Spotlight & Giveaway: WALL MEN: A Vow Kept by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Mimi Jean Pamfiloff to HJ!

Hi Mimi Jean and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, WALL MEN: Book Three: a Vow Kept!

 
Hello to team HJ and to all the adventurous romance readers out there!
 

To start off, can you please tell us a little bit about this book?:

Wall Men: Book Three, a Vow Kept is the final book in the Wall Men Trilogy!

This dark fantasy is about a young woman, Lake Norfolk, who discovers a secret hidden inside her late grandma’s home. Monsters!

Oh, but this story is so much more than just scary creatures and a big old creepy house. Lake will have to confront every fear, every heartache, and her past to survive what’s waiting for her.
In book one and two, she gets a crash course in Wall Men, love, monsters, and politics. In book three, she finally learns the rules of their world and steps up to fight to save her own world. This is after she’s been made into a vampire against her will. Fret not, though! She has a plan to make everything right.

Will she succeed? And will she get the guy? It’s a little hard when he’s dead! Then again, nothing is as it seems.

This story is a fast-paced, mindbender with tons of big men! Wink.
 

Please share your favorite lines or quote(s) from this book:

My favorite lines have sexy spoilers, so I’ll go with these one:

“I don’t care about Jim,” I say.

“Then who? Those useless townies who were destined to be nothin’ more than a cum stain on a dirty sheet, but by some miracle they ended up being real people.” She throws her hands in the air. “Fuck them! Idiots deserve to be eaten by monsters!”

What inspired this book?

The original idea came from a dream. Definitely a scary dream! Which is why I first wrote Wall Men as a horror story. But then as I worked the plot, the idea expanded into something much bigger.

Epic fantasy with monsters, giant warriors, romance, and a woman who has to confront her darkest fears to save her world.

How did you ‘get to know’ your main characters? Did they ever surprise you?

I did a lot of upfront work on Lake, the heroine. But I guess I got to know her through her relationships. She has a mean old granny with a dirty mouth. Then there’s the HOT handyman she crushes on, despite their age difference.

When we “see” Lake interact with the two, we get an immediate sense of what she’s made of and what’s in her heart.

What was your favorite scene to write?

The first sex scene! LOL. But it’s too dirty to share, so I’ll pick the scene where she has to go into a dark and scary cave filled with giant leeches. YUCK! Haha…

“Fuck!” I jump up, and something stabs the bottom of my foot through my leather boot. The scent of my own blood fills the air. Then some other creature pierces my leather pants and latches on to my lower back.

“Ow!” I twist and reach. “What the fuck is that?” It’s biting that tender part of flesh above my ass cheek.

“You must pull out the thorns! And do not allow the leeches to latch on,” Alwar yells again.
My blood trickles down inside my pants. That thing is trying to dig under my skin. Oh God. Oh God.

I reach behind me, my fingertips settling on something slimy and cold. Colder than me. I wrap my hand around what feels like a wriggling earthworm the width of a melon. “Get off me!” I dig my razor-sharp nails into the rubbery, slimy skin and yank hard. I hear a pop! and more blood flows down my ass from a gaping wound.

What was the most difficult scene to write?

I’m going to say…the first chapter. The series is a trilogy and must be read in order, but I still needed to refresh people’s memories about what went on in books one and two. Doing this while setting up a dynamic opening scene is tough!

Did I pull it off? You be the judge!

“Lake, you have been our ruler for over a week now. We must summon the citizens of Monsterland for your inaugural address,” says a deep voice I know well, better than I like to admit.

“Fuck off, Gabrio,” I mutter, not bothering to pull my mouth away from the giant who’s donating his rich syrupy blood. It tastes delicious—like warm hot chocolate on a cold day—but nothing, not even this, has managed to sate my hunger since I was turned into a vampire seven days ago.
It doesn’t even bother me that while all the other vampires are inside sleeping, I’m out here in the courtyard in the middle of the day, with nothing more than a flimsy tarp to shield me from the red sun. All I want is blood.

Without even looking, I know Gabrio’s emerald-green eyes are narrowed into tight little slits, and he’s glaring at me.

“At least meet with the leaders, my queen. They’re beginning to wonder if you’re truly strong enough to rule.”

“Like I said,” I snarl, “I’m busy.” I return to the giant’s delicious arm, which is the thickness of my waist. I’ve decided giants—aka War People—are my favorite food. Tastier yet are the Wall Men. They’re the toughest warriors among the giants and are given the honor of guarding the wall that separates this world from mine. For some reason, their blood is even sweeter.

I lower my head, finding a fresh patch of skin. My fangs pierce the flesh, making a pop! sound. Warm, sweet liquid pools in my mouth and slides down my throat. My eyes roll into the back of my head, and I moan with pleasure.

“Lake,” Gabrio barks, “you have eaten enough for the entire Blood People army. You have a duty!”
Duty? Did he just say duty? I did not choose to become queen of Monsterland any more than I chose to be a vampire. If it were up to me, I’d be human again and back home in my world—something they’ve denied me.

“Lake, please.” Gabrio places a hand on my shoulder.

“Don’t touch me!” I swivel my head in his direction. Gabrio has long blond hair and the distinctive, overtly masculine features of a hardened warrior, just like his brothers. Wide shoulders, strong arms, muscled legs, and battle-scarred chests. Unlike his brothers, Alwar and
Tiago, Gabrio is not a giant. Not anymore.

I bet he still tastes sweet, like a milkshake.

I lick my lips and stare at his powerful neck.

Would you say this book showcases your writing style or is it a departure for you?

This series and book are definitely in my wheelhouse. So many surprises! Fast paced! Lots of worldbuilding. There’s a little bit of humor, too, though this is not a campy story like my Immortal Tailor or Immortal Matchmakers. This is nonstop drama, action, and…yes! Romance!

