Today I am so pleased to welcome Amelia C. Gormley to Joyfully Jay. Amelia has come to talk to us about her latest release, Risk Aware (which I reviewed here and loved). She has also brought along an exclusive excerpt and a great giveaway!  Please join me in giving her a big welcome!

Risk Aware Tour Banner

Hi, and welcome to the RISK AWARE blog tour!

RISK AWARE is probably the longest single writing project I’ve ever undertaken. I started working on the concept in the spring of 2013, not long after I finished writing SAUGATUCK SUMMER. Geoff and Robin first appeared as minor characters—already in an established relationship—in SAUGATUCK SUMMER and I wanted to pursue their backstory.

Disabled people aren’t generally featured in BDSM fiction, and the sorts of BDSM usually portrayed is largely focused on activities that could be injurious—if not actually fatal—to something with Geoff’s condition. The story concept gave me an opportunity to examine several things we don’t often see in erotic romance. But it also meant I had to step far outside my own personal sphere of knowledge and experience on multiple levels. Which meant research was required.

Lots and lots of research.

The upshot is that the book took me over two years to write. If you’ve followed my posts on other blog tours in the past, you’ll know that’s highly unusual for me. I wrote SAUGATUCK SUMMER—a longer book—in about fifteen days. A lot of this is because I kept setting the manuscript aside to work on other projects and then taking a while to get back into things. But most of it is that getting it right required so much effort. So it’s particularly gratifying to finally get to share it with everyone who has been waiting for Geoff and Robin’s story, and also with people who may just be coming into the Saugatuck universe.

So thank you for being here!


Excerpt

My knee appeared to be doing fine the next day. Bruised as hell, but fine. Jace and I decided to stick to our plan to walk around Saugatuck and visit some of the craft shops and art galleries. It was a gorgeous, sunny June afternoon, perfect for strolling around a lakeside town. I assumed Robin was staying at the Dunes somewhere, which meant my chances of running into him were a lot better hanging around the resort than playing tourist. After getting a look at myself in the mirror this morning, I’d decided that I’d keep my promise to call him tonight—but when I did so, I’d schedule any hookup for the next day at the very earliest.

Of course, thinking that bumping into him couldn’t happen ensured it absolutely had to happen. Which it did, as we were heading down the street from the paradise known as Saugatuck Spice Merchants (I walked away with several blends of tea that smelled incredible), full from lunch and debating which of the intriguing nearby restaurants to have dinner at this evening.

Robin practically ran right into us as he stepped out of an empty building, never noticing because his attention was on the professionally dressed woman with whom he was speaking. A glance at the name tag the woman wore identified her as being from a realtor, and a sign in the window of the building revealed that it was for lease.

Robin was looking at properties in the area? I blinked, adjusting my assumption that he was a vacationer.

Before I could wonder about it any further, though, he finally saw us and stopped short, staring at me. It took me a moment to remember what I looked like.

“I’ll be in touch with you, Vita,” he said abruptly, his attention fixed on me. I could see the consternation wrinkling his forehead and braced myself for the inevitable.

The realtor clearly picked up on a vibe of some sort and accepted the dismissal without protest. “Of course, Mr. Brady.”

When she’d gone, I jumped in before he could speak.

“Jace, Robin. Robin, my friend, Joscelin Sieger. I’m crashing at his place in Chicago.”

It was too much to hope that he’d let himself be diverted. He gave Jace a distracted nod, but his eyes never left me.

“Wow. Did I do that?”

How the fuck was I supposed to answer that? He’d been nibbling and sucking on my lips like they were his favorite candy, and I hadn’t infused in days. “It looks worse than it is.”

“I didn’t—” His mouth tightened, and for the first time since we’d met each other, he looked well and truly disconcerted. Even upset. “Did I go too far?”

“Don’t worry about it. You just got a little nippy, and I bruise easily, for obvious reasons. It’s not your fault I look like I got punched in the mouth.” I rolled my eyes and gave him a wry smile, because fuck it, you had to laugh at that shit sometimes.

