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I was very excited to be asked to be a guest blogger for Penguin because for years I have been working on a plot to infiltrate the system and inject it with my subversive ideas.

You represent stage 3 in my plan.

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Tomorrow marks the release of my debut paranormal romance, Drawn into Darkness. It's the first book in a series about immortal Soul Gatherers who battle demons for the souls of the dead.

 What's a Soul Gatherer, and why is he locked in such an eternal struggle? Well, on some level, he's a re-imagining of the grim reaper concept-serving as a warrior for Death, collecting the souls of those who've passed on. But on another level, he's something of a savior. He not only gathers souls-he ensures those souls reach their rightful destination, be it heaven or hell, no matter what it takes.

 That where the demon battles come in. Good souls go to heaven and only bad souls go in the other direction, right? In the world of Drawn into Darkness, that's mostly true. Problem is, demons don't play fair. They aren't content to take only the souls allotted to them-they want more. Their answer? Ambush a Soul Gatherer or two and steal some of the souls destined to go upstairs.

Clearly, Soul Gatherers can't be skeletal. They also walk among the living in order to do their jobs, so wearing a dark, hooded cape and carrying a scythe isn't very practical. To be effective, a Soul Gatherer must be a true warrior-capable, strong, and mostly honorable.

Only mostly honorable? Yes. Each Soul Gatherer is a person serving in purgatory, trying to redeem himself for past mistakes and earn his way into heaven. Here's a discussion between my heroine, Rachel, and a secondary character that explains what I mean:

Excerpt: