Breakaway
Charlie Novak
Contemporary Romance, Sports Romance, Second Chance Romance
Release Date: 07.23.19
Cover Designer: Natasha Snow/http://natashasnow.com/
Blurb
When your life revolves around a single goal, is there room for love?
Christian King is a rising star in English football. He’s talented, devoted, and on the road to glory. He’s following the path that’s been laid out for him since he was four, and he has no plans to deviate from it. Christian’s life revolves around a single goal—to be the best… until he runs into his first love ad former best friend, David.
David Cade is just trying to survive the final year of his PhD intact, while battling long hours, unmotivated students, and the idea that academia might not be for him. But a chance encounter with his first love’s twin sister changes everything, and suddenly David is faced with the realisation that he can’t leave the past behind.
When David and Christian are drawn back together, sparks fly. Soon, Christian is forced to confront his deepest insecurities. Can they break away from their fears for a second chance at true love?
Breakaway is a 79,000 word contemporary gay romance featuring light angst, glittery bath bombs, a ginger-haired roommate/pet, shared Star Wars love, and a meddling twin sister.
Plans, Pains and Perfectionism: Five things I learnt while writing my first novel
When I first decided to sit down and write Breakaway, I stupidly thought that it wouldn’t be as difficult as it turned out to be. After all I’d written long pieces of fanfiction, I’d read books on writing, and I’d read lots of books – surely, it wouldn’t be that hard?
Well it turns out past Charlie was a little naive, because writing my first novel was not the casual stroll in the park that I’d imagined! Here are five things I’ve learnt over the past year – obviously this is just my experience and my opinion, but it might stop you falling into the same holes that I did.
- One: I Need A Plan
In the same way that you need a plan to storm a castle, you do need a rough plan to write a novel. Well, at least you do if you are me… I am in utter awe of those people who pants their way through a ninety-thousand word novel, because I think I’d be dead by then.
I started writing Breakaway with a rough idea of who the characters were and a rough outline, but I figured that the rest would just work itself out as I started writing. This did not happen and instead I ended up staring at my laptop screen and a taunting, blinking cursor wondering what happened next. I know that still happens even when you have a plan, but at least having a plan gives you a direction to head in or a place to skip to. My rough outline had none of that, and I was forced to figure it out as I went which resulted in a lot of swearing, crying and moving things around.
For book two, I forced myself to sit down and write an outline that covered the major story beats and plot points, but still leaves some wiggle room, and I’ve found it so much easier so far! - Two: A First Draft Is Allowed To Be Rubbish
This is the thing that took me the longest to realise: a first draft is exactly that – a first draft. It’s you telling yourself the story, figuring out the plot and the characters and exactly what the hell is going on. It doesn’t have to be perfect, because that’s what the editing process is for.
Unfortunately, I’ve always been a bit of a perfectionist and this was a painful realisation. I kept going back to pick at sentences and chapters without moving the story on, until I worked out that this wasn’t the best use of my limited writing time and at this rate, I’d never get the story written. It’s a hard thing to do, to keep writing instead of re-reading everything, but ultimately it really helped because I could get the story out and onto a digital piece of paper, and seeing that word count grow really boosted my confidence, because maybe I could actually do this?! - Three: Defend Your Writing Time (And Schedule It Too)
If you’re like me, and therefore like most authors, you probably have a day job that you have to fit writing around. When you work a regular job five days a week, your writing time becomes precious – especially when you throw things like general adult life things that need doing (like laundry and cooking and cleaning) into the mix as well. I’ve therefore learnt to defend my writing time with my life – or at least, dubious threats of death and destruction.
Last year, I tried to write in the evenings and I never really had a set schedule. It was just whenever I felt like it and whenever I had time, but I didn’t always feel like I was making a lot of progress. Recently thought I’ve started writing first thing in the morning, when I have the house to myself, and that works so much better for me because I’m not as tired or distracted. If I can fit a couple of evenings in as well, then that’s perfect, but if I can’t it doesn’t matter as much because I’ve already got some words in.
Obviously, it’s different for everyone because we all have different commitments, but I’d definitely recommend trying out different times of day and working out what suits you. Writing around a day job can be challenging, but you can definitely make it work with a bit of determination… and maybe some caffeine! - Four: Editors Are A Lifesaver
Some of the best money I’ve ever spent was hiring my editor. Not only did she offer some excellent advice, but she helped me to prod, poke and pull this novel into shape and in doing so, helped me to become a better author in the process.
I know some people are just happy to use beta readers, and that’s fine, but for me as a new author – my editor was my best investment. She’s the reason one of my favourite scenes exists and she’s the reason this book is the way it is. Sure, some of her advice might have been a little hard to hear at first, but it’s all part of the process. Plus she knows this genre and what makes a great romance novel.
Even if you’re self publishing, I’d always recommend looking for an experienced editor who knows the genre and can really help your work shine.
- Five: Be Proud Of Yourself
I wrote a book. A whole damn book. And it still doesn’t feel real. I keep forgetting to be proud of myself and to see my accomplishment for what it is – an amazing one.
So be fucking proud of yourself! Be your own Megan Rapino and celebrate the heck out of your accomplishments, because you did it!