Or I might have been trying to use humor to defuse the whole thing before Robin freaked out. I felt Jace’s eyes on me as I shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”

I glanced at Jace, pleading for some backup, and he came through for me like the true friend he was. “It’s true. He gets a shiner if you cuss him out.”

Robin stared at me another moment, then nodded slowly. “Okay.”

Jace really needed to quit looking at me quite so intently.

“So, you’re local?” I asked in a desperate bid to turn the conversation. “I’d thought you were a vacationer.”

“No, I just moved here. I’m still looking for a house and a space for the gallery I plan to open.” He snorted and shook his head, though he was smiling as he looked around the street. “Because, of course, another art gallery is just what this town needs.”

Jace’s eyes lit up. “You’re an artist?”

“No.” Robin ducked his head. “I can’t draw a stick figure. My parents were art dealers, and they recently retired, so I’ve inherited their contact list and inventory.”

“Jace is a painter. We went to art school together. You should check out his work.” I tossed Jace a grin.

“What about you? What do you do?” Robin’s pale-blue eyes fixed on me.

“Tattoos. I’m a tattoo artist.”

“Ah. That explains the gorgeous ink.” I smiled and ducked my head under his perusal. His admiration felt good. “Where are you two headed this afternoon?”

I looked up and down the street. “Just sightseeing.”

“Have you made it out to Oval Beach yet?”

Jace grinned broadly. “Not yet, but it’s on the agenda. I’ve heard interesting things.”

“Oh, really?” I flicked a sideways glance at him.

Judging from the way Robin was mirroring that grin, I suspected at least some of those interesting things might even be true. His gaze zeroed in on me. “I’d be happy to play tour guide.”


Blurb

Risk AwareTattoo artist Geoff Gilchrest is convinced his life is some sort of cosmic joke. Why else would a hemophiliac also be a masochist? He’s given himself more than one elbow bleed since puberty just doing what guys do when alone and bored, so forget about whips and chains. How many partners would contemplate playing with someone even a mild flogging could kill?

Gallery owner Robin Brady knows he can deliver what Geoff needs: to be taken to the edge of danger but never beyond. But Robin came to Saugatuck to get away from the leather scene and heal from a betrayal by his former sub, so he’s not sure he should get involved with Geoff. His ambivalence isn’t helped by the fact that Geoff’s unwillingness to communicate about his well-being hits Robin in some very raw places.

Geoff’s hemophilia isn’t the obstacle he thinks it is. Instead, a lack of trust—on both their parts—is what could end them before they have a chance to begin.


Bio

Amelia C. Gormley published her first short story in the school newspaper in the 4th grade, and since then has suffered the persistent delusion that enabling other people to hear the voices in her head might be a worthwhile endeavor. She’s even convinced her hapless spouse that it could be a lucrative one as well, especially when coupled with her real-life interest in angst, kink, social justice issues, and pretty men.

When her husband and son aren’t interacting with the back of her head as she stares at the computer, they rely on her to feed them, maintain their domicile, and keep some semblance of order in their lives (all very, very bad ideas—they really should know better by now.) She can also be found playing video games and ranting on Tumblr, seeing as how she’s one of those horrid social justice warriors out to destroy free speech, gaming, geek culture, and everything else that’s fun everywhere.


Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Risk Aware, Amelia is giving away an ebook copy of the Strain series. Leave a comment to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on May 14, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

  • By entering the giveaway, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
  • Winners will be selected by random number. No purchase necessary to win.  The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.
  • If you win, you must respond to my email within 48 hours or another winner may be chosen. Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from Joyfully Jay.
  • Winners may be announced on the blog following the contest. By entering the contest you are agreeing to allow your name to be posted and promoted as the contest winner by Joyfully Jay.
  • Prizes will be distributed following the giveaway either by Joyfully Jay or the person/organization donating the prize.
  • All book prizes are in electronic format unless otherwise specified.
  • By entering you are agreeing to hold Joyfully Jay harmless if the prize or giveaway in some way negatively impacts the winner.
  • Readers may only enter once for each contest.  Duplicate entries for the same giveaway will be ignored. In the event of technical problems with the blog during the contest, every effort will be made to extend the contest deadline to allow for additional entries.
  • Void where prohibited by law.
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