Letting the characters take the lead in Surprise Groom

While working on my new release, Surprise Groom, I told anyone who would listen how I was struggling. I rewrote scenes again and again. In fact, I’ve included a scene that I rewrote at least three different ways.

You see, initially I wanted this to be an awkward scene. Two guys in a fake relationship. Their first night together in bed. What’s not awkward about that? But Julien and Caleb just would not cooperate! No matter how many times I tried to create the scene, it wouldn’t work. Until I let Julien and Caleb take the wheel.

I don’t fully believe that my characters run the show. Maybe I’m in denial. But in this case, I definitely was not in charge. You see, Caleb and Julien were friends once, years ago. Good friends. And while there was a bit of awkwardness to their situation, they were more interested in teasing one another and laughing their way through it than long, tense silences. It wasn’t until I really let the characters lead that the scene worked itself out, and honestly, it helped set the tone for much of the story from that point on.

After twelve years apart, Caleb and Julien are virtual strangers. But they’re also not. They have both the excitement of meeting someone who makes your skin tingle and your blood heat, and the comfort of reconnecting with a person you know on a deeper level.

Here’s an excerpt from the scene that gave me fits! This part of the scene takes place shortly after they get into bed and realize they should probably do a selfie for social media.

***

“Let’s do it,” Julien repeated as he shuffled closer to Caleb. “This isn’t usually what happens when I hear those words in bed, but okay.”

“You must hook up with some smooth talkers,” Caleb joked. “Hey baby, let’s do it.”

Julien elbowed him. “Funny guy.”

Caleb chuckled. “What’s wrong? This isn’t everything you imagined for your first night in bed with your fiancé?”

“I don’t know that I ever imagined being in bed with Caleb Taylor, no. Although I did always think you were cute. Even as kids.”

“No shit?” Caleb grinned, his ego liking the sound of that.

“Don’t be smug,” Julien said. “You’re a lot less cute now.”

Caleb laughed. “Oh, ouch. You’re breaking my heart.”

“Yeah, right,” Julien said. “So, how do we want to set up this photo?”

“Well, the ‘in bed together’ selfie is classic, right? Nothing says intimacy like bedhead.”

Julien smirked. “Maybe I should mess your hair up a little.”

“Go for it,” Caleb said gamely.

Julien reached up, ruffling his still damp hair. His eyes were focused on his hands in Caleb’s hair, so Caleb was free to study Julien. He really did have an interesting face, strong and masculine and yet with a touch of softness that hinted at a vulnerability Julien did his best to cover with snark and bravado. Soft lips contrasted with a layer of fine gold stubble.

“There,” Julien said, his fingers combing through Caleb’s hair, sending tingles rushing over his scalp. “That looks pretty good.”

“Do I get to mess you up?”

“Nope.” Julien grabbed Caleb’s hand, turning the phone screen — and selfie camera view — toward him to check his appearance. “I look too good to muss.”

Caleb decided not to touch that one. He couldn’t really disagree, even if he wanted to tease Julien about being vain.

Julien released his hand, and they pressed closer as Caleb worked to get them both in the shot. The blanket had pooled in their laps, revealing Julien’s snug T-shirt with the words Normal is Boring across the chest. There was certainly nothing boring about Julien Chastain.

Caleb had loved talking to him again. He was brash and still a bit guarded, but he was funny too. Their sense of humor meshed well, and when they teased each other, it was easy to see why they’d once been friends. But they were traveling into uncharted waters now, attempting to present friendship as something much more intimate to others.

“Where should I …” Julien’s hands hovered in midair as if he was afraid to touch Caleb.

Caleb snorted. “I’m not radioactive. Just put your hands on me.”

Julien pinched his side, making him yelp, then settled against him with one arm slung across his torso, hand resting near his shoulder. “How’s this?”

Caleb held up the phone in selfie mode. “Looking good, babe.”

Julien glared up at him. “What do I need to do to nip this ‘babe’ thing in the bud?”

Caleb smirked. “Not be so easily irritated by it?”

“You’re a simple man, aren’t you? Like my big brother, poking me just to get a reaction.”

“Julien, we’re getting married. It’s already weird enough without bringing incest into it.”

Julien screwed up his face in disgust, which Caleb could see on the phone camera display. He took the photo, just to amuse himself, then laughed when Julien smacked him.

“Not that!”

“That’s just for me,” Caleb said. “Now, try to look happy you’re marrying me.”

They took a few pics at different angles. They kept up the playful banter, but it felt natural. Fun and light. Humor made it easier to deal with a closeness that felt a little forced.

“Should we kiss?” Caleb asked.

Julien gave him an arch look. “My answer to that question is always yes.”

Caleb chuckled awkwardly. “For the selfie, I meant.”

“Mm-hmm.” Julien managed to make skeptical sound sexy.

“Okay, shut up and put your lips on mine,” Caleb said.

“Oh, baby. Your dirty talk is off the charts.”

Can two men fake their way to marital bliss?


Caleb Taylor is shocked to learn his family could lose Bliss Island Resort — their home and livelihood — unless he makes use of a clause to marry the child of investor Louis Chastain. Sofia Chastain is more like a sister than a love interest, and Caleb isn’t ready to sign over his future. But Sofia has a brother, and Caleb has a plan …


Julien Chastain was disowned at fifteen and has made a life as a go-go dancer in Miami, but he lives paycheck to paycheck. When his childhood friend proposes an outlandish marriage contract, he thinks he’s crazy. But it’s a chance at a future that’s tough to pass up.


Caleb and Julien must present themselves as an authentic couple for the legal loophole to work, but the lines between “fake” and “real” keep shifting as they navigate intimacy, public scrutiny, and sabotage.


Love isn’t part of the plan, but plans change. If they can outsmart Julien’s father and prove their love is worth more than a transaction, they just might find a true happily-ever-after.

DJ Jamison is the author of more than a dozen m/m romances, including the Ashe Sentinel series and the Hearts and Health series. She writes a variety of queer characters, from gay to bisexual to asexual, with a focus on telling love stories that are more about common ground than lust at first sight. DJ grew up in the Midwest in a working-class family, and those influences can be found in her writing through characters coping with real-life problems: money troubles, workplace drama, family conflicts and, of course, falling in love. DJ spent more than a decade in the newspaper industry before chasing her first dream to write fiction. She spent a lifetime reading before that, and continues to avidly devour her fellow authors’ books each night. She lives in Kansas with her husband, two sons, two fish and, regrettably, one snake.

 

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