Lost Reaper by Shelley Russell Nolan: Interview & Giveaway

Lost Reaper

Reaper Series, Book One

Shelley Russell Nolan

Genre: Urban Fantasy Romance

Publisher: Ormiston Press

Date of Publication: 23rd October 2015

ISBN: 9781311053688

ASIN: B0169KUNCO

Number of pages: 240 Kindle

Word Count: 83,000 words

Cover Artist: Two Decade Designs

Book Description:

The first dead body I ever saw was my own

For twenty-five year old Tyler Morgan, being murdered was easy. Easy in comparison with working for the Grim Reaper. Jonathon Grimm may have brought her back from the dead in exchange for working as a reaper for her home town, Easton, but she has to find his lost reaper before she can enjoy her second chance at life.

Only … the lost reaper isn’t actually lost. He has a new body, a new life, and no intention of turning himself in.

Tyler begins the grisly task of reaping the souls of Easton’s dead while searching for the reaper. He could be anyone – the intriguing detective, Sam Lockwood: the handsome, wealthy Chris Bradbury; or the serial killer stalking the women of Easton. Women who bear an uncanny resemblance to Tyler.

As the killer closes in and Grimm’s deadline draws closer, Tyler discovers she is fighting a much bigger threat than the Grim Reaper and time is running out for everyone.

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Excerpt

I opened my eyes and found myself somewhere else, looking through a window at my body on the service station floor. Blood coated the front of my t-shirt, darkening the cloth. My caramel-coloured skin was pale, heart-shaped face slack, long black hair matted with blood. 

I put a hand on my chest. My heart beat faster and faster. It should have reassured me, but I couldn’t ignore the evidence of my own eyes. I was dead.

I clutched my stomach and found my ruined clothes had been replaced by a long white gown, the silken fabric soft and cool against my body. My feet were bare but I could feel nothing beneath my toes. Around me was a dark void, the only light coming from the room where a horrible scene was playing out.

Behind the counter, the owner had pulled himself to his feet and was frantically pushing buttons on an ancient telephone, gnarled hands shaking, horror etched on his face when his call wouldn’t connect.

To the left of my body, the man who’d tried to give me a chance to escape slumped at the end of the aisle closest to the counter. He struggled to his knees, oblivious of the monster standing over him.  

I heard the knife thud home and wanted to turn away but my body seized up. Helpless, I watched the owner scramble out from behind the counter, making for a door marked ‘Staff Only’. The monster got to his feet and stalked after him, whistling as he prepared to kill again.

I sobbed, hands covering my mouth, tears streaming down my face.

‘It doesn’t have to end this way, Tyler.’

I dropped my hands and spun around.

A man shrouded in mist appeared out of the darkness, the light from the service station creating shadows that cloaked his features as he glided towards me.

The mist flowed around him like a living thing, keeping his shape indistinct until he stood in front of me. Then it parted.

Author Bio

Shelley Russell Nolan is an avid reader who began writing her own stories at sixteen. Her first completed manuscript featured brain eating aliens and a butt kicking teenage heroine. Since then she has spent her time creating fantasy worlds where death is only the beginning and even freaks can fall in love. With books for both young adults and adults in the works, Shelley plans on writing for as longs as she has the power to type and looks forward to the day when her stories will be published. 

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Interview 

Please welcome Lost Reaper author Shelley Russell Nolan to Diane’s Book Blog. 

How long did it take you to write ‘Lost Reaper’?

From when I got the first idea to when it was published took five years. But to write the actual first draft took me a year and a half. I would have finished it sooner but I had a newborn baby when I started and she was not a good sleeper. The next two and a half years were taken up with editing, first with a mentor and then with a freelance editor, and then it took a year to find a home and complete the final edits ready for publication.

What is your favorite book that you wrote?

While I do love ‘Lost Reaper’, there will always be a special place in my heart for the first novel I ever wrote. I started it when I was sixteen and it took me ten years to finish the first draft. ‘Intergalactic Heroine for Hire’ was about a butt-kicking teenage heroine who was accidently transported to another planet where she had to fight brain-eating aliens. Heavily influenced by years of watching Doctor Who, IGH allowed me to imagine that I was having an awesome adventure off-world instead of negotiating high school and college and working out how to be an adult.

What is your typical day like? 

On an average day I start by getting my young son to school. If it is not a kindergarten day I will still have my daughter home with me and I spend time with her, do housework that can’t be ignored and check emails, etc. Then, after my daughter has had lunch it is her rest time and I get to write for a couple of hours, until it is time to pick up my son from school. The afternoon and evening are usually taken up with being a mother and wife, and if I didn’t accomplish all the writing tasks I set myself for the day then I will finish them off once the kids are in bed.

              

How do you overcome writer’s block?

If I find it hard to work out what is happening next in my story I will often take a nap. I find that lying down, the house silent around me, allows me to slip into a light doze where my mind opens up and explores different plot twists. If that doesn’t work I will take out pen and paper and jot down whatever comes to mind or brainstorm with a friend. Sometimes the very act of saying out loud what part I am stuck on will shake loose the solution and all my friend has to do is nod and look sympathetic.

What do you prefer paperback, hardcover, or ebooks? 

I resisted the lure of ebooks for a long time, preferring the feel of a paperback, but with so many of the books I wanted to read only available as an ebook, too hard to find, or out of print, I gave in and bought a kindle. Now I find I read more ebooks than paperbacks, saving those for autographed copies or to complete sets I started before I had the kindle. I love knowing that I can carry so many books with me, and have access to thousands more at the click of a button. Now I will never be without a good book to read.

Giveaway

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