Today I’d like to welcome author A.M. Griffin to the blog. Her recent release, When a Vamp Falls, just came out in March 2018, and is the first book in the War of Blood and Bonds series. Take a few moments to get some behind-the-scenes info on the book and characters. Then I welcome you to check out the book and an excerpt before you enter the giveaway. Feel free to leave her comments and questions, as well!
Note that affiliate links are present within this post. Should you make a purchase through one, I may earn a small commission to help support my websites, at no additional cost to you.
What was the inspiration behind this book?
I was an attending author at Romancing The Capital in Ottowa (RTC) and I had a dream where the woman was trying to be a Good Samaritan and had her world turned upside down by a vampire. I’m not a plotter, but when I had the same dream the second night, I knew I had to get it onto paper. So during my free time (there’s not much of it during book conferences) I had to sift through my dream and pull out the parts that made sense and discard the crazy dream-y parts. It kinda took forever, cuz dreams are super weird. lol
Which character was your favorite to write?
My favorite to write was Ramsey. He’s such a complex character, being a vampire who is contemplating his mortality and feeling…over it all. When I thought I had him figured out there was another layer to him, then another, and another. At first he’s the typical sexy and powerful vampire but then he becomes more than that. He had children, he’s compassionate and he loves his cat (although he doesn’t want anyone to learn about the last point and in fact, vehemently denies it!).
To which character did you relate the most?
I relate most to Danya, the heroine. She just wants coffee, man. She wasn’t trying to get accosted by a vampire. The circumstances that led up to her involvement with Ramsey, I totally can relate to. She wants coffee, check. She wants to help someone who she thinks is hurt, check. And most of all, he bribes her with the promise of good food, check.
What was one of your favorite scenes?
My favorite scene is when Ramsey goes to Danya’s hotel to apologize for taking her blood and confirm that vampires exist. I won’t give too much away, but Danya tries unsuccessfully to beat him and escape, but all of her plans come to a grinding halt when he tells her his apology comes with dinner. I might’ve been hungry when I wrote that scene because of course she decides to go out to eat with him.
Will we see these characters again?
Yes! I’m currently writing the second book in the series. The heroine and hero are two characters that we met in this book; Vallus and Bride. But we also have a continuation of Ramsey and Danya since they are the start of it all and we have to get to the bottom of what’s going on with Danya and her blood.
Tell us about your other published works.
I have a were-shifter series, Dark Wolf Enterprises about a wolf-shifter pack residing in upper Michigan. If you like filthy rich, moody shifters this series is for you! I have a sci-fi (space opera) series, Loving Dangerously about humans being sold off in different parts of the galaxy. If you love kick-butt heroine’s and hunky aliens, this will scratch that itch!
What is something readers may be surprised to learn about you?
If any of my readers follow me on Twitter or Facebook then they know pretty much everything there is to know about me. I’m pretty much an open book. But I think one thing that may take people by surprise is that I met and fell in love with my husband when we were 15 years old. I took one look at him and fell in love at first sight. Yes, insta-love! Most of my characters fall in love immediately, not because I think it’s super romantic, but because that’s my personal experience. Insta-love doesn’t happen for all my characters though. In fact, it’s usually one sided when it does happen, which to me, makes the story a little livelier. One character is madly in love and the other is fending them off with a knife (Dangerously Forever, for those wondering). lol
When A Vamp Falls (War of Blood and Bonds Book One)
Danya Evans’s normal everyday life is turned upside down when one good deed lands her on the opposite end of fangs. The fangs happen to be attached to the sexiest man she’s ever seen.
She knows that she should stay away from the vampire who almost kills her, but everything about Ramsey calls out to her heart and soul.
Ramsey Moreau, a Vampire who has walked Earth for thousands of years has two regrets. The first is underestimating the two new vampires who’ve found their way into New Orleans and the second is stealing blood from the trusting human he can’t get off his mind. His world is mundane to say the least, but when Danya is around he finds a reason to live and love again.