What do you want people to take away from reading this book?

My books always have a deeper meaning, but hopefully the reader will walk away feeling utterly delighted! The ending is a wonderful surprise.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

I’m working on the final King book, Never King’s. It’s a tough one because expectations are extremely high! Wish me luck!

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Winner’s choice! A signed copy of one of the trilogy: Book #1, Book #2, OR this new release, Book #3!

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: If you had to marry a giant and sleep with his human-sized, very HOT brother in order to save the world, would you do it?

 
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Excerpt from WALL MEN: Book Three: a Vow Kept:

Right on cue, Alwar’s brother Tiago emerges from his tent and marches toward us. Tiago has cropped black hair that matches his stubble, and stunning golden eyes that leave nothing to mystery. In a way, I appreciate how transparent he is, even if he’s a stupid bastard who hates me almost as much as I hate him. Tiago the Terrible, I call him.
“Tiago will do it,” Alwar says.
I try not to laugh. Tiago’s going to hate being my snack. I love it.
I smile. “Hello, Tiago. Alwar has volunteered you to be my juice box. Where do you want to do this?”
“If she gets near me with those fangs, I will remove her head,” he snarls.
I laugh. “Now, now, Tiago. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
“I am not afraid,” he growls. “I simply do not want my body to be defiled by a lowly vampire.”
Hisses erupt from the trees.
I shake my head. “Sounds to me like you’re just too scared to be bitten, yet several of your men gladly volunteered to feed me this week. So are you saying they’re braver than you?”
“No.”
“Then stop with the temper tantrums,” Alwar grumbles.
“Yes, Tiago,” I smirk, “tantrums aren’t very becoming for a ruthless Wall Man of your stature. You’re bringing shame to my husband.”
Tiago’s nostrils flare.
I love that he knows he has to do this. And if you think I’m being petty, I’ll point out that Tiago tried to kill me just last week. His people stopped him. The kicker is that he’d taken a vow to protect me, and when he broke his word, the No Ones came for him. I stopped them; specifically, I stopped Bard. He’d been more than ready to settle some old scores with his cruel younger brother. Like I said, there’s animosity between siblings in their family.
Tiago jerks his head toward his tent. Normally, War People sleep under the stars, but Alwar said they were planning to stay indefinitely, so tents were in order.
Feeling Alwar’s jealous eyes on me the entire time, I follow Tiago. There’s nothing inside his tent except a few gray furs on the ground. The tent is made of woven dark brown fabric that reminds me of burlap. It’s not waterproof, but then again, it only rains here every hundred years, and when it does, the water is pure acid.
The only clean water they get comes from River Wall. That water is fed into a stream that eventually goes underground. Those closest to the water supply, like the War People, raise a few crops, which they use to trade or to supplement their meat-heavy diets. The kingdoms that are furthest from the water source survive off hunting alone.
With so little clean water, one has to ask how this world has so many trees and plants, but then again, none of them resemble the beautiful dense forest back home. Here, everything glows neon during the day. Perhaps the vegetation has adapted to feed off sunlight and any moisture in the air.
Or they just eat meat.
Tiago remains standing, staring straight ahead. “Go on then, leech. Take your meal.”
Did he just call me a leech? “Lie down. I want to sip from your neck.”
His golden eyes float down toward me.
“Do it, Tiago, or I’ll call in your soldiers to hold you down. After you attacked me, your queen, I doubt they’d object.” The War People were pretty pissed off about his behavior. They believe I’m good luck.
He exhales with a grumble and lies on the soft furs. I walk up to the side of his head and sniff. “On second thought, I’d rather starve. You smell like weakness.”
“But you—what the…”
I laugh and leave the tent, knowing that Tiago will never like me, but perhaps I’ll gain his respect. He’s a warrior through and through with a one-track mind, which is why he’ll never make a great king. To him, fighting and killing are all that matter.
“What happened?” asks Alwar.
“I prefer to discuss it in your tent.”
Alwar stifles a smile and leads the way.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Book Info:

From New York Times Bestseller Mimi Jean Pamfiloff comes the third book of the Wall Men Trilogy, a suspenseful Dark Fantasy filled with monsters, vampires, giants, and love.

HER PLAN IS SIMPLE: FIGHT LIKE HELL!

I never asked for any of this. Not to be taken to a strange, violent land. Not to be married off to a giant or get stuck between warring kingdoms filled with ravenous monsters.

Nor did I ask to be turned into a vampire and placed on the throne. Ruler of them all. This is crazy!

But now that I see what these creatures have in store for my world, I have to step up, even if it terrifies me. Because no one is coming to save my little town back home or the rest of the world I love despite its flaws. I’m the cavalry.

Lucky me, I have a plan. Unlucky me, I just discovered that my fifty-foot-tall warlord husband might be the key to carrying it out.

If only I could trust him. But I can’t.

And if only I weren’t in love with the ghost of his dead brother. But I am.

And if only I knew how this is going to end. I don’t.

But today, I fight. Today, I risk it all for what I love.

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Meet the Author:

MIMI JEAN PAMFILOFF is a New York Times bestselling author who writes insane plot twists that will have you burning through the pages. Whether it’s Romance, Suspense/Thriller, or Fantasy, there are always big heroes to root for, smart and resourceful heroines, and a ton of heart pumping excitement in every story.

Mimi lives with her extremely patient husband (“Be right there! Just one more page, honey!”), two pirates-in-training (their boys), and their three spunky dragons (really, just very tiny dogs with big attitudes) Snowy, Mini, and Mack, in the vampire-unfriendly state of Arizona.
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