Calling the Reaper by Jason Pere - Interview and Giveaway

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If you could apologize to someone in your past, who would it be?

My first love. It was messy and our sorted story really should not have happened in the first place. I often look back at that period in my life as point where my own personal story started to drift off the beaten path and end up in uncharted territory. I tend to think that had it not been for that brief relationship I would have ended living a much more normal sort of life.

If you could keep a mythical/ paranormal creature as a pet, what would you have?

I’ll tell you what, you can keep your dragons and unicorns if I can have a duck. I wouldn’t mind if it could be a talking duck.

How do you keep your writing different from all the others that write in this particular genre?

People say show don’t tell. I say its called being a storyteller not a storyshower. I am not afraid to just lay down some thick exposition in the narrative if the story needs it. I often keep my dialogue sparse and instead put my readers into the mind of my heroes and villains. I think that it is much more interesting wandering about inside the head of some of the epic personalities that I create instead of listing to them banter back and forth. The main text of my work aside, I like to put “interludes” in my stories that may be a quote of excerpt of text from another fictional document. It is an element of world building that I wouldn’t say I pioneered but it is certainly not common practice.

What are the best and worst pieces of writing advice you ever received?

The best advice I ever received was to write every day and show your work to as many people as possible. The worst advice I ever got was that writing FanFiction is a waste of time. I understand that there are people out there who do not care for FanFiction but I find the notion that is a useless pursuit as, frankly, quite laughable.

Are the experiences in this book based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

Yes there are several characters in Calling the Reaper that present elements of myself or my history in their tales. Some of their characters also represent significant figures in my life, both friend and foe. Lastly some of the characters represent elements of the kind of person that I wished I was or hope to become. There is definitely a lot of me contained inside of Calling the Reaper.

The time of the Unity has ended. Now, the realm of man is stranded between Paradise and Purgatory. The Valkyrie and Reaper battle over the fate of all who pass from the land of the living and into the afterlife.

Eight mortal spirits from vastly different worlds tread the same, inevitable path toward their last, crucial decision. Within them all exists the defining conflict every man must face—to look upon the end of their life with glory and honor, or to give credence to their baser longings, calling the Reaper to their own demise.

In this rich, harrowing tale of pride, deceit, honor, vengeance, and redemption, each individual must battle their inner turmoil, facing the sacrifices they have made before their unavoidable end in the land of the living.

But their last day in life is also their first day of death amidst the terrors of the underworld. Lord Master Death wants them all…and the real battle has only just begun.

Enjoy an Excerpt:

“In the beginning. In the time before. When the Unity sat atop the throne in Paradise and reigned over the world of man below, all was good and fruitful. There was life without end for every spirit drawing breath within the embrace of the Unity. Things were as such for a time longer than memory itself. But such things end. The day of the Shattering came upon us all. Paradise above and the realm of man below were forever changed. The Unity became no more, and from it was born both Life and Death. On that day, it was decreed that all who lived must one day die. And we the Valkyrie, the children of Paradise, became its warriors. Our robes were replaced with armor, and hands once empty now grasp sword and shield. Our charge is to watch over those who dwell below in the realm of man. We are tasked with the guardianship of every spirit that yet holds life. We shall protect them until that life is at an end. Then it must leave the realm of man. For each spirit that meets its end with virtue and courage, we the Valkyrie shall fly to them and bid them welcome into the warmth of Paradise. For each spirit that meets its end with fear and wickedness, they shall call the Reaper, and I shall mourn them as they are cast into the cold realm filled with weeping and the gnashing of teeth.”

—Laurel, ArchValkyrie of the Thorn Crown

About the Author:

Jason Pere is a born-and-raised New Englander. He always had a passion for the arts and creative storytelling. At the age of thirteen, Jason took up the craft of acting for film and theater. He pursued that interest for over a decade until refocusing his medium of expression into writing.

At first, Jason took a causal interest in writing, starting with poetry and journaling. Over time, he honed his direction and finally began writing larger works. In November of 2012, Jason self-published his first book, Modern Knighthood: Diary of a Warrior Poet.

Since then, Jason has continued writing on his own, mostly short stories and poetry. Calling the Reaper was his first experience committing to a full-length Fiction title.

In early 2015, Jason became affiliated with Collaborative Writing Challenge (CWC). Since then, he has joined many other writers on numerous collaborative projects. Jason is a regular contributor to CWC and is scheduled to have multiple pieces of his work appear in their publications throughout 2016.

http://www.collaborativewritingchallenge.com
http://www.facebook.com/jason.pere.7
http://teamcovenant.com/ashesonline/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6648189.Jason_Pere

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