Little Wolf by Amélie S. Duncan
Publication date: December 9th 2014
Genres: Erotica, Romance
When twenty-three year old Tala Velsik appears in a last minute performance art piece, she has no idea that public nudity will be the least of her worries. Wearing nothing but silver paint and a pair of antlers, her body is bared to hundreds of eyes, but one penetrating stare simmers through the others, Adrian Caro.
Adrian Caro is one of the world’s most famous directors and photographers, but with striking features and a body made for sin, most would guess he belonged in front of the camera.
Of course, the last thing Tala needs is romance, even with a walking Adonis. Mounting bills, a dead end job and a set of childhood memories most therapists would pale at; love is low on her list. Assuming, of course, her new admirer allows her to have a say in the matter.
Shocked yet thrilled by Adrian’s passionate domination, Tala can’t help but feel she’s standing on quicksand. For all his wealth, fame and talent, Adrian is tormented by his own demons; hiding secrets big enough to destroy them both.
I
shook my head. “You did, but not anymore. I’m perfectly capable of tending to
myself.”
“I’m
also perfectly capable of tending to you,” Adrian said with a Gallic shrug.
I
looked away. “You’re overwhelming me. I don’t like games or riddles. I like
straight talk. I don’t like coddling—”
“You
do like coddling, that’s a lie,” Adrian said. His tone was so full of
disappointment that it made me spill out an explanation.
“Fine.
I don’t trust coddling. Trauma growing up… snore. So no more of that.”
He cupped my face. “Tell me what happened.”
His eyes bore into me, but I didn’t want to share a part of myself with a
wealthy, famous man who couldn’t possibly understand, someone I was sure I
wouldn’t see again anyway.
I
rubbed the back of my neck. “It’s in the past where it belongs and has no
relevance to my job with you.” He swallowed and his mouth turned down. My heart
stuttered. I didn’t understand why I felt bad, but I decided to offer him more
of an explanation. I took a deep breath before blurting out, “My mother is a
diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic. She was unmedicated for most of my
childhood.”
He
stroked my face gently. “She hurt you.” His eyes flashed and his mouth curled
up. He appeared pumped and poised to slay the demons of my past.
I
licked my lips. “She’s better now. She lives at Newton House in Middletown, New
York. It’s a partially private group home. She’s one of the reasons I agreed to
come here. Helping her afford her home. So, I’m fine,” I babbled. “She had
childhood trauma too, but she’s doing better, and I want her to stay there.”
“So
you work and do day labor to cover the cost of her housing?” The look on his face showed he didn’t agree with my
sacrificing for someone who had hurt me.
I
moved on my side, facing away from him on the bed. “Newton House is more than
housing. She gets doctors, therapy, counseling, and activities. My mom was good
when she was on medication, and you have no right to judge me. I wouldn’t
expect someone like a Carlotti to understand anyway.”
“Just because I have wealth doesn’t mean I have
lived a charmed life. I’ve experienced pain and loss too. I lost my mother to
breast cancer when I was twelve. There wasn’t enough Carlotti money to save her
and keep her with me.” Something inside me melted, and I turned back over and
didn’t protest as he moved me closer to him and embraced me.
Amélie S. Duncan writes contemporary, erotic romances with a dark edge. Her inspiration comes from many sources including her life experiences and travels. She lives on the West Coast of the United States with her husband.
When
did you begin writing?
All my life I have been a storyteller. My younger years
consisted of making up stories and skits to share with my family. When I was a
teenager, I wrote more poetry and short stories than anyone else I knew. As I
got older, my stories became darker and I drew from experiences surrounding a
tough patch in my life.
In college, writing was academic and I put aside my personal
stories. But a few years ago, I began writing again; only it didn’t come as
easily as I remembered. I spent a lot of time studying and developing stories.
I was always a lover of paranormal romances, but I progressed to erotica, and
erotic romances. I shared my writing with my husband and friends. Friends were
a bit more reserved about what I was creating, but my husband loved how alive I
was when I was writing and encouraged me to pursue this dream. I am forever
thankful for his support.
