An Introduction to Ellis O’Neill
Ellis is our reluctant hero in Blind Man’s Wolf. Originally from Yorkshire, he’s run off to London with some of dad’s loose change (understatement) and set up his own business as an art dealer.
He was doing bloody well at it, too. He’d always loved art, but wasn’t very good at it himself, so setting up a gallery of his own seemed the next best thing. He started small with a little space above a bigger shop but after a few years on the scene and a bit more money in his pocket he was finally able to move to a property in Mayfair, the heart of London’s art scene.
It took Ellis a long time to realise that he had trouble with his eyesight. He’d bump into things he hadn’t seen in his periphery and assume he hadn’t paid attention, and it wasn’t until the tunnel vision became more pronounced that he decided to see an optician in case he needed glasses.
Alas it wasn’t good news. He had a form of retinitis pigmentosa. The cells in his retina were dying, it was progressive, and there was no cure. He would be completely blind within a few years and there was nothing that could be done to slow or stop it.
Because life wasn’t going wrong quickly enough for Ellis, he decided to go out and get completely mashed, and ran into someone who would change his existence forever.
Now Ellis is a vampire. He’s not very good at being a vampire, but at least he still has his gallery, and with the assistance of the only friend who knows his secret he keeps his business ticking over while he wonders what exactly he’s supposed to do with eternity when his own guide dog seems to be going crazy…
Excerpt:
“Stop.” Ellis crouched and placed his right hand light against the wet grass. There were leaves, too, covered in leftover rain. He stood and patted his hand dry against his trouser leg, then reached for his glasses and slid them up his forehead. He peered around slowly, searching for any glimmer of light.
Before he had been turned, Ellis was utterly blind even in twilight. What little vision hadn’t been stolen entirely during the day needed a lot of light. Now that he was dead… undead… whatever he wanted to call himself, his senses were sharper. If he was lucky he could potentially make out the headlights of a car coming straight for him so long as it was mere seconds away from impact.
Trying to see was a last-ditch effort, and proved about as worthless as Ellis had expected. He found dim, colourless spots in the sky which were probably street lamps, but that was all. He pushed his glasses back into place and the dark lenses cut out even that small reminder of what was lost.
The clues taken together seemed to indicate that Tiberius had taken him to a park, and his mental map of Mayfair unfurled as he tried to figure out which one. Berkeley Square Gardens were closed after dusk and didn’t re-open until after sunrise. Grosvenor Square Gardens were even more restrictive, as were Mount Street Gardens. He should have noticed if they had crossed Park Lane, but Hyde Park closed at midnight anyway. Tiberius shouldn’t be able to enter any of them after midnight except Green Park; they all had gates which were closed and locked after hours.
Were they in Green Park, then? That wouldn’t be too bad. He fell still and listened again.
In the distance, a small rodent met its end, most likely to a fox. He waited, and heard a flutter of leathery wings high overhead and the rustle as tiny bats grabbed tree branches and came to rest.
Ellis swore, keeping his voice quiet. He had to have reached St. James’ Park. How the hell had he not noticed crossing Piccadilly or The Mall? How had they walked all the way through Green Park without him realising it? If he followed the path all the way to Buckingham Palace he may be able to attract a guard for assistance, but he figured that was likely one of the most densely-packed areas for CCTV cameras in their natural habitat. He’d be even deeper in poo if Her Majesty’s Finest discovered a man who didn’t show up on security screens.
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Author Bio:
Amelia Faulkner was born in the rolling green countryside of Oxfordshire, and moved to London once she was mostly grown up. She has a degree in Computer Science, and spent quite a long time working with computers until her childhood love of writing could no longer be ignored. Since then she has written for corporate clients and personal pleasure, and finally stepped away from office-bound working in 2011 to freelance from home. Amelia is also a keen photographer and film-goer, and resides in the city (not the City) with her husband. She is notoriously camera-shy, so please enjoy this picture of her cat!
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Love the excerpt and chance at the giveaway! Awesome cover!