He’ll stop at nothing to keep her safe from harm—even go to war to protect the one he loves.
Buy Links:
Amazon * BN * KOBO
Read an excerpt:
Death by sun meant fire, more pain, and more screaming. As far as Ramsey was concerned the whole ordeal would’ve been an overall drawn out affair.
But he was ready for it. He’d planned to greet the sun like a big boy.
Until his ego reared its ugly head.
There was no fucking way he would be taken out by two piddly fledglings. His self-preservation kicked into high gear.
He’d struggled, trying to get himself to safety. Wait out the impending sunrise in the shadows. But he couldn’t move. The blade they’d used had severed the tendons in his legs, and the force of the blows had crushed through his knees, just to name a few of the injuries.
In vain he’d tried to establish a telepathic link with Marcos, his assistant, but he couldn’t block out the pain and concentrate long enough to complete the thought. Without help he was good as dead. His only hope had been to use his dwindling energy to psychically call for help and pray that a passerby came to his rescue.
It had worked, and now because he’d turned his back on an enemy, he had to steal.
Ramsey didn’t want to take her blood without her permission, but with death at the front door and his ego urging him on, he had no other choice. The moment the woman had stepped into the alley he’d caught her scent. She smelled like the sweetest flower, rising above the stench of piss, feces, throw-up, and garbage. His instincts kicked in overdrive.
He needed her.
Her blood pumped hard and fast through her body. The sound weighed on his ears, his mind driving him to rise up and devour her. He struggled to move, unable to keep control.
He’d willed her closer.
She’d come with tentative steps.
Closer.
He’d stopped breathing. Her scent drove him insane. His body demanded the blood in order to survive.
Blood.
Mentally, he tried to lure her. He’d tried and tried, but couldn’t focus on the thought. Her blood was all he could think about. It consumed him.
“What happened to you?” she asked in a soft whisper.
Come closer. “Jumped. Stabbed. Dying.” He could barely speak. He’d wanted her so badly.
She stayed where she was. Red clouded his vision. Blood lust set in. He needed her. Now.
He’d tried to lunge, but his body wouldn’t cooperate. He whimpered in frustration, pain, and need.
Come closer.
“Do you have a cell phone? I have to call for help, but I left mine at the hotel.”
He didn’t have one. There’d never been a need. Everything he wanted to tell Marcos was done telepathically. He opened his mouth to tell her no, but changed his mind at the last second.
No. Then she’ll leave. “My … my back pocket.” He could barely talk anymore, his energy draining fast.
She’d rushed to him and kneeled at his side. The sound of her blood pounded in his head.
He couldn’t stop himself, and he breathed her scent in.
Delectable.
“Holy shit. This is all blood. You need an ambulance, mister.”
She pushed against him. Her hands roamed his butt, searching for a phone that wasn’t there. With all the strength he could muster he grabbed her, holding her in a vise-grip. She struggled against him, but even dying he had more strength than she did.
“Hey. Wh-what are you doing?”
“Sorry about this.”
He’d opened his mouth wide, his canines elongating in response. She looked on in horror, her screams caught in her throat as he descended on her neck. His teeth pierced her skin, and immediately the warm rush of blood filled his mouth.
She’d tasted better than he’d ever imagined.
Want more? I have another excerpt for you here.
About A.M. Griffin:
A. M. Griffin is a wife who rarely cooks, mother of three, dog owner (and sometimes dog owned), a daughter, sister, aunt and friend. She’s a hard worker whose two favorite outlets are reading and writing. She enjoys reading everything from mystery novels to historical romances and of course fantasy romance. She is a believer in the unbelievable, open to all possibilities from mermaids in our oceans and seas, angels in the skies and intelligent life forms in distant galaxies.
For more information please visit www.amgriffinbooks.com
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Tour giveaway: $10 Amazon GC
Thanks for having me!