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 12th grade AP English teacher.
The seniors in her class had to come to her class (which was during 4th
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 12th 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.
Revel in the chaos.
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.
To learn more about D. W. Brooks and future publications and
events, visit https://authordwbrooks.com.
Website: https://authordwbrooks.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/authordwbrooks
Instagram: https://instagram.com/authordwbrooks.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lifethereboot
Where to Buy!
https://authordwbrooks.com for an autographed copy
or
https://www.amazon.com/Homecoming-Chaos-D-W-Brooks-ebook/dp/B0CKS9P7PF
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144277742?ean=9798218150501
https://books.apple.com/us/book/homecoming-chaos/id6469733473
https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=eincEAAAQBAJ&rdid=book-eincEAAAQBAJ
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/homecoming-chaos
