Today I am so pleased to welcome Amelia Faulkner to Joyfully Jay. Amelia has come to talk to us about her latest release, Blind Man’s Wolf. She has also brought along and exclusive excerpt and great giveaway.  Please join me in giving Amelia a big welcome!

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The Music Behind Blind Man’s Wolf

I’ve never been one to work in silence, yet I can’t stand constant interruption. It’s paradoxical that I work best to music. It seems to be a bad habit I formed in my teens and haven’t ever really shaken off.

Regardless of what I’m writing on, I tend to need a certain amount of vigour in whatever it is that’s playing at the time. It also needs to be familiar; I can’t get caught up in listening to new music or I stop writing, so the playlist has to be compiled of music that I know very well.

What, then, does a writer with vampires, werewolves, and danger on her mind play when she settles in to work?

2Cellos

The very top of my playlist is 2Cellos’ excellent cover of AC/DC’s Thunderstruck, complete with the video’s introductory faux-recital. It’s a brilliant way to get the blood pumping, and by a couple of minutes in my brain is fully on writing mode.

Bynar

London-based DJ Bynar is one of the best mashup artists going, and almost everything he’s done is one of my playlists. Of particular relevance to Blind Man’s Wolf were One Day In Munich, Mulholland Empire and Reigning Knights of No Man’s Land.

Woodkid

If I ever get stuck with writing, Run Boy Run is an instant unblocker. I Love You is also excellent for sweeping out any cobwebs. Neither song has any relevance to the book, but both were listened to extensively during its writing.

Marina and the Diamonds

I’m very fond of poppy songs with lyrics which are far more hurt or angry than the cheery music they’re sung to, and Marina and the Diamonds excel at this. Shampain and Froot were both frequent fliers in the making of this story.

Hurts

Speaking of songs whose melodies belie their emotions, Hurts are the masters of mixing soul with pop, and both their albums were in rotation while writing. Cupid gave Ellis his possessive streak, and Randall received a little of his wide-eyed wonder from Illuminated. Miracle also plays a significant part, although I wouldn’t dream of giving out spoilers!


Excerpt

Randall’s insides felt like a churning mass; hard need bubbled through the parts of him that melted and sought to collapse. Ellis’ mouth had claimed him and he was helpless in its grasp.

They were kissing. Holy shit they were kissing.

This was totally unprofessional.

Ellis’ tongue took control of his mouth, and from there his entire body. His fingers were cool against Randall’s cheeks, and his kiss was like he’d come to the kiss straight after a cold drink, and his hair was so silky and fine between Randall’s fingers, and his hands began to move back down Randall’s neck-

He gasped for air and exhaled in a long moan. Ellis’ hands roamed over his chest, where they scraped and squeezed, pinched and caressed. His touch was deft and certain as it explored down over his ribs and to his hips.

He was supposed to find out whether Ellis was a vampire. His job, his orders… Not this. Not falling under the taller man’s spell. Not feeling the swell of arousal as it coursed through his blood and pushed him against Ellis’ lithe, lean frame.

Ellis’ fingers clenched Randall’s hips and pulled them against his thigh. There was no way Ellis couldn’t feel Randall’s hard-on now, surely. Christ, he had to know.

Randall’s chest heaved. The moon was too near full. His body was fuelled by animal instinct. The wolf was close to the surface, and Briar wasn’t here to help Randall claw himself back on top of it.

One of Ellis’ hands left Randall’s hip and sought his groin. His palm cupped around the bulge in Randall’s jeans, first to slip between his legs, and then to rub slowly up the length of it with every ounce of care he had taken over Randall’s face.

Randall bucked against Ellis’ hand and released a plaintive cry against his tongue.

Ellis withdrew his hand. Worse, he lifted his head back and broke the kiss. Randall tried desperately to read his expression, but his glasses masked too much.

“I’m sorry,” Ellis whispered. “I… went too far.”


Blurb

104-Amelia-Faulkner-TC1-Blind-Mans-Wolf-CoverA night-blind vampire. A werewolf with lousy self-confidence. And a whole hell of a lot of danger…

Tooth & Claw, Book 1.

Ellis O’Neill is an art dealer with too many problems: his eyesight has deteriorated to the point of night-blindness; he’s estranged from his family, to whom he owes a considerable sum of money; and his guide dog went right off him the night Ellis died. Without his dog, Ellis is trapped in a life bouncing between home and work, dependent on his personal assistant.

Werewolf Randall Carter has problems of his own. He loves his pack, he really does, but as their Omega he’s always the one to bear the brunt of their rage. It’s a role he can’t avoid, and Randall isn’t sure he can take it for much longer, so he buries himself in his day job. Randall’s the best dog trainer in the city, and when he’s offered a client who needs him to work evenings he’d be a fool to turn it down.

Soon Randall is falling for someone he should despise. Everything about the undead is anathema to his kind, but Ellis is exactly the kind of guy Randall would want to ask out on a date – if he were still breathing. Worse, they may not have too long to figure their feelings out. Someone or something is gunning for Ellis and anyone else who gets in the way; they won’t rest until the vampire is destroyed.


Bio

102-Amelia-Faulkner-Author-ImageAmelia Faulkner was born in the rolling green countryside of Oxfordshire, and moved to London once she was mostly grown up. She has a degree in Computer Science, and spent quite a long time working with computers until her childhood love of writing could no longer be ignored.

Since then she has written for corporate clients and personal pleasure, and finally stepped away from office-bound working in 2011 to freelance from home.

Amelia is also a keen photographer and film-goer, and resides in the city (not the City) with her husband. She is notoriously camera-shy, so please enjoy this picture of her cat!


Giveaway

Amelia has tour wide giveaway for three #10 Amazon gift cards.  Just the Rafflecopter link below to enter. 

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