Today I am excited to bring you a debut author who is also a friend of mine. Not only is she smart and funny but her writing voice is captivating.
First a little about her, then a fun interview and a excerpt from her book. And don't miss the links at the end for more info and where to purchase a copy.
Lisa Medley writes
reapers. The grim kind. Her urban fantasy romance, Reap & Repent is available now in a Harlequin E Box Set with three other Harlequin debut authors. A lover of beasties of all sorts, she has a farm full of them in her SW MO home including: one child, one husband, two dogs, two cats, a dozen hens, thousands of Italian bees and a guinea pig. Not so in love with the guinea pig. She can do ten pushups IN A ROW and may or may not have a complete zombie apocalypse bug-out bag in her trunk at all times. Just. In. Case.
Reap
& Repent Blurb:
Deacon Walker is a
burned out loner, whose two hundred years as a reaper have left him empty
inside. But when he meets Ruth Scott, a gorgeous shut-in with unusual gifts,
he’s forced to set his career complacency aside to train her for a destiny she
never knew existed. Soon the two will face the ultimate test: a battle against
demons determined to destroy humanity, one soul at a time.
What draws you to
paranormal stories?
I have always loved
monsters. I think it all started with Scooby Doo back in the day and eventually
graduated to the King of monsters, Stephen King. I drew the line at Clive
Barker. I like monsters with at least the chance at redemption. When I
discovered there was an entire genre devoted to monsters in love called
paranormal romance…I was hooked!
Keyboard or paper and
pen?
Reap & Repent was
mostly written in a notebook until I got a little netbook. Now it’s all keyboard.
Occasionally I’ll take notes in my phone or in notebooks still if the muse
inspires me while I’m away from my computer. I have to write things down when
they come to me, ha!
Do you ever experience
writer's block and if so what do you do about it?
I’ve been a little
stuck a few times but not really blocked. The only thing that really blocks me
is making time to write. I read some great advice from fantasy author Terry
Prachett who said when he’s stuck he’ll ask himself, “What’s the worst thing
that could happen for this person?” Then he’ll do that to his character. Works
for me! I’ve been unintentionally doing this since book one. It’s a terrific
way to get yourself unstuck.
Which is easier for
you: beginning, middle or end?
I’m a starter for sure,
but I’ve found if you start strong often the momentum will carry you. The more
I transition from pantser to plotter, the easier the transition from beginning
to middle to end becomes. Wandering the back roads is fun, but things move
along much more smoothly when you have a map.
Do you have a muse and
if so what is his/her name?
My muse’s name is
CHOCOLATE. I summon him/her often.
One marketing tip?
I’m still learning,
but what I’m trying to do is to reach out and make connections via social
media. I don’t friend or follow everyone, but if they look even mildly
interesting, I add them to me realm of influence. You never know who might give
you that little push that will take you viral. I focus on Facebook, Twitter and
Goodreads. You just can’t do it all.
Do you go out of your
way to kill bugs or do you run and hide?
Oh I’ll stomp a spider
or bug no problem. It’s the snakes that send me running. I can face about
anything except a snake. I’m not so fond of mice either.
Are you a person who
makes their bed in the morning or do you not see the point?
I LIKE having my bed
made. I do not make it very often. Mostly I make it when I know someone is
coming over.
What one thing would
surprise people about you?
I keep bees. Or more,
I have a beehive and they hang around and make me honey when they feel like it.
I used to really try to ‘work’ them. That only led to disaster. Like a squashed
Queen. Finally I learned to leave them alone and let nature find a way. I’ve
lost the colony a couple of times and had to start over, but mostly they do
better without me.
Prologue
from Reap & Repent:
What
does a guy have to do around here to get some service? Deacon Walker marveled
as he glared at the undulating queue of grotesque reapers in front of him.
For
all that’s holy, move the hell along already.
It
had been a long week, and it wasn’t over yet. He needed to make at least one
more pass through the hospital circuit before he could call it a day. He could
already feel the tug of a freshly departed soul. Again. People were dropping
like flies lately.
He
massaged his brow, trying to soothe his exhausted patience as the line inched
forward at a snail’s pace.
He
was worn thin. Over the past few weeks, three demon soul poachers had popped up
in his fair city of Meridian like poisonous mushrooms after a hard rain. While
it wasn’t unheard of for one to slip out from Hell every now and then, three
was a nightmare.
When
it got topside, a demon’s M.O. was to steal a human body, poach a few souls
from the dead and dying, and then make its merry way back to Hell, taking its
host’s soul along for the ride. The only way to save the souls a poacher was
carrying was to behead the host with a scythe. Not a pretty thing to do, but
the poor suckers were too far gone by then to survive anyway. No human could
withstand the pressures of being ridden by a demon. And it was worth it to save
a handful of souls, not to mention inconveniencing the demon.
Deacon
refused to lose any souls from his territory. At all.
So
far the score was Deacon, 3. Demons, 0.
As
a reaper, carrying souls to Purgatory for judgment was his job and he wasn’t
about to cede his territory to poachers who used up their hosts like they were
disposable Tupperware. So now, in addition to his normal day job, he also had
to keep an eye out for more demon invaders.
While
demons burned through most human hosts in a matter of days, some in a matter of
hours, they had discovered long ago that under the right circumstances they
could ride a reaper. Of course, they couldn’t just worm their way in like they
did with humans—they had to be invited. But once a deal was struck? They were
in.
And
reapers? Yeah, they could hang on for decades inside a reaper. Deacon knew that
fact firsthand.
His
stomach twisted at the thought, but he shook it off, looking ahead with a heavy
sigh.
Seriously,
this line? Still. Not. Moving?
God,
he needed a freakin’ vacation. Extended. He dragged a hand through his hair in
frustration as his mind flipped through postcard-esque locations of reapings
past. He snarled at the thought of New Orleans in summer. He would definitely
want to go someplace cool—cool as in frigid, not hip. He was sick of the heat,
and it was only the beginning of summer in the semitropical Midwest.
Come
to think of it, he was sick of a lot of things.
This
place was high on the list. It was as hot as…well, Hell actually. Or at least
what he imagined Hell to be, although he’d never actually been there. Thank
God.
Steam
rose from random cracks in the stone floor of the underground station, veiling
the place in a humid sulfur stench.
He
pushed forward, finally making his way to the front to deposit his cargo of
souls. He didn’t bother chatting. In. Out. Move on. It was a motto that served
him well.
Mission
completed, he hustled through the crowd, forgoing the bar-side frivolity of
some of the more socially inclined reapers and their small talk about their
glory days in the field or—even better—the missteps of the newest reapers.
Newbies often tested their limits to humorous if not disastrous effect at least
once in their early careers. That was exactly why new reapers had mentors or at
least worked in teams. From all the laughter, he could tell that the stories
were good ones. It didn’t tempt him.
He
slapped his palm against the black granite monolith and flashed out of
Purgatory to what he prayed was his last stop of the day.
BUY LINKS: Reap & Repent is available March 3, 2014 in a Harlequin E Urban
Fantasy/Paranormal Romance Box Set with the works of three other amazing new
Harlequin authors! Reap & Repent
will be available for single-title release June 2, 2014.
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