Reaper
(A Dark Assassins Novel Book Two)
(A Dark Assassins Novel Book Two)
Valerie Ullmer
Genre: Paranormal Romance
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[ Author
Interview ]
Do you have
any quirky writing habits?
I don’t know if you would call it quirky, but there are
several steps I have to go through before I start writing my book. I write out all the ideas I have for story,
then I write what if questions to try and fill in the holes that bother me, and
after that, I outline using plot points.
All of this is written freehand.
Once I am finished with my outline, I enter it into Scrivener and go
over it to see if I am missing anything and only then do I start writing. Being so detailed oriented allows me to write
the story faster and with fewer problems.
The biggest
surprise you had after becoming a writer
That if you want to be a writer, you have to
write. For years, I studied different
books on how to write a novel, how to be a romance writer, and everything under
the sun on plotting, outlines, character arcs, you name it, I read about
it. But it wasn’t until I sat down and
wrote my first book (which I have to admit it was horrible), that I realized
that the only way you become a writer is to just write. I still study material on writing, but
nothing compares to putting something on the page.
A fun fact
about writing your book
Well my entire Dark Assassins series has a completely
different spin than most paranormal romances.
Vampires and shifters work together as immortal assassins, but they are
also close to each other and care for one another. They are family to one another. Also, while they feel a pull to their mates,
there isn’t an instant connection or automatic knowledge that they are meant
for one another.
What you
struggle the most with when you write the story
There is always a spot, usually around the first plot
point or midpoint, when I notice there is a lack of conflict or tension between
the characters. I have to take a couple
of days to work through it, but my story is always stronger after. But it’s a little frustrating.
Which kind of
scenes are the hardest for you to write? Action, dialogue, sex?
I would have to say action. It drives me nuts when I read over an action
or fight scene and it makes no sense.
Instead of writing too much, I tend to write very little and add more later. I end up with a scene that lacks flow, and it
takes me a bit to fix it, but it’s worth it.
How
do you keep from resenting your duties and every human’s sleeping requirement
when you have to stop writing to take care of them?
I’m very lucky that I have such a supportive husband
who encourages me and my writing. He
also is very good and telling me when I need to quit or gives me encouragement
when I need motivation to finish.
Errands and other responsibilities make for a good break from sitting in
front of the computer, but I usually wait until my husband is with me.
How long does
it take to write a story?
I learned the hard way to make an outline and to have
as much information as possible before writing the story, so between outline
and finishing the first draft, anywhere between 3 months for novellas or 6 for
novels.
Pen or
computer
Pen for outlining and computer for writing.
Music or
silence
Music, silence drives me batty.
Alone or in
public
Alone, while I love music I can’t stand low-level
conversation, it’s very distracting.
Routine or
when inspiration struck
Routine, every day, even on the weekends. It’s like my favorite quote about
writing. “Waiting for inspiration to
write is like standing at the airport waiting for a train.”
You were
stranded on a deserted island and can have only 2 people with you, a person
from your book and a person from any other book which would they be?
The only two people that come to mind is Elizabeth
Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. I think they are the epitome of love and it
would be interesting to hear their conversations. I love the characters in all my books, but it
would be hard to pick only two.
Have you ever
found someone in a story who’s exactly like you?
To be honest, no, I’ve never met a character that
resembled me, but I have read author interviews and I have noticed that I have
a lot of qualities that other authors have.
A wicked sense of humor, introverts, a love of reading, and a love of
writing.
[ Blurb
]
Reaper had expected it to be an easy assignment. Break into a biotech facility with minimum security and rescue a group of immortals who were subject to deadly experiments and eliminate those who might try to fight back. But the moment he walked into the glass prison and spotted a human woman being held with the immortals, his mission changed.
She became his mission.
Before Reaper had a chance to explain that he was there to help her, she blinded him and the rest of his team and slipped away. Although she had escaped him, a protectiveness that he'd never felt washed over him, and he became determined to find her.
Ara has always depended on herself, but there was something about the shifter that made her want to trust him. She recognized him as someone who was capable of protecting her as well as understanding her secrets without turning her away, but before she could allow herself to trust him, she ran.
