Book Lovers 4Ever: SILVER SCARS by Posy Roberts Tour & Giveaway

Book Name: Silver Scars
Author Name: Posy Roberts

Release Date: June 22, 2015

Pages or Words: 86,700 words

Publisher: Labyrinth Bound Press

Cover Artist: Natasha Snow
Categories: Contemporary, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance

Blurb:

A bomb destroyed high-powered lawyer Gil Lemieux’s seemingly perfect life, and PTSD has ruled every decision since the explosion that left him scarred inside and outside. Moving home with his mom is meant to be a temporary measure, just like proofreading for a medical institution is only meant to be a stopgap. But two years after taking on the wrong court case, he’s still living in fear.Keith Kramer might be based 1,500 miles away from Gil, but their shared work brings them together—a chance meeting that’s life-changing. Gil is drawn to Keith’s good looks and intelligence, but it’s his innate understanding that Gil is more than the scars on his skin that is truly attractive. He’s everything Gil used to be and more. It blows Gil’s mind that his attraction might be returned.Only doubt could widen the distance between them. Keith’s hopefulness, borne out of surviving some tough challenges of his own, isn’t enough to bridge the distance alone. Gil will need to believe he has as much to offer as Keith if they’re to build a life together.

Guest Post

Posy Roberts

Research is one of those words that either inspires dread or excitement. I love it, and it's a good thing I enjoy it, because writing is one of those jobs that requires a lot of it.

When I wrote Silver Scars, I covered subjects I didn't know a great deal about. For example, my main character Gilbert lives in Arizona. I've never been there, but I have friends who have. They're generous enough to provide first hand information so I can create details to make stories feel more authentic.

I write about the Traumatic Brain Injury Gil experienced eighteen months before Silver Scars begins; he survived a bomb planted to kill him. I don't write about TBI in an overt way, going into a list of symptoms, but I do explore Gil's past experiences by doing my best to weave important details into the story.

Several years ago, I had a good friend deal with a TBI after a serious car accident. The experienced changed her dramatically, taking her from a carefree, spontaneous risk taker to a very cautious person who planned every detail of her life out that she could.

I could've easily turned my friend's experiences into Gil's, but I didn't want to do this. First off, my friend was seventeen when this happened to her, so her brain was not fully developed. She also hadn't started her career or established her life much, whereas when this happens to Gil, he's a successful lawyer, a homeowner, and a mature adult very settled in his life.

My friend's experience was only one resource for me, so my old professors would be very pleased to know I dug for multiple sources. And I've found that when I do research something like TBI, PTSD, or anxiety, I find multiple descriptions of experiences that have not been shared by the people I've spoken to.

I think that's the value of digging deeper. Real life may inspire me to write a story, but my goal is to write a new character with unique experiences.

There is one topic, which I can't disclose here since it's a spoiler for Silver Scars, but I had to dive head first into an unknown world. I was lucky enough to find a very helpful YouTube channel a woman created to share her experiences. I watched hours of her videos and incorporated much of her information into my descriptions of my other character, Keith, but when I went back to edit, I found I'd added far too much.

And that's the downside of research. As a student, I added every little scrap of information into papers I wrote, but as an author, it's more important to include flavors of the research. I've found that's easier to do on my second or third edit. I'm sure in my next book, I'll include far too much detail in draft one, but by the time I submit my book, I will have pulled out all but the essential.

I'm writing fiction not a research paper, after all.

About the author:
Posy Roberts writes about romantic male love. Whether these characters are family men, drag queens, or lonely men searching for connections, they all find a home in her stories.
Posy is married to a man who makes sure she doesn’t forget to eat or sleep; her daughter, a budding author and dedicated Whovian, helps her come up with character names. When Posy’s not writing, she enjoys crafting, hiking, and singing spontaneously about the mundane, just to make normal seem more interesting.