What is your favorite part of writing? – Finishing a book. The rush is indescribable!
What is your least favorite part of writing? – Writer’s block. It’s my brain’s way of telling me that something’s wrong with the story and I need to go back and figure out where I took a wrong turn.
Where do you get the ideas for your stories? – They come from all over the place: current events, conversations with friends, things that happen in real life, etc. You name it, I consider it fair game. LOL. The idea for the opening scene of Grave Attraction came from a conversation with one of my co-workers regarding my strange neighbor who lives a few houses away.
Do you have critique partners? – Yes, I’m very fortunate to have several critique partners, and they’re worth their weight in gold. They’re great at pointing out things that I’ve missed, as well as providing insight into areas I hadn’t even considered. Everything I write goes through them before it gets sent to my editor.
How likely are people you meet to end up in your next book? – Not very likely. Well, that’s not completely true. I have a tendency to borrow certain traits from people and incorporate them into my characters. So while they might not be an exact replica of someone I meet, they might share a few similarities.
Give us an elevator pitch for your book. – Reaper Adam Javorski breaks rule number one when he alters the course of fate to save the life of a sexy shifter. Little does he know, their souls share a bond that stretches across centuries. Now he’s forced to fight fate as well as a serial killer, or the next souls reaped will be theirs.
Tell us about your hero. Give us one of his strengths and one of his weaknesses. – Adam is a reaper, a damned soul given one last chance to earn his salvation by harvesting the souls of the recently departed. The job sucks and the hours are long, but it sure as heck beats the alternative. Tall, dark, and handsome, he’s one of those guys who’s fairly laid back until somebody pushes him too far. Then watch out! He also has a bit of a control issue, which could pose a problem with everything that happens with Marlena…
Tell us about your heroine. Give us one of her strengths and one of her weaknesses. – Marlena is a shifter who’s been alive for more than four hundred years. She’s smart, resourceful, and fiercely protective of those she loves, but over the years she’s lost her fire for living because of a tragedy that happened in her past. It’s going to take a special kind of hero to make her want to live again.
Do you prefer to read in the same genres you write in or do you avoid reading that genre? – I love reading paranormal romance, but I tend to avoid it when I’m writing a book. But once I type “The End” all bets are off!
What’s next for you? – 2016 is shaping up to be a busy year. First up is a contemporary romance trilogy that’s currently with my editor and should be coming out in the next couple months. I’ve also completed a contemporary romance short story that will be in an anthology set to release in February. After that, I have at least one more book in the Grave series to write, and I’m working on a brand new paranormal romance series that I’m really excited about! Finally, I’m collaborating on a paranormal romance serial with several other authors.
EXCERPT
“Who the hell are you?” Her husky voice sounded harder than iron, but her eyes were wide and unblinking.
Adam didn’t answer. He was too busy appraising the locks. With enough time and the proper equipment, he could override the electronic keypad. Unfortunately, he lacked the luxury of either. Besides, it wasn’t his business. As a reaper, his obligations lay with the dead. He had no right to interfere with the living. Those lessons had been drilled into his head countless times. Always collect your appointed souls. Do not alert humans to our presence. Do not question Fate. And for the love of God, do not alter destiny. His mentor’s words echoed in his ears, the only thing keeping him from running to his truck for a hacksaw.
Frustrated, Adam balled his hands into fists. If he had a lick of sense, he’d leave the house before he did anything stupid. But something about the young woman called out to his soul, tugging so fiercely he found it impossible to turn away. A deep sense of connection flashed through his blood—swift, strong, and given the situation, completely inappropriate. He’d never experienced anything like it, and it knocked him completely off balance.
His phone vibrated in his back pocket, jarring him from his thoughts.
“Get your ass out of there,” Martin said when Adam answered the call. “Your boy’s on his way back to the nest, and it looks like he brought company.”
Shit. According to his notes, the killer worked alone. Since when had he recruited a partner? “All right, I’ll be there in a minute.” Adrenaline surged through his veins as he disconnected. There wasn’t enough time to break the blond free. But what kind of man would he be if he left a defenseless woman in the hands of psychos? Fuck destiny. The least he could do was give her a fighting chance at survival. To the best of his knowledge, she wasn’t fated to expire any time soon, and in his book that made her fair game.
“Hey!” the blond shouted when he stormed out of the room, fear rising in her voice. “Come back! Let me out of here!”
The sound of the garage door opening shot Adam’s pulse into overdrive. With time running out, he rushed to the kitchen and grabbed the cordless phone from the charging station. He dialed as he walked, and by the time he reached the back room, a 911 operator had picked up the call.
“Please state the nature of your emergency,” a woman said on the other end of the line.
Adam shoved the phone through the narrow steel bars. His gaze locked with the woman’s long enough to insert a mental suggestion.
You’re at 816 Heron Cove. I was never here.
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About the Author:
Lori Sjoberg is the award winning author of the GRAVE SERIES. She lives in Florida with her husband and four-legged fur baby.
Growing up the youngest of three girls, Lori never had control of the remote. (Not that she’s bitter about that. Really. Okay, maybe a little, but it’s not like she’s scarred for life or anything.) That meant a steady diet of science fiction and fantasy. Star Trek, Star Wars, Twilight Zone, Outer Limits – you name it, she watched it. It fed her imagination, and that came in handy when the hormones kicked in and she needed a creative excuse for being out past curfew.
After completing her first novel, she joined the Romance Writers of America and Central Florida Romance Writers. Now she exercises the analytical half of her brain at her day job, and the creative half writing sensual paranormal romance. Grim reapers are her specialty, but she loves to write about all creatures of the night.
You can read more about Lori at http://lorisjoberg.com/
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLoriSjoberg
@Lori_Sjoberg
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6574214.Lori_Sjoberg