Interview Author Teresa D'Amario

I'n very happy to welcome Teresa D'Amario here today. I met her on twitter (@TeresaDAmario)and she a wonderful person besides being a great author. She agreed to let me pester her with questions about her first print release. Please give her a warm welcome. She will also be here today to answer all the question you might have.

Susi: Teresa, nice to have you here!

Teresa: Thanks Susi! It's so good to be here!

Susi: Tell us a bit about yourself?

Teresa: Well, there's not much to tell. I live in North Carolina, with my husband and two dogs. I love to travel, and I love to read!

Susi: I thought it would be nice to ask a few other things, that will give us a deep look into your soul *snort* so here are a few bullet questions:
Teresa: LOL that's assuming I still have a soul!

Susi: Tea or coffee?
Teresa: Ewww neither

Susi: Pepsi or coke? 
Teresa: Coke

Susi: Cat or dog? 
Teresa: hmm, I have to say dogs. Though it's a close call.

Susi: Sunny beach or winter wonderland?
Teresa: Sunny Beach! Just thinking winter wonderland makes me cold!

Susi: Werewolf or vampire?
Teresa:  Werewolf. I love me some hot, sexy animal males.

Susi: Star Wars or Star Trek? 
Teresa: Not a fair question. LOL. I'll have to chose Star Trek because it has affected every part of our daily lives. it's because of Star Trek that so many of our technological advances have arrived. I remember when computers first came out, we used those big 5 1/4" floppies and on Star Trek they'd used something about 3.5" in size. Oui la. Next thing I knew we had 3.5" disks. Then Cd's. And so forth.

Susi: Cinema or home-movie?
Teresa: Cinema. I'm all about action movies on the big screen.

Susi: Weighted Companion Cube or cake?
Teresa: Uhm, I'm lost. LOL But I do love me some bejeweled on facebook!

Susi: How did it come that you switched from non-fiction articles with widely varying topics to paranormal romance? Was the romance genre always a secret love of yours?

Teresa: Actually I avoided romance for a long time. I used to read nothing but romance, and then I got bored with it. But I'd limited myself to mostly historicals, and it just got to where I could predict every scene before the book was done with chapter one (Yes, I inhaled a lot of books) so I moved over to heavier books, like thrillers and murder mysteries. I even once joked that if I read one more murder mystery I was going to develop my own tic. I never really wanted to write a novel, though, until I discovered paranormal romance. I loved the idea of intense danger bringing us to a happy ending. To me, most of the action movies we watch are romances. They have all that high octane action, and in almost every one of them, there is the underlying romance that drives the story. I was always a paranormal creature fan, and writing them as romance was the best idea ever!

Susi: It’s all about the werewolves. We know that you also wrote articles about dog behavior for various online magazines. Where does your fascination for the canines come from?

Teresa: Hmmm I love all animals. I always have. But when I was 21 I got a dog that was the end all dog when it came to behavior issues. Even obedience instructors were flabbergasted with him. After he passed away, and we got our next dog, I decided there was no way I wasn't going to understand everything she did, and I was going to have a well behaved dog. I read everything I could get my hands on that was dog related. In my research I discovered how similar to wolves our domesticated animals were, and I read more about wolves to know what lay in the heart of my dear, sweet labby girl. I learned that every dog has at least ONE wolfish trait, though not always the same as another dog might have. So I had to learn more about wolves to recognize those traits and know how to deal with them. And the next thing I knew, I had become obsessed with understanding all wild animals. Beauty was never the perfect dog, but she was well behaved and oh so much fun!

Susi: The first book in your True Mates series will be released in print at the end of this month. Can you tell us a bit about the setting of your series? What is your world like?

