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Brett Scott Ermilio will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. 

 

Author Interview

1. Woohoo! You are a published author. Describe a strong character trait you possess, good or bad, and how it helped you become a published author. My obsessive dedication to writing. It can definitely be both good and bad. I can literally sit at a computer and write for hours on end. It doesn’t faze me one bit. Of course there is the real world. And living in the creative realm and forgetting about the living things around you can create challenges and problems of their own. So I try to make sure my desire to write a million books, screenplays and TV shows doesn’t consume the real me.

2. Sometimes an author begins writing a story before they are aware of its genre. Did you choose your genre, or did it choose you? I specifically chose the genre. It was a challenge my wife gave me to write something in the realm of romance. I chose a romance-suspense because I know she loved a great thriller. With that in mind, I created “The Connolly Affair” and have delivered what she thinks is one of the best books she has ever read. I make her read the books a chapter or two at a time which kills her! (she likes to read books in chunks, finishing them in a day or two). So she has to go slow and by her angst, I can tell she is dying inside to get to the end. This trilogy only gets more and more thrilling as it rides into book 3. That must I can promise all my readers.

3. The plot thickens, or does it? Which one are you, a pantser or a plotter? Normally, I’m a plotter. I am pretty well-prepared on projects. But in order to impress my wife who is a pretty critical reader, I became a pantser in which I allowed the story to unfold on its own terms. Watching her read chapter by chapter gave me a good vision of where the story was heading. The more she demanded answers the better I knew I was doing. Now, I will say this, I do have a pretty good idea of where I’m going. I hold much of the story plot in my head even if I do fly by my pants. I guess I can be described best as a hybrid. J

4. Fear 101: As writers it is our duty to make our characters face their fears. Have you ever included one of your own fears in a storyline? Yes. In my book, Jacob, the character treads ever-so-closely on the line between dream and reality. It is a story in which the character experiences life-like dreams to the point where he may have a psychotic break (much like his mother). For me, I closely relate myself emotionally to my characters. Jacob is my most personal character. I wrote it when I was only 18. I’ve always pushed a creative envelope inside me.

5. Fear 102: Yes, deadlines are terrifying. Have you conquered the juggling act between writing and the rest of your life? What do you do when it feels like the balls are dropping all around you? Yes and no. I can sit and write and have no problem with delivery dates. The more pressure I put on myself the faster I go. Now, the rest of my life, i.e. my wife, it can be a great challenge to deliver on my responsibilities as a husband and father and write. It is so important to make time for the real world as I live in the creative. At this point, I’ve learned to do a pretty good job of it. It also works in my favor that I work quickly and can work under chaotic circumstances. Having 4 kids and 2 small loud dogs means I better be able to execute in noise!

6. Switch positions with one of your main characters in a scene. What is the outcome, disaster or divine intervention? Ha-ha. I will say that my wife and I did execute nearly all the ‘romance scenes’ in The Connolly Affair so I can assure you that I would be able to hold my own as Taylor Diamond from that perspective. I don’t know about divine intervention though! Ha. I would say, “holding my own.”

7. Where is your favorite place to write? Add that one comfort food that you can’t do without. I can pretty much write anywhere to be honest. I think at a desktop computer is my ideal. Laptops can be annoying at times. So I write fastest in my office (coincidentally, there is no TV in my office). If I was out and you said, “here is the book you’re working on-write.” I could start writing right there on the spot. My brain holds the stories in a ‘ready-to-go’ state. I’m very fortunate that way. It’s allowed me to complete great volumes of screenplays and TV spec scripts.

Comfort food. Well, much like the character Joey from “Friends,” I love sandwiches! I have a favorite I make which is toasted bagel, mayo, melted swiss cheese and honey ham. A variation is to add some hard salami and a slice of tomato. Or if I’m lazy, a bowl of Fruity Pebbles! Those are always my go-to comfort foods.

8. Writing inspirations? I honestly channel a lot of my writing emotion from my teenage years. I had my heart broken by a close friend a long time ago and it’s become my personal muse for writing. I am very good at putting myself in other character’s emotional states by feeding off that energy. This aids me greatly with all my work. Outside of that core emotion, music is incredibly inspiring to me. I use songs to inspire my writing all the time. A song will choose itself in my head, linking it to a story I’m writing. I will put headphones on and listen to that song/movie score on repeat over and over again. I can listen to it a thousand times while working on a project and not flinch.

9. You are introduced to your favorite author. Who is it, and what is that one burning question you must ask them? Stephen King. I’d ask him to pitch a story with the two of us as leads. What would happen to us? I’d wait to hear his incredible tale about the two of us creative goofballs.

10. I’ve gone mad – why don’t you come with me? Some people just don’t understand us writers. Name a quirky, writer-thing you do that friends wish you didn’t. My wife shakes her head when I talk to myself. Often times, before I type (or as I’m typing) I am acting out scenes and conversations in my head. I end up mumbling and talking without even knowing it. It would appear to a stranger that I might have imaginary friends running around me. It can be pretty weird. Like I said, I don’t even know I’m talking out loud sometimes.

 

The Connolly Affair

by Brett Scott Ermilio

Blurb:

Nicki Connolly’s life has flat lined. Nicki’s dull marriage to her husband, Aiden, flounders further and further into a hopeless abyss. Despite the setbacks, Nicki attempts to balance being a working mother, a successful attorney and relishes the distractions of a budding romance with a man named Taylor Diamond. Nicki has been assigned lead attorney in a massive class-action lawsuit that will make or break her career at the firm of Rapture and Myers. That is when the handsome Taylor Diamond appears in her life.

Taylor Diamond has been named second chair for the big case. Taylor has it all: looks, brains, a strong family name and many connections. But dark forces loom and converge upon Nicki and Taylor. As obstacles grow, the two form a fiery bond just as the case and her life reach an epic breaking point.

The Connolly Affair delivers a suspense-filled thrill ride that will have readers on the edge of their seats.

 

Excerpt:

See, everything new became old. Everything special became ordinary. I’d love to blame him for my betrayals, but mirrors are all too honest. And there was no way around it. I made this choice.

But even so, it is hard to fathom happiness, evaporating like a water droplet on a blistering hot day. And that’s what happened. Our spark was gone, our flame had dulled.

And there it was. I had a wonderfully honest and kind husband, I had two amazing children, I was a partner at my law firm, and in a single fall moment I risked it all.

 

Author Bio and Links:

Award winning writer Brett Scott Ermilio currently resides on the Jersey Shore with his nine colorful roommates: his loving wife, four beautifully chaotic children, three small yapping dogs and one moody fish.

The nephew of Neil Scott Bogart (The Disco King and founder of Casablanca Records), Brett has been writing stories since he was sixteen. His first completed screenplay was written at age seventeen. He won a screenwriting award for his move script, “Jacob.”

Over the years, Brett has written, directed and produced a feature film, worked on numerous screenplays. He had his first book published through Lyons Press, Going Platinum: KISS, Donna Summer and How Neil Bogart Built Casablanca Records, a biography highlighting the meteoric rise of Neil Bogart from birth to death.

Over the next year, Brett is releasing his highly anticipated romance/suspense trilogy, The Connolly Affair, and plans to continue writing enthralling stories and looks forward to sharing his thrilling adventures with the world.

 

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7855029.Brett_Scott_Ermilio

WEBSITE: www.brettscottermilio.webs.com

EMAIL: brettermilio@gmail.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/brettscottermilio

Twitter: https://twitter.com/brettermilio

Link to Book: http://www.amazon.com/Connolly-Affair-First-Dance-ebook/dp/B00U0SDC0M/ 

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