I have been enjoying this series so much! Like the previous books, this one is filled with suspense, murder, mystery and romance. Dalton has come to Nyemouth to visit his sister who he doesn’t have the best relationship with. He never expected to meet someone and fall in love while he was there.

Antoni was viciously attacked months ago and nearly died. He’s still recovering mentally and doesn’t go out much but he agreed to come to a party being given by Dalton’s sister. When he meets Dalton, he finds himself attracted to another man for the first time since his attack.

Oh boy! This story kept me on the edge of my seat for nearly the whole thing. There were nice romantic and spicy moments mixed in with the intrigue and I enjoyed how the relationship between Dalton and Antoni progressed. Dalton was used to giving hugs and showing affection but he immediately backed off when he realized that Antoni wasn’t that way. Their attraction was undeniable but their physical relationship was more of a slow burn because that’s what Antoni needed.

Thom Collins’ writing kept the story going at a great pace and he packed a lot of things into 63,000 words. While I suspected some of the things that happened, there were still plenty of surprises and curves that really kept the story interesting. Once I started reading this I didn’t want to stop. Chapter twenty-six is set six months after the end of the main story and serves as a very good epilogue.

It has been around 8 months since I read the previous book in this series but the author gave me enough information that I was able to recall what happened previously. You can read Cold Day Dawning as a standalone but characters from the previous books do appear and I think you would enjoy it best if you’ve read the other books first. I was very happy to learn that there will be at least one more book coming in this series.

Interview with Thom Collins

Thank you for the opportunity to appear here today. I write MM romance novels with a strong thriller and suspense element. I live in the north east of England and most of my books are set in that area.

How long have you been an author?
I’ve always written but had my first professional story published when I was 20, way back in 1993. So – yikes –30 years. I’ve always written gay themed stories. Back then it was for magazines and gay presses, and I’ve been writing MM romance since 2016.

Tell us about your new release. What inspired you to write it?
Cold Day Dawning is the fourth book in my Jagged Shores series. It’s a contemporary romantic thriller set in the fictional coastal town of Nyemouth. Readers can expect lots of passion, intrigue, danger and mystery. Beautiful guys dealing with all kinds of trouble in a stunning location. Because it’s part of an on-going series, I wanted to respect the tone of the previous books and keep all the elements that readers enjoy, while delivering something different.

What is the hardest part of writing any book?
I always find the second draft the most difficult. I love outlining and then writing the first draft. The second draft is the boring bit when I have to tidy it all up, improve the grammar and find the mistakes.

Do you have genres you prefer reading, and if so what are they?
I like to read in all genres: romance, thrillers, horror, literary. I almost never read the same genre back to back, so if I finish a romance, I’ll reach for a horror novel next. I love a lot of variety in my books.

What book/s are you reading at the moment?
I’m reading Don’t Look Back in Anger, the third book in Kristian Parker’s Two Tribes trilogy. It’s a MM romance about rival gangs in Manchester. This trilogy is so good. I’m not usually a fan of gangster/mafia stories but the characters are so strong, and the suspense is off the scale in all three books. I highly recommend them.

Are any of your characters based on you or people you know?
When I was younger, they probably were, but now they are purely fictional. The only time I base a character on a real person is when I want to get revenge and I’ll usually get them back by doing something awful to them in print. I’m currently writing a book where the villain is based on someone terrible from my past.

Do characters and stories just pop into your head, or do you take your time thinking about and planning them?
I take my time. Every one of my stories starts with a project book where I plan out the characters and storyline in detail. I have to work it all out before I feel ready for the first draft. I know my characters dates of birth, shoe size, first crush, sexual experience – the lot. I also think it’s important with thriller plots to work them out in advance and plan how and when to reveal what’s going on to pay off the reader.

How often do you write? Do you have a schedule?
Friday is my regular writing day and I aim to complete 3,000 words. I then try to get an additional 2,000 words across the week for a total of 5,000. It takes me around 4 months to complete the first draft of a novel and that’s a decent pace for me. I don’t think I could go much faster and doubt I would want to. It would be nice to produce 2 or 3 books a year, but I love spending time doing other things too. I want to avoid burn out and keeping doing what makes me happy.

Are you a cat person or a dog person?
I love animals and have had horses, hamsters and parrots in the past. I have one cat at the minute, called Gambit, who is 15 years old. We used to have his sister Purdey too, but she passed away last year after a short illness. We adopted them when they were around 1 year old. I do like dogs, but I’m much more of a cat person.

Are you obsessed with stationery? And if so, what and why?
Great question. About 10 years ago I would have said massively. I used to write all my books and stories in long hand and had to have just the right quality of paper and pens. Now, I do my writing direct to the laptop, but I do all my planning in long hand, which means spiral bound project books with tabs for different sections, and good quality pens in different colours. I also print my manuscripts to do the second draft with pen and paper. I feel much involved in the writing when I have a nice pen in my hand. I hate cheap biros with thin scratchy nibs.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things (or people) would you want there with you?
1: I would need my husband. We both have our strengths and weaknesses but between us we usually manage to make everything work. I’m the more practical, physical one, and he’s the brains.
2: I don’t think I’d last long without my blood pressure medication so a good supply of meds would be essential.
3: And as those answers were quite dull/practical I’ll say my third choice would be a bottomless supply of single malt whiskey.

THANK YOU

Reviews for Thom Collins

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A few moments later, a door on the right opened and a man stepped out. He caught Dalton’s attention straight away. Dressed in jeans, a black T-shirt and a dark overshirt, the man looked nothing like the pretentious people he’d encountered so far this evening. He was also very handsome, which didn’t hurt. He was naturally good-looking, with brown hair, slightly wavy on the top and cut short at the back and sides where it was starting to turn grey. He had a serious-looking face, and Dalton’s initial impression was of something quite sad about his eyes and downturned mouth.

“Hi,” Dalton said cheerfully, hoping the guy wouldn’t turn out to be like all the other guests.

“Hello.” The man didn’t return the smile, but seemingly noticing Dalton’s interest in the photographs, he came closer. “Do you like them?”

There was a trace of an accent there. Dalton couldn’t quite place it. Eastern European, he guessed.

“Very much,” he replied. “They’re remarkable. I’ve never seen Catherine like this before.”

The man looked between Dalton and photographs. “I’m glad you like them. I took all of these.”

Up close, he was even better looking than his first appearance. His eyes were dark grey and there was stubble on his square jaw, also flecked with grey.

“Wow,” Dalton said. “They are sensational…really.”

At last, his mouth turned upwards into the smallest suggestion of a smile.

“Thank you.” He held out his hand. “My name is Antoni.”

Dalton accepted the handshake. The party had finally improved.

Jagged Shores Series

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