But with no resources and running out of ideas about how to protect herself, will she be able to lower her defenses and allow the shifter to help her?
[ Excerpt
]
Copyright ©
2016 Valerie Ullmer
All of his muscles locked down as he scanned her, making sure that
she hadn’t been hurt. When he found her
injury-free, he blew a sigh of relief.
Comparing the last memory he had of her, he took note that she had
lost even more weight from her time on the run.
Her body, clothed in scrubs that were similar to the pair she wore close
to a month before, hung loosely on her curvy frame.
Before he could rein it in, a low growl of disapproval slipped
past his lips. Either too tired or
determined to get into the house, she missed the noise.
He kept his gaze on her as she ran up the porch and hesitated a
moment, before she waved a hand in front of the door. When the door unlocked, she pushed her way in
and closed it behind her. He heard the
distinct click of the lock sliding back into place.
Although he wanted to rush after her, scoop her up, and take her
home while she would be too tired to launch him down the block, instinct told
him to wait. If he found her, then
someone else could’ve as well.
Less than five minutes after she entered the house, a figure
emerged from the woods several yards from where he stood. Without disguising his movements, the man ran
up to the porch and jiggled the doorknob.
His amateur actions covered the noise of Reaper’s advance.
As Reaper stood feet away from eliminating the new threat, a male
voice erupted through the man’s earpiece, making the asshole jump. Reaper paused and listened to the angry
voice.
“Have you got her yet?”
Instead of answering, the stupid git removed the offending object
from his ear and stomped on it. “I’m
going to kill that bitch when I get a hold of her.”
Reaper waited until the man went back to his futile attempt at
picking the lock before he unsheathed a knife from his thigh. Not giving his target time to make any more
progress on the lock, he stepped forward and wrapped a hand around the man’s
mouth and nose, silencing his shout of surprise. Rage filled Reaper at how close this man had
gotten to her. So with precise
movements, he drove the knife into the man’s chest to the hilt and
twisted. The man was dead within a
matter of seconds.
He hid the body on the side of the porch. The bushes would prevent anyone from the
street happening upon him. After the
woman was secured in his home, he would call for a cleanup crew to make the body
disappear.
Reaper hadn’t been surprised that they caught up to her, and he
knew that this one man’s incompetence didn’t mean that whoever chased her would
make the same mistake twice. He had to
rush before the man in the earpiece realized that his colleague lay dead.
Stepping up to the door, he placed his hands, several inches
apart, and pressed until the locks gave way.
He slid inside without a sound before shutting the door. Taking a deep breath to get a trace on where
she might have gone, he was surprised because it seemed as the entire house
smelled of her. Light and sweet.
He darted from room to room.
They were running out of time before they were discovered. Desperation clawed at his chest as he found
each one empty. At the top of the
stairs, he paused when a faint cry reached him.
Unsure of where the sound came from, he wandered farther down the hall,
hoping that the sound would repeat.
Mumbles and whines of pain came through the door farthest away
from the master bedroom. As he opened
the door, the floor beneath him started to shake, which intensified the closer
he moved into the room. Not knowing what
had caused the house to move, his need to protect her ramped up.
[ About Author ]
Valerie writes
romances.
Contemporary,
Paranormal, Erotic, and M/M.
She lives in Denver,
Colorado with her wonderfully supportive husband and their funny and wise black
lab, Maddie. Valerie is addicted to coffee, crime shows, and reading and
writing character-driven romances.
As a voracious
reader, she’s believes that all writers are rock stars, and she hopes that
people enjoy her stories as much as she loves the romance novels she’s devoured
over the years!
When she’s not
writing or learning about the craft of writing, she can be found surfing the
internet way too much, watching Investigation Discovery and thinking that her
neighbors are up to no good, and finding new ways to get her husband to laugh.
She loves to hear
from her readers. You can reach her at valerieullmer.com, Facebook at facebook.com/valerieullmer.author, or Twitter twitter.com/valerieullmer.
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