Are you a Playaholic?
Thanks so much to Love Bytes for hosting me on release day! I’m Avery Cockburn, author of the Glasgow Lads series, a set of contemporary m/m sports romances set in Scotland. The newest release, Play Hard, is a followup “happer-ever-after” novella featuring Robert and Liam, the heroes of Playing With Fire.
I started writing the Glasgow Lads series exactly five years ago this month, and I’m still having too much fun to even consider stopping. Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s all sunshine and unicorns. In fact, while I was writing Play Hard, I could relate a little too well to Robert’s workaholism. Like me, he’s self-employed, which means he can technically take a day off whenever he wants…but of course he never wants. His boyfriend, Liam, is starting to feel a bit neglected—not to mention worried:
“Work can kill people too, right? I mean, what was the point of us quitting smoking if you end up dying of a heart attack from something way less fun? ”
So Robert visits the Workaholics Anonymous website to see whether he truly has a problem. The site features a list of vague questions that most people would say Yes to, such as “Do you fear success, failure, criticism, burnout, financial insecurity, or not having enough time?” and “Do you feel like a slave to your email, texts, or other technology?”
In Robert’s words, “So you’re basically asking, ‘Are you a human or a robot?’”
Further research by yours truly revealed that psychologists aren’t certain workaholism is even a thing!
But what about “Playaholism”? Do you take your fun a little too seriously? Find out by taking this quiz:
1. Do you make a game out of boring activities, like trying to put the dishes away before the timer for the tea goes off? (And maybe breaking a plate or two in your haste?)
2. Do you start planning next year’s Halloween costumes on November 1?3. Do others say the following to you on a regular basis?
– Be serious!
– Now is not the time for games.
– Not everything has to be a competition, you know.
– Wipe that smirk off your face this instant.
4. Have you ever been playing a game outside and not noticed the sun has gone down?
5. Have you ever been playing a game inside and not noticed the sun has come up?
6. Do you, like Robert, need a serious shoulder and wrist massage after a video-gaming session?
7. At school, were you voted Class Clown and/or Most Likely to Attempt a Casino Heist?
8. Have you ever secretly wished you were a puppy? Be honest.
If you answered Yes to zero or more of the above questions, you might be a playaholic. Or you might not. The important thing is finding the balance each of us needs between play and work—or better yet, bring a spirit of play into our work whenever we can.
Now, before you take my advice by playing Farmville on company time, spend a wee minute commenting below and/or entering the giveaway for the Glasgow Lads Books 1-3 bundle—it’s four books (3 novels and an essential short story) for the price of two!
Thanks again to Love Bytes for celebrating Play Hard’s release day with me. May all your days be playful ones!
The Glasgow Lads series centers around an all-LGBTQ football/soccer team in contemporary Scotland. Though the series has an overarching storyline, each novel features a new couple and a happy ending, so they can be read in any order. The series also includes a prequel novella and two (soon to be three) “happier-ever-after” followup stories.
Book 0.5 – Play On – Amazon US | Amazon UK
“I’ll always want more of you.”
Robert McKenzie lives to work. He’s fresh out of university as a video-game entrepreneur, and his new app could actually save lives. But burning the candle at both ends means missing out on the best parts of his own life—including his boyfriend, Liam.
Liam Carroll works to live. His job as a bartender pays the rent—if not always the heating bill—and that’s plenty for now. But Robert’s workaholism reminds Liam his own life is going nowhere, and his own dreams are scaring the pants off him.
To jolt them out of their ruts, Robert invents a new game: He and Liam are to take turns offering each other sexy new challenges with irresistible rewards.
Of course, Robert gets more than he bargained for, as Liam takes their game in one surprising direction after another. Whether it’s in the bedroom, on the football pitch, or at the pub (or even the supermarket?), the things they learn about each other—and themselves—could change their lives forever.
Play Hard is the feel-good, staying-in-love story the world needs right now!
Note: This happier-ever-after novella features the main characters of Playing With Fire but can be read as a stand-alone story.
Hiya, I’m Avery Cockburn (rhymes with Savory Slow Churn). Under my real name (Jeri Smith-Ready) I wrote over a dozen novels for major publishers. As an indie author, my days are filled with beautiful men who play beautiful games in the most beautiful place in the world. Thanks to my pure awesome readers, it’s pretty much the best job ever.
I live in the United States with one infinitely patient man and two infinitely impatient cats. Join my quarterly-ish newsletter at www.averycockburn.com/signup to receive a free book plus loads of exclusive bonus material. Cheers!
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