I’ll be celebrating with some cake and probably some ice cream too, because I damn well earned it. Then tomorrow, I’ll go back to writing book two….
We were still chatting after dinner, so we took our pudding into the living room, while Christian sang Monika’s praises and practically danced on the spot about being allowed pudding during the week. He’d always had a phenomenal sweet tooth, and I guessed that being a professional player was seriously at odds with his desire for sugar.
“Do you want to watch a film?” Christian asked as he flopped onto the sofa, carefully holding his bowl of lemon tart while searching for the remote.
“Sure,” I said, settling next to him and taking in the details of the room. It was light and airy, with large French doors at one end that I assumed opened up onto the garden, although it was too dark to see. The room was lit with the soft glow of lamps, which gave it a warm feel despite its size. The two sofas were scattered with a large selection of colourful cushions and throws, and in one corner a large television stood on a wooden stand. There was a unit beside it filled with Blu-rays and games as well as random knick-knacks and photos, and I was sure I could see a scattering of trophies in amongst them. I was dying to be nosey, but I also knew that wasn’t polite.
“What do you fancy? I’ve got Netflix and Amazon Prime,” Christian said. He gestured at the unit.
“Or there’s lots of Blu-rays up there. Take your pick.”
“I’ll have a look,” I answered, seizing my chance to satisfy my curiosity. I placed my bowl on the solid coffee table and meandered, over but before I could look at any of the photos, something on the floor behind the coffee table caught my eye.
It was a giant LEGO set, half assembled and spread across the carpet, the carefully numbered bags laid out neatly next to the large instruction manual.
“Holy fuck, is that the Millennium Falcon?” It was still more of a frame than anything else, but the shape was still recognisable.
“Yeah,” Christian said, his cheeks tinting again which made something funny pulse in my chest. “I, um, I like building them for fun. They’re good to take my mind off things, help me focus on being in the moment instead of dwelling on stuff. And I like Star Wars.”
“Do you have others?”
Christian nodded, chewing his lip and smiling. “I built the Death Star in the spring. That was fun, but it took hours. It’s upstairs so I don’t knock it over.”
My inner geek was dancing. I’d always loved Star Wars, and Christian and I had spent hours watching them as kids. My mum had even taken the two of us to see Revenge of the Sith for my birthday. As an adult I’d always longed for a couple of these sets, but they were so fucking expensive I’d never imagined getting one. I mean, this Millennium Falcon kit was worth nearly seven hundred quid.
“Can—can we build it now?” I asked, trying not to hold my breath.
“Really? I mean, you’d be interested in that?” There was a note of astonishment in Christian’s voice, while mine was barely controlled excitement.
“Of course! I’ve always wanted to get my hands on this.”
“Okay,” Christian said with a nod. “Let’s do it. Do you want to put a film on in the background? Maybe The Force Awakens? I haven’t seen it in a while.”
“Sounds perfect!”
Ten minutes later we were sitting on the floor, the opening credits of the film playing in the background while Christian talked me through what he’d done so far. It was obvious that he took his building seriously, and I had to admit it was adorable. After my pep talk, he handed me a bag and showed me the instructions he wanted me to follow.
“You know, I’m sure there’s a terrible joke about inserting things somewhere in there,” I said, watching the way Christian’s face flushed as my words filtered through.
“Probably,” he added. “But I’ve never thought of it.”
“Me neither, I’m not good with words.”
“I find that hard to believe—you’re doing your PhD.”
“Nah, that’s all smoke and mirrors,” I joked.
“So, tell me more about your work,” Christian said, picking up his own pieces. “I don’t know much about academic stuff beyond what Lily’s told me.”
I smiled, opened my bag, and began talking. And I didn’t stop. Well, not until the early hours of the morning. By that time, we’d covered my degree, Lily, our mums, the Champions League, and the new Star Wars and Marvel films. The only thing we’d avoided discussing was our relationships, but I figured that was because neither of us had much to tell. Plus, talking about new partners with exes is one of those weird grey areas I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to avoid.
With every word, I could feel Christian slotting back into my life like he’d never left, but at the same time, this wasn’t the same Christian as before. It was a new version—older, smarter, and sweeter. He was driven and determined and had a desire to know as much as he could and actually seemed interested when I spent another hour talking about my work. He talked non-stop about how proud he was of Lily and how much he loved her, and he was so endearingly serious and charming that I couldn’t help but be bowled over by him. And he was so disarmingly handsome that every time he smiled or chewed on his perfect, pink lips, the hot ball of desire in my chest burnt hotter and hotter until it felt like there was a supernova inside me.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt this way about anyone.
It had probably been six years.
Charlie lives in England with her husband and a severe lack of dogs. She spends most of her days wrangling other people’s words in her day job and then trying to force her own onto the page in the evening.
She loves cute stories with a healthy dollop of angst, even more fluff, plenty of delicious sex, and happily ever afters – because the world needs more of them. Charlie also believes that love comes in all shapes and sizes.
Charlie has very little spare time, but what she does have she fills with cooking, pole-dancing, reading and ice-hockey. She also thinks that everyone should have at least one favourite dinosaur…
Website: https://charlienovak.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/charlienwrites
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charlienwrites/
FB Readers Group (Charlie’s Angels): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1287247458080320/
