AAD Author Spotlight & Giveaway: Teresa D'Amario

She grew up as an Army brat, and kicked off her writing career as a young Airman in the Air Force.  What Teresa D'Amario writes about has changed a lot over the years, but writing still a big part of her life.  Please help me welcome her to the blog today!

Jen: Tell new readers about the True Mate series.

Teresa: The True Mate series is a series about the internal workings of pack dynamics, and how they affect the lives of the heroes and heroines. In each book, SheWolf, Dark Succession and Blood Moon Betrayed, the pack plays a part in how the new mate is accepted or not accepted within the pack. In the case of 2 of the books, the heroines are either human or have lived in a human world, and they must learn to handle themselves within the pack dynamics. So if you like to see the wolf shifter, and you want to see what happens when that male is brought to his knees by his True Mate, this is the series for you!

Jen: What about the Maxey Wizard books?

Teresa: The Maxey Wizard books are more edgy, more about all the external forces that affect the paranormal world. In the Maxey Wizards, the GSA is trying to gain control of all paranormal creatures, for their own evil purposes. But the Maxey brothers, employees of the GSA, had to discover the hard way that these people the GSA want destroyed are not all evil. When Lance, the youngest brother, happens upon a shapeshifting Tigress, he's totally smitten in seconds, as though he knows life is about to change. The new release in March is Lone Wolf, which is when their baby sister gets tired of being treated like the baby and steps out on her own as a cop. In the course of her job all the secrets of the terrors within the GSA are thrown in her face, while at the same time she comes to terms with learning that shapeshifters really do exist.

The two series are very closely linked. They are set in the same world, and are different perspectives of that world. One in pack/pride dynamics, and the other is what could happen if humans discover those who hide within our own city streets.

Jen: What drew you to writing about shifters?

Teresa: They say write what you love, and I love the idea of shifters. At first I didn't. I thought "How can that be sexy?" And then I read my first one. Wow! Imagine, bringing in those purely animalistic traits and blending them with humans. Talk about hot and sexy! It's made easier for me by my love of animals, and my own personal research about how animals behave.

Jen: So many alphas that I read about in shifter romance are complete jerks, but not so with what I've read from you. Is it a difficult balance to create male alphas who can still be dominant but not bossy assholes?

Teresa: LOL Yes it's very difficult to find the fine line separating the two. What makes it easier is I'm a former dog trainer, and I've learned so much about canine and feline behavior through the years that I know what makes a "True" alpha male in their world. A bully is never tolerated in a wolf pack. We all think of the alpha as being the final say, but when he crosses the line, the pack will bind together and bring him down. In fact, it's not uncommon to see the pack alpha bully turn into the omega in the pack, as the others continue to push him after he's "Dethroned". One character in SheWolf IS such a character, and he meets his death very early. However, when we meet his pack in Dark Succession, we realize how fractured and defeated the pack is, and how close they were as a group to taking him down themselves.

Jen: Your early writing was about as far from romance as you can get. Tell everyone about what you used to write and what prompted the shift.

Teresa: So very true. My background is a little different from most. I've always wanted to write books, but never could figure out plots that worked for me, so I continued only to read. I did write stories as a kid, but never shared them. 

While I was active duty Air Force, I was assigned the job of public relations additional duty, and so I was to find ways to write articles that made the weather station interesting and exciting. I loved it. I delved into those articles and put my heart into them. Once the newspaper did a huge centerpage pull out section on hurricanes that I put together. I remember even having people drop by the station to ask me more questions (because like a good author, I left at least one question unanswered, just to make you wonder). As I progressed through the military I wrote a lot of very boring procedural documents, (Station Operating Procedures), and Training documents. Talk about Dry! My first "published book" was WSR-88D (doppler radar) data interpretation document. An 85 page pamphlet used by the Air Force and local television stations. 

But, as I mentioned, I also worked in dog training on the side, and found myself writing a lot of small dog training articles, even to the point of creating an Ask Blackjack column on a website I used to run. Blackjack was my then young pup, and we answered basic questions in Blackjack's voice. We had a blast with it, and wish they'd have had blog software back then, because it would have made things so much easier.

