Guest Post and Giveaway: Secrets and Lies With JL Merrow

Hi, I’m JL Merrow, and I’m delighted to be here today as part of the Caught! blog tour.

 

Giveaway:

 

I’m offering a free signed paperback copy of my Icelandic-set romantic suspense novel Fall Hard (I’m happy to ship internationally) to a randomly chosen commenter on the tour, plus a $10 Amazon gift certificate!

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED 

Some memories are better off lost in the mist… Fall Hard

“When you stretch the truth, watch out for the snapback.” – Bill Copeland

 

Now, telling a deliberate falsehood is one thing, and most people would agree it’s better avoided—if only because weaving a web of lies can leave you tied up in knots!

But what about just, well, not mentioning something? They say honesty is the best policy… but is it?

It certainly wasn’t for US soldiers under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. But what about in our personal lives? Are we justified in keeping stumm about something that we fear would cause others to view us differently?

I’d argue, yes—otherwise we’d have to begin each new acquaintance by citing a list of our own character flaws and poor decisions in the past. Profiles on dating websites would start to resemble those pet-shaming photos you see on the internet, with people forced to hold up placards confessing their past sins, such as “I dumped my ex by text” or “I slept with his sister.” Possibly no one would ever date again…

It’s a fine line, though, between simply not shouting all our worst failings to the rooftops, and keeping secret something the other person might feel they have a legitimate right to know about—say, for instance, a criminal record. Or a spouse/partner we haven’t quite got around to splitting up with yet.

In the end, it’s the sort of thing that can only be judged on a case-by-case basis.

But beware: what seems like a reasonable preservation of privacy to you might look like a deal-breaking lack of confidence to your new other half.

Robert in Caught! is desperate to keep his past from Nathan—but Nathan’s had enough of secrets and lies, and all Robert’s efforts end up just making matters worse!

Images courtesy of stockimages / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Question: Do you think partners should tell each other everything? What would you consider a deal-breaker, if your partner were to keep it from you?

About the Author: JL Merrow is that rare beast, an English person who refuses to drink tea. She writes across genres, with a preference for contemporary gay romance, and is frequently accused of humour. Her novel Slam! won the 2013 Rainbow Award for Best LGBT Romantic Comedy.

She is a member of the UK GLBTQ Fiction Meet organising team.

Find JL Merrow online at: www.jlmerrow.com, on Twitter as @jlmerrow, and on Facebook.

Blurb: You can run from the past…but the past runs faster

Shamwell Tales, Book 1

Behind Robert’s cheerfully eccentric exterior lies a young heart battered and bruised by his past. He’s taken a job teaching in a village primary school to make a fresh start, and love isn’t part of his plans. But he’s knocked for six—literally—by a chance encounter with the uncle of two of his pupils.

Sean works in pest control, rides a motorbike, and lives on a council estate. On the face of it, he shouldn’t have anything in common with Robert’s bow-tie, classic-car style and posh family background. Yet Robert is helpless to resist Sean’s roguish grin, and a rocky, excruciatingly embarrassing start doesn’t keep the sparks between them from flaring.

Despite Robert’s increasingly ludicrous attempts to keep his past where it belongs, his past hasn’t read the memo. And soon his secrets could be the very things that drive Sean away for good…
Warning: contains the alarming misadventures of a pest control technician, a stepsister with a truly unfortunate name, and a young man who may have more bow ties than sense.

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