eyes, or his nose.
Finally, Daniel slipped his hands onto Billy’s shoulders, and the two men stood with their foreheads touching. Their eyes locked on each other in an unblinking gaze.
“Do you still want that mint tea?”
“Maybe I’ll have a coffee after all,” said Billy. “I’d like to stay awake tonight.”
Hello! I’m with David C Dawson. He’s an award winning author, broadcaster and filmmaker. His new book Heroes in Love is just published. David, let’s begin with a little about yourself and your writing.
Thank you so much for having me! Here are
three facts about me.
Number 1:
I started writing when I was seven. I wrote a story for a BBC children’s
TV competition – and I won!
Number 2: My son produced the video trailer
for my first book. It included a steamy gay embrace, which he was very proud to
shoot for his dad!
Number 3: I used to write news bulletins
for BBC radio. That’s when I learned to read what I’d written out loud, to make
sure there weren’t any unintended rhymes! And that did happen to me once when I
was in a hurry…
So if
you had to use just three words to describe your writing style, what would they
be?
Punchy, funny, wistful
Who
are your three major literary influences?
M. C. Beaton – such a clever writer. She
writes not only the Agatha Raisin cosy mysteries, but also the Hamish MacBeth
which I love.
Marc Levy – he’s a brilliant French
thriller writer, whose stories always have a hint of fantasy or sci-fi in them.
I’ve not written any sci-fi yet but, watch this space!
Paul Burston – Paul is an hilarious British
gay writer. His books include Shameless – one of my favourites, The Gay
Divorcee which is hilarious, and Lovers and Losers which is very poignant.
But
what would you say are your three all time favourite books?
That’s a really hard one, as it changes the
more I read! But as of today, I would say:
Any Human Heart by William Boyd. It’s full
of humanity. The most heart-warming book I’ve ever read.
Maurice by E. M. Forster. Such a brave book
to write in the early twentieth century England, even if it wasn’t published
until long after his death.
Peter Pan – J. M. Barrie. I know. It’s a
children’s book! But it’s beautifully written.
So what
are your three essential writing tools?
Peace and quiet
At least one cat! Usually two.
Lots of water. I try to avoid coffee as it
sends my brain all over the place.
Where
are your favourite places to write?
If I’m really lucky I stay with a friend of
ours who lives by the sea near Barcelona in Spain. It’s idyllic!
Otherwise I love to sit in the same room as
my boyfriend, who’s a composer. He has his headphones on at his electronic
keyboard, and I have my headphones on with Chopin playing. It’s lovely to have
each other’s company, even though we don’t talk while we’re working.
Last summer I built a writing shed in the
garden. It’s very basic and has a few spiders in it! But there’s no phone
reception and no internet. No distractions!
What
are your top tips for aspiring writers?
Write! It doesn’t matter what to start
with, but exercise that writing muscle.
Don’t edit in your head. You’ll never write
anything. Get it all on the page even if you think it’s nonsense, and then edit
it.
Read what you’ve written out loud. It
completely changes how you perceive the rhythm of your writing.
Tell
us your writing plans for 2020
I’m writing book 3 – the final one! – in
the Delingpole series. That should be out this year.
Then I’ll move on to a First World War
romance, which I’ve already started. It’s based on real-life characters and a
fascinating story of early twentieth century England. It’s my first historical
and I’m really excited about it.
I’m toying with the idea of having another a
go at writing a musical. My boyfriend is a musical director, so I ought to be
able to get some tips!
Tell us
about your latest release
It’s a double love story. Billy and Daniel
are two Londoners in their late twenties who fall in love at the start of the
book. But they get involved with the troubled love affair of an elderly
American called Chuck. Billy is a care worker and Chuck is his client. Billy
and Daniel are trying to make a go of their own relationship, which is not
without its problems, at the same time as trying to save Chuck’s forty-year-old
love affair. I think it’s the best book I’ve written so far, but then I’m
biased!
Author Bio
David C Dawson writes contemporary thrillers featuring gay men in love. He’s an award winning author, journalist and documentary maker.
His debut novel The Necessary Deaths won Bronze for Best Mystery & Suspense in the FAPA awards. The second in the series is The Deadly Lies. His third book For the Love of Luke came out in October 2018.
David lives in London, with his boyfriend and two cats. In his spare time, he tours Europe and sings with the London Gay Men’s Chorus.
Author Website: www.davidcdawson.co.uk
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