Teresa: Thank you. Yes, I'm so excited to see SheWolf hit print! There are a couple of important locations to this book, and it's designed half way around the town in which I live, and partially about the Uwharrie Forest, which is a few hours away. The veterinarian's clinic is very similar to the one I visit (In fact, I even asked a few questions of my vet for realism), and the mexican restaurant is a lot like one about 10 miles from me. They don't make them like that anymore, I'm sorry to say - with closed off booths so there's a bit of privacy. But it sure made for some really hot scenes. A friend of mine told me that the scene there was probably the hottest thing she'd ever read, and they never even touch one another.

But my world is our world. The one you and I live in! Just hidden beneath the surface are those of another species. You never know if the man you just spoke to who looks a tad rough around the edges might be more than human.

But in the True Mates series, the stories revolve around pack/family dynamics more than outside influences. So there's not a lot of mixing with humans.

Susi: What can we expect of Shewolf?

Teresa: You can expect to be introduced to a new species, where animal and human combine. A world where mating is different from humans and their marriages. A place where danger is always there, around every curve.

Susi: Your heroine Anna is a veterinarian and also a werewolf. How did you came up with that combination? It seems to be rather ironic.

Teresa: Actually, I once worked part time for a vet many years ago, and the instant I thought of Anna, I knew she was a vet. I wanted a heroine who had a well respected career, someone with intelligence, and logic. Someone who would look at the new species with biology in mind instead of magic.

Susi: Kieran the hero was an alpha and now he’s a protector of his race. How does he handle this situation? Would he actually prefer being the alpha again or does he enjoy the solitude of his new life?

Teresa: As protector of their race, as the enforcer, he is forced to take lives even when he doesn't want to. He's a natural alpha. Fair, compassionate and intelligent. Killing is not his favorite thing to do, and he would love to hang up his weapons. But confidence is at issue. Had his past not occurred, he would love to be alpha again. He struggles against his natural alpha tendencies when his brother, Sean, gives orders.

Susi: How many more books do you plan to write in this series?

Teresa: There's no set number. I'm almost finished with Blood Moon Betrayed, the next in the series, and already, so long as readers want it, another hero has stepped forward, ready to tell his own story.

Susi: Any thing else we should keep our eyes open for?

Teresa: Blood Moon Betrayed will be coming soon, as is Leopard's Key, which is a part of the Dreams and Desires 4 anthology at Freya's bower.

Susi: Now can you tell us 3 reasons why people should read your books?

Teresa: Cuz they are hot! Oh wait, is that not a good reason? LOL Okay, let's try again. Because I love strong alpha heroes, and women who can deal with them. Nobody is perfect and neither are my heroes and heroines. But they aren't always tortured, either. Sometimes they are just the girl next door, or your local veterinarian, who discovers untold secrets in her past. And I love a happily ever after. No matter how painful, how sad the story is that I tell, the ending is always uplifting and makes you smile. So if you are having a bad day, or feeling lonely, go ahead and pick up one of my books. They'll make you laugh. They'll make you cry. And then they'll make you smile.

Susi:  Could you tell our readers a little trivia about yourself, something that they wouldn't know about you?

Teresa: I am an open book! Okay, let me think. I'm a computer geek. I love playing on computers. My husband jokes how it calls my name the instant we walk in the house. But I hate to text message. LOL.

Susi: Last question: what would you ask yourself if you were in my position? And please feel free to answer!

Teresa: Let me think what would I want to know about myself?

Do you like getting fan mail?

I LOVE IT!!! It even makes me cry (In a good way) sometimes. No matter what anyone tells you, every single author loves getting fan mail. They may not have time to answer it (people like JR Ward, probably gets so many she can't answer it all) but at this stage in my career, everyone gets a response. It makes us authors feel like there are people out there who really do like our work. Writing is very solitary, and the first 3-6 months of a book release are anti-climactic, because we can't tell if people are buying yet. The only way we know is by email, so stop over at my website, and click that contact link and let me know what you think!


Susi: Thanks so much for coming over.

Teresa: Thank you so much for having me here, Susi! What a great spot to visit! If anyone has more questions for me, I'll be watching!

Teresa will be here to answer questions. You have just leave it in the comments and Teresa will do her best to answer it!