What
genre do you write and why?
I write contemporary erotic romance stories, but I also
include darker elements in my writing. I’m an avid reader of dark erotica,
erotica, erotic romances, paranormal romances and new adult stories. They all
inspire me creatively. So, I write what I truly love and enjoy reading and hope
those stories will resonate with like-minded readers.
Can you
tell us a little about your book?
Little Wolf is truly, at its heart, the love story of my
heroine, Tala Velsik. She has a had a tough life growing up with her
unmediated, paranoid schizophrenic mother and an absentee father. In her teen
years, she was adopted by the family of Jax Molsom, her best and only friend.
She faced her haunted pass and challenging life with
strength and resilience, managing to take care of herself and all those around
her. In her pursuit to do just that, and pressing forward in her chaotic and
difficult life, she helps her brother with his dreams and ends up crossing the
path of famed photographer and director Adrian Caro.
Adrian’s life is quite a contrast of Tala’s, but he is also
personally unfulfilled. So he makes a deal with the devil in his pursuit of
happiness. As their worlds collide, the secret he is hiding becomes his biggest
challenge of the story. Ultimately, this secret threatens everything.
I am long-winded, but purposely being vague to avoid
spoiling the story. Ultimately, it is a story about finding love, care and
family. These things come at a price, and it isn’t always perfect or easy, but
even the most damaged among us can find it.
What is
the inspiration behind your book Little Wolf?
Little Wolf was first and foremost inspired by my work in the
mental health field. My experience is with children, teens and women like my
heroine, Tala Velsik. Their lives are often tragic and chaotic at times, but
many of them remain strong and resilient. They are also extremely tough on the
outside, but their hearts are so beautiful. Their loyalty a wonder. So this
book was inspired by all the Tala’s I fell in love with over the years.
The location where the majority of the novel takes place also
has a special spot in my heart, as I studied there and always wanted to write
about the beauty and kindness of the people I met while abroad. Overall, the
family and community there are so unique that I felt this was the perfect setting
for Tala and Adrian’s story.
How did
you come up with the idea for the cover?
Actually, my cover designer found the photo, as I was
indecisive. I loved the picture, and the way it turned out is beautiful. I am very
happy with it.
Name
your all-time favorite book?
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
If your
book was made into a movie who would you cast and why?
If you’ve ever viewed my Pinterest account, you know I have
a healthy obsession with David Gandy, so Adrian Caro would be him. Although, I
always think of Adrian with a deep sultry voice, but I like his accent. A
wonderful blogger brought my attention to Emilia Clarke for Tala Velsik. Blythe
Danner for Sophie Caro. For the rest, I’m not as certain.
When did you first
realize you wanted to be a writer?
I don’t really believe I ever thought I could be
a writer. My friends and family always told me I was a great storyteller, but
it seemed like a dream so far out of reach. I did well in story writing throughout
my educational life, but it was only recent and through the encouragement of my
husband that I began to really develop stories. It didn’t all come together at
once, but I found wonderful people to help me and I’m continuously working to
be better. So I hope to one day truly consider myself a writer.
How long does it take you to write a book?
Writing a book doesn’t take nearly as long as developing, editing and publishing it. I find the first draft is pretty quick, but I would never publish that because it’s always awful! I would say for Little Wolf, it took a few months to write it, but much more time to develop the story with my development editor and beta readers.
Writing a book doesn’t take nearly as long as developing, editing and publishing it. I find the first draft is pretty quick, but I would never publish that because it’s always awful! I would say for Little Wolf, it took a few months to write it, but much more time to develop the story with my development editor and beta readers.
Do you
have a sequel or new books coming out in 2015?
Yes. I have a series entitled Tiger Lily which I
plan to release soon. As for a sequel to Little Wolf, I haven’t written one
yet, but I may consider doing so in the future.
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