The Game Warden's Mate
by A.M. Griffin
GENRE:
Sci-fi Romance
BLURB:
The Hunter. As the new Game Warden, Xrez Ym’ihla brings patrons from across the galaxy to track prey in a game built to enslave the weak and mate the strong. The business is a long running family legacy and Xrez is determined to succeed as his father had before him. He hadn’t meant to let one human occupy his thoughts, mind, and body.
His lies may come back to haunt him, but if he reveals the truth, he’ll ruin his chance to capture the heart of the one he wants.
The Prey. Esme Valdez had her entire life planned from an early age. As a chemist, her life was average and mundane, just the way she liked it. Until the impossible happened. Never did she imagine being abducted by aliens and forced to participate in a survival of the fittest game called The Hunt. If she survives and makes it to the end, she’ll be freed. If not, she’ll be forced to mate the one who captures her.
Esme is determined to win at all costs, even if it means putting her trust in a sexy alien who taunts her in the most delectable way.
Their love was built on betrayal. Can she trust him with her heart and life?
Excerpt:
“Property,” she said, finally finishing her sentence. She didn’t recognize anything. Not a God. Damn. Thing. “We aren’t on my property.” Her voice didn’t sound right on her ears.
“So you didn’t kidnap me and give me this fancy new BDSM collar?” He tugged on something about two inches wide and silver around his neck
Esme fumbled at her neck, finding a collar of her own. It felt like metal, not thick, but seemed sturdy and cold on her skin. Her fingers trembled as she followed around the circumference. There wasn’t a way to unhook it. Her breathing picked up. Her chest heaved.
This was wrong. So very wrong.
The man shrugged. “I mean, if you’re into BDSM, I won’t judge you. But as I said, I’m through with all the weird shit.”
Esme clenched her fists in frustration. Tears welled in her eyes. Her heart felt like it was one beat away from exploding. “Hey, nitwit, this isn’t just about you. I think we’re all in the same boat here. I woke up probably the same time you did and just assumed I was home, because,” a hysterical chuckle left her mouth, “where else would I be on a friggin’ Friday night?”
“Hate to break it to you, but it’s Sunday night. I just played Comerica Park in Detroit.”
Esme frowned and shook her head. “No, I’m positive. The last thing I remember is coming home from work and thinking about binging on Netflix. It’s what I do every Friday night.”
He snorted. “Well, that’s sad.”
“Hey! We all can’t play at Comerica Park.” She exhaled loudly. “What is that anyway and why are you dressed like an over the top rock star?”
She’d heard of Detroit, even visited once when she’d lived in the United States to attend college. Her mom had a distant cousin who’d live near the United States and Canada border, and she’d spent a Christmas with them instead of flying all the way home to Mexico.
The rockstar guy brushed off his pants and straightened his clothes. “It’s called ‘stage presence,’ baby.”
“Oh, my God. Can you guys keep it down? Some of us are trying to sleep,” came a tired voice from a shadowy corner.
Rockstar guy held up his hand and pulled each finger down slowly.
New guy scrambled to his feet. He was a lot bigger than rock star guy and bigger than most men she knew. He had on army fatigues, military boots, and dog tags hanging from his thick neck. He scowled. “Wait. Where the hell am I?”
Rockstar guy smirked and dropped his hands. “And there it is.”
Interview with AM Griffin
How many books have you written and which is your favorite?
I have over 26 books under my belt. My first book, Dangerously Mine is my favorite. I was actually excited to complete it. And for that reason, Dangerously Mine will forever be my favorite book because of the sentimental value behind it. I’d originally self-published it under a different title and different pen name. Then, I read another sci-fi story and something clicked in my brain. “What if I sent this book to the same publisher?” I’d never published anything and didn’t have any friends or connections in that world. But without another thought, I sent it to Ellora’s Cave (2012) and surprisingly they picked it up.If you’re planning a sequel, can you share a tiny bit about your plans for it?
I’m a serial girly, so I’ve known from the beginning that The Hunt would be a series. There are currently five books in this series with another installment hopefully being released in 2024. In this first book, The Game Warden’s Mate, I introduce you to all the human players as well as a glimpse of their alien hunters who’ll make more of an appearance during their books. In this first book, we also learn the rules of The Hunt and are immersed in the three levels of the game and different gaming arenas. We get to meet the meek Esme, a scientist from Mexico who’s determined to beat the game at all costs and the sasquatch looking game warden who entered The Hunt against the rules. In the subsequent books we get to see the game from the other humans’ viewpoint. There were 12 a total of 12 humans abducted and transplanted to the gaming planet.
Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
While the books can be read on their own and out of order, it’s best to read them in order, or to at least have read The Game Warden’s Mate first so that you don’t miss the introduction into that world.
How did you come up with the title for your book?
At first, I wanted to come up with something catchy but simplicity won over in the end. The hero is the Game Warden and Esme is his mate. Easy-peasy lol
How long did it take you to write this book?
I think it took me around two months to write The Game Warden’s Mate. Some books flow faster and others I’m fighting through writer’s block and pacing issues. It’s a toss-up. I wrote Hunted by the Alien Vampire within a month because Miranda and Fanian’s story flowed so easily.
Have you ever killed off a character your readers loved?
No, I tend to only kill off characters who deserved it. When I kill them, I want the readers to rejoice. This is also why I give them a particularly gruesome death.
What do you do to get inside your character’s heads?
When I’m writing, they’re in my head. They have dialogue going and I can “see” their interactions. It’s a bit weird to explain, but I can’t make my characters do anything they don’t want to. Even if I try to force a conversation or action onto the page, I’ll be hit with writer’s block because the character just can’t move past something they wouldn’t do normally. To get around the writer’s block I’ll have to re-write the scene. So, experience has taught me not to force anything and to try to make things flow.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
A. M. Griffin is a 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.
Where you can find me:
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Email: amgriffinbooks@gmail.com
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4 comments:
Thank you so much for featuring A.M. Griffin today.
The blurb and excerpt sound really interesting. Thanks for sharing.
This sounds like a good book.
looks like a fun one
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