WIP ME INSPIRED: Jacquie Underdown
WIP ME INSPIRED: Jacquie Underdown
I was restless
As a writer, I think it’s necessary to give myself challenges. It keeps the writing experience fresh and it improves my writing skills.
Demon Hunter was one of those challenges.
Before I started on Demon Hunter, I had a number of magic-realism romances under my belt (The Paler Shade of Autumn, Beautiful Illusion and Beyond Coincidence).
They were all quite sensual in their heat rating, over seventy thousands words, and emotionally heavy. I wanted to mix things up.
Personal writing challenge
My personal challenge was to write a shorter book that was:
– super-hot
– fast paced and
– full of action.
I wanted the writing and reading experience to be exciting, so I needed a storyline that would accommodate that.
Must haves
Personally, as a writer, I’m not satisfied with writing just a contemporary story set in a modern-day city. So I demanded that this story include paranormal/fantastical elements and, in the centre of all that, a believable, loving romance.
What ensued was a steamy novella about good versus evil and a timeless love.
Meet the cast
Introducing the hero, Jonty Jager, a soldier from the future:
And his arch enemies, the Dark Walkers:
They each have goals in conflict with each other. And that goal involves the heroine, Sammy, who inadvertently is caught up in this struggle between good and evil.
Where did these characters come from? What was their inspiration? I don’t know specifically. Like most of my characters and storylines, they just appear.
Love and length
The most difficult part of writing Demon Hunter was the shorter word count (twenty-thousand words). I had to unfurl a romance at a pace that readers would find believable.
After some feedback on the draft, I realised that I had initially failed at doing this. So I had to edit this novella quite a few times, adding additional scenes and chapters, to get the mix of romance, words, and action right.
In short — novellas are difficult to write. And this story, as a result, took longer than even my full-length novels.
The results
Writing Demon Hunter was another hard-earned step towards increasing my confidence and writing skills, as well as realising my ability at writing diversely, which ultimately opens up the doors to exploring different forms and genres.
Demon Hunter
Jacquie Underdown
Sometimes finding love at the wrong time and in the wrong place can be exactly what is needed.
Sammy has dedicated her life to helping others. She doesn’t have an enemy in the world, so why is she suddenly on the Dark Walkers most-wanted list?
Jonty, a soldier from the future, has been sent back to the twenty-first century to eliminate the Dark Walkers. He hates this time period and wants nothing more than to get in, perform his duties, avoid all distractions, and get out. But that changes when he meets Sammy. There is something about her, beyond her beauty and courage, which he can’t resist.
When Sammy is saved by Jonty, it’s insta-boom-lust. There is nothing complicated about how this strong, sexy man makes her feel. And she knows Jonty feels the same way, so why does he resist her?
With humanity under threat, and both their lives in danger, there are greater things at stake than a little romance. Or is there? Destiny may have other plans. And their deep sexual attraction may just be the key to saving them all.
Content Warning: contains steamy sex, mature language, and some violence
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