NBTM Homecoming Chaos by DW Brooks

It's a tour and there's an interview so you'll want to check out this post! Plus, there are prizes. Like? D.W. Brooks will award a randomly drawn winner a $15 Amazon/BN GC. How cool is that? Want more chances to win? Then follow the tour. You can do that here: https://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2023/12/name-before-masses-homecoming-chaos-by.html

HOMECOMING CHAOS

by D.W. Brooks

A dead body in the parking lot of her family’s business, a killer on the loose, and a handsome detective asking a lot of questions…

Jamie Scott’s life fell apart four years ago when she broke off her engagement, turned down a dream job, and went overseas to run away from her life. Now she’s back, but the reunion is not without problems. She arrives home just in time to attend the soiree her mother planned, but she’s not prepared for what she finds—a dead employee in the parking lot.

Detective Nick Marshall is assigned to the murder case at the forensics lab owned by Jamie’s family. He meets the headstrong Jamie, but he has a job to do. And his attraction to her… well, he’s a professional.

Jamie knows the stakes are high. She has to face the past and save her parents’ business while dealing with her family drama and an uncertain future. She also has to deal with Nick, who wants her out of the way of his investigation. But fate keeps throwing them in one another’s paths… and into chaos that they both want to avoid, but neither can seem to escape.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now for An Interview:

1. Describe yourself in three words.

Tall. Nice. Optimistic.

2. Cast your book. Tell us who would play the main characters in a movie and why.

Jamison Jones Scott – To Be Played By: Amber Stevens West

Jamison Scott is a tall woman, so that was one of the first characteristics that would be necessary to play this role. She is also very smart and has a traumatic history. *Amber Stevens West is reported to be 5'9" or 5'10" which is probably sufficient in the world of acting today. She is a beautiful woman, and I have seen her play aggressive but sensitive characters before. She's also around the appropriate age and could play a mid-thirties character.

*I considered Zendaya as she is tall and can play the range that would be needed for the character. HOWEVER, she is too young.

Nick Marshall – To Be Played By: Daniel Di Tomasso

Nick Marshall is a tough detective with a soft spot for tall women. Daniel Di Tomasso is not quite the height of the character in the book, but I think his other attributes make up for that. He is very good-looking and has blue eyes (as noted in the novel). He played a detective on the TV show "Major Crimes" so I know that Is something that is in his wheelhouse. He also had a long career as a model, so he can definitely smolder!

Margaret Scott – To Be Played By: Vanessa Williams

I didn't picture Vanessa Williams in my mind when I imagined Margaret. However, now that I think about it, she could really do this role justice. Margaret has a slight snobby attitude and can be hypercritical. She does love her children and her husband though. I have seen Vanessa do a wonderful job with that type of role in the past. She is a beautiful woman, and she and Laurence Fishburne (my choice for Gregory) played opposite each other in the 1997 movie Hoodlum.

Gregory Scott – To Be Played By: Laurence Fishburne

It is difficult to see Laurence Fishburne as anyone other than Morpheus from The Matrix. I understand he played the grandfather in Blackish; I should be able to imagine him in other roles. It's hard. But even with that challenge, I know he's a wonderful actor and can embody the stately Gregory with the necessary gravitas that is required. Also, as noted above, he and Vanessa have played opposite each other and did a good job.

Jon Scott – To Be Played By:

De Vaughn Nixon

I have only seen DeVaughn Nixon in one TV show called Winning Time which was a series about the Lakers of the early 1980s. It aired on HBO/Max. He played his father Norm Nixon on the show. I think he did a nice job. I am sure there was a lot of pressure involved with playing his dad. My character Jon is a great guy – smart, caring, friendly – with the flaw of falling in and out of love too quickly. Reading DeVaughn's acting credits, I think he could play that role well.

Jillian Scott – To Be Played By: Javicia Leslie

Jillian is the youngest of the Scott siblings, but she has the most children. She has some insecurities because of her glamorous and smart older sister, who used to be a model. She is accomplished and beautiful in her own right, but she felt like she was often ignored in the family. I haven't seen this actor much, but I think she is more than capable of playing the complex character (based on her credits).

3. What’s your favorite love scene from a movie?

If you had asked about television shows, this would have been an easier answer. On television, the on-scene chemistry between Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn in the television show "Scandal" was off the charts. I am very selective about what movies I watch; I read reviews and tend to eliminate films that I feel like I wouldn't enjoy. I am also a mood film watcher; there are many films that I might want to see but I must be in the mood to watch. I have a long "to be watched" list. To find a movie to answer this question, I might have to go deep into the past.

Going back into my movie memory vault, I think my favorite love scene is the one between Jennifer Lopez and George Clooney in Out of Sight. Plenty of sexy banter beforehand and a sexy striptease in the hotel room. Again, there is off-the-charts chemistry between them, then fade to black. I don't have to see everything for a love scene to resonate with me.

4. What’s your wildest fantasy?

Probably taking a vacation where my husband and I visit several islands and christen beaches on each one. It is hot and sexy to think about, but the thing that keeps it strictly in fantasy land is that I don't like sand. I love the beach, but not the sand if that makes sense. Maybe I need to adjust the fantasy a bit and add several towels to make it work.