Jen: Which of your characters have been nearest and dearest to your heart and why?

Teresa: Wow, now that's a very difficult question. I'd have to say Ryland sticks in my mind more than others, as far as the heroes. He was a bad boy, who had to find his way to redemption, which is always fun. But as far as heroines, I think it's on the book Cougar's Fate, which isn't out yet - and I'm still working on. She has suffered a great deal for someone so young, and writing her breaks my heart, while at the same time I admire her for her strength.

Jen: What are you working on now?

Teresa: I've got a couple pieces I'm working on - one is the sequel for the True Mates, where I bring in their first cat! A tiger steps onto the scene, paired up with his very own SheWolf! I'm also working on the next Maxey book, which is the middle brother's book, where he meets a Cougar raised to be a killer. Just how much of her humanity is missing once the GSA finishes their experiments?

Jen: Can you give us a sexy snippet from your latest or next release?

Teresa: Here's a teasing peek at the first kiss in Lone Wolf. Lone Wolf was re-released on March 27, and if you missed it the first time it was out, you won't want to miss it this time!

Damon slid his hand from the door, tangling it in her hair, angling her head to go even deeper. He hadn’t intended to kiss her, but the instant he’d seen her teeth teasing her lip, he’d lost all control. Now, her heated body pressed against his, driving the animal inside of him wild. The more he touched her, the more the wolf inside growled, demanding more. Her taste drove him to the very brink of control, exploding along his taste buds, drugging him with an insane need to drink more of her. He her knees buckle, he yanked her close, her body flush with his. 

Mine. The thought whispered in his mind. 

From him? Or the animal? For the first time since he’d awakened in that dank cell, he wasn’t sure there was a difference. 

Her scent wrapped around him, like a gentle mist. Hardened with the sharp edge of desire. Her breasts pressed against his chest, teasing him with their softness. A moan dragged from his throat. She was so beautiful. So soft and feminine, her body molding to his as though built for him. He slid his hands down her back, cupping her rear. He let his fingers tease and massage her, holding her close to him. He wanted more. He wanted to crawl inside her, to be a part of her. He wedged one knee between her legs, pushing her thighs apart. She moved willingly, groaning her desire when he pulled her tight against his thigh. 

His mouth left hers, trailed down her cheek, until he could bury his lips against her neck. Yes, hissed the wolf instincts. His gums itched and his fangs descended. Damon tried to shove the instincts back, to fight his thirst for her kiss, the thirst for her taste. He scraped the tips of the canines against her flesh and she moaned, tipping her head back. Such sweet submission. 

A growl rolled from his chest. His lips closed over her throat. Hunger rose, twisting inside him. An image of his teeth slicing into her sweet flesh flashed in his mind. He could almost taste the coppery liquid oozing from the imaginary wound, her life’s blood sliding down his throat. He needed her inside him filling him with her essence. He was starved for the sweet wine of her blood. Blood?

Jen: Wow! That sounds great!  What authors do you enjoy reading?

Teresa: Gosh, there's so many. There's the biggies we all know, such as JR Ward, Larissa Ione, Lynsay Sands, and Pamela Palmer, and sooo many. But I also enjoy a lot of smaller press authors, like AJ Hampton, or Khianna Alexander, and so many more. The great thing about the release of ebooks, there's some AMAZING previously overlooked authors out there!

Jen: What are you looking forward to most from AAD in NOLA?

Teresa: Oh meeting people! Gosh, I'm so excited about getting to meet all the readers and authors that I've met online but haven't met in person yet! And I've never been to New Orleans so that makes it even more exciting! I'm flying, but I wish I was driving so I could buy all kinds of goodies and be able to get them home!

Teresa is giving away a copy of She Wolf, the first in the True Mates series. To enter, just fill out the Rafflecopter form below.  In the meantime, you can learn more about Teresa by visiting her website.


a Rafflecopter giveaway