5. If you were to lose one of your senses, which would you rather lose and why?

As an ophthalmologist by training, I can say with certainty that sight would be the last sense that I would want to lose. If I had to lose a sense, I think it would be my sense of smell. In all honesty, my current sense of smell is not the best, so I am not sure how much different my life would be. I recognize that my sense of taste would be adversely affected by the loss of smell but for me, that would be the smallest price to pay.

6. What is the naughtiest thing you did as a kid?

It is ironic that you asked me this question because I have been called "Saint Nikki" at different points in my life. I was not a very disobedient kid – for the most part, my biggest sin was talking back to my parents. And there were no hidden forbidden sex stories in my teen years.

The worst things I did as a kid happened during my senior year in high school and were associated with me skipping class. Our school had said that the seniors could skip on the official senior skip day BUT the catch was that we could not come on campus at all that day. If we were caught on campus, we could be suspended and possibly risk not graduating. Most teachers were cool with this situation. However, one teacher was not: our 12^th grade AP English teacher. The seniors in her class had to come to her class (which was during 4^th period), which meant we had to miss skip day altogether or sneak on campus during her class. Unsurprisingly, the 30 students in her class snuck on campus for the one class. It looked like we were a military unit advancing on the enemy, an army crawling by windows and inching along walls. Fortunately, we all made it in and out with getting caught.

This particular teacher also caused the other "naughty" thing that happened in my childhood. One day, we had a substitute in 12^th grade English teacher's class, and after taking roll in the classroom, the substitute took the class to the library. Of course, most of the class disappeared on the way to the library, but this time, the sub was smart and passed out a roll call sheet for the class once they arrived at the secondary location. Most of the remaining students were quick enough to sign in their missing friends but NOT my friends. I had gone to pick up lunch with two other students, so I missed the second sign-in sheet. The next day, the regular teacher reported our absence to the assistant principal with the intent of getting the two people with me in trouble. She wasn't after me—like I said, I was considered a saint. We all got called into the office and created a spun-out tale about why we left (one of the friends needed sanitary products and her mother was sick when got there. By the time we got everything settled, it was time to come back to school so we grabbed a quick lunch and returned to school). It was fantasy, but it depended on me to sell it, so I did. I think our teacher was sorely disappointed that she couldn't suspend them without dragging me into it.

Quickies:

Boxers or Briefs?

Boxer Briefs -- there is something about the combination of boxers and briefs that is so sexy!

Top or Bottom?

Mostly bottom – I like him to be in control.

Pajamas or nude?

Neither. I sleep in t-shirts. I don’t have a problem with how my body looks, but I am generally cold at night. A t-shirt and an extra blanket were a compromise, so I wouldn't sleep in a full body snow suit.

Hairy chests or smooth?

Smooth. It emphasizes chest definition.

Alpha or Beta?

You would think that a woman who became a physician would attract only beta males, but that's not the case for me. Alpha please.

Now for An Excerpt:

Revel in the chaos.

Jamie tried to live by this motto for most of her life because her life seemed to invite chaos. She learned to expect—and sometimes encourage—complications. As the plane taxied to a halt, she repeated her motto to herself. This phrase, tattooed on her right hip, particularly applied now.

The international terminal of Hartsfield-Jackson Airport had changed since she was last there. Her brother, Jonathan, would pick her up at the baggage claim—alone, she hoped, and not sporting a clingy girlfriend. Time to re- acclimate and re-establish family bonds. Dealing with an unknown woman in her face when she wanted to spend time quietly with her brother wasn’t at the top of her to-do list.

As she waited in line to get through passport control, she thought about how she got to this point—back in Atlanta after several years abroad. She had spent two of those years working with the non-profit organization Doctors Overseas. Jamie worked in several locations, including the Central African Republic. She had her reasons for joining the charitable organization; not all were altruistic, and she kept those to herself during her entrance interview. The horrors she witnessed overseas helped her put her personal chaos into perspective. She realized her issues were nothing compared to what people endured in other parts of the world. This realization allowed her to embrace her job and enjoy what she was doing, despite the frequent threats of bodily harm. To help maintain her sanity while overseas, she traveled a lot and spent six months in Italy working with a designer friend.

The agent summoning her snapped her out of her reverie. Handing over her passport, she said, “Nothing to declare. Coming back home for my mother’s birthday and Christmas.”

At the check-in counter, the inspector carefully examined her and her passport photo. Jamison understood the scrutiny. At the time of that picture, she had been at the height of her glamor phase with a history of modeling and a resulting, above-average concern about how she looked. In medical school, she often showed up at rounds with perfectly coiffed hair and more than a swipe of mascara and lip gloss. But in Africa, those concerns fell away. Right now,

Jamie was makeup-free, and a baseball cap covered her hair. She was still beautiful, but now it was a girl-next-door beauty. Jamie had high cheekbones, almond-shaped dark brown eyes, a straight nose, a square jawline, and her golden-brown skin was still smooth. She wasn’t stomping down runways anymore, as in her past life, because she had shifted her priorities.

Her mother would hate it.

“Welcome to Atlanta,” the inspector said as she stamped her passport. “Have a pleasant stay.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About the Author: The author is a doctor and editor who lives in Texas with her husband and children. She enjoys trying to stay in shape, sporadically cooking, reading (still), writing, and working on her blog. She is eternally grateful to the woman who donated a kidney to her over 5 years ago and continues to advocate for organ donation as much as she can.