Welcome to Jenna’s Journal where today I’m interviewing the hero and heroine from Katie Harper’s soon-to-be released book from Decadent Press, Never Say Just.  Thank you so much, Katie, for bringing Kat and Shooter here today.  From your blurb and excerpt, this seems like it’s not an ordinary love story and I can’t wait to find out about these guys.

Let me start out with the basics.  Kat and Shooter, what was your first impression of your writer?

Kat: Harper and I have been friends for a while. I knew she’d write me well. Though sometimes I wish she didn’t tell the whole world exactly what is going through my head all the time. That bit about a chastity belt made from emotional baggage wrapped around my lady parts could have been left out.

Shooter: Harper’s good people. I’m glad she gave me an insight into the mind of Kat. It’s kept me from killing her a few times.

Kat: HEY!

Okay,  guys.  Kat, a question for you.  How did you get into your murder for hire occupation?  Why did you get out of the business?

Kat: I was recruited by a defense contractor when I was eighteen. I’d just lost my parents and I was alone. They gave me a family. When I went through the psychological testing they found that I had the moral flexibility to kill. I was really, really good at it. I quit when I found out I’d killed an innocent man.

That is so understandable.  Ummm, Shooter, what an appropriate name for you.  I noted in the excerpt that you say you kill people for a living.  Does that make for competition between you and Kat at all?  Do you consider yourselves sort of a Mr. & Mrs. Smith?

Shooter: HAHAHAHAHA!! No, we are not Mr. & Mrs. Smith. I am a sniper for the United States Marine Corps. Yes, I kill people, but not in the same way Kat killed people. The only competition between me and Kat is in the sparring ring.

Kat: And I’m up by two.

*Grins*  Sounds like some healthy competition there.  How did you two meet?

Kat: He thought he needed to save my life. It was cute really.

Shooter: Cute! If we hadn’t shown up when we did, you’d be rotting in some swamp somewhere.

Kat: No, I wouldn’t.

Shooter: Whatever.

Uh, Kat you have a daughter?  How old is she?  How has motherhood changed your life?

Kat: She just turned six. Sam gave purpose to my life. Before her I really didn’t have anything I could be proud of. She is my saving grace.

A lot of mothers feel that way.  Children are a wonderful thing to be proud of.

Now, Shooter, if you could be in any other profession, what would you do and why?

Shooter: The Rat Bastards would tell you I’d be a therapist. But if I could do anything, I’d be a professional fisherman.

Intriguing!  Another profession where you have to rely on either yourself or a select “band of brothers.”

I was wondering, Kat, what was your most difficult assignment?  Why?

Kat: That’s tough. There are different types of difficult. There’s difficult because the target is hard to get to. There’s difficult because you kind of agree with what they’re doing. There’s difficult because you’re stuck in the ass end of nowhere with nothing but a stack of MREs and high powered rifle for company. The mission I hated the most was when I had to play a hooker to kill a North Korean nuclear engineer. I had to act like I actually liked the guy. Nice is not one of my strong points.

Here’s one of those questions romance authors always ask.  Shooter, what is your idea of a romantic evening?

Shooter: Ha! I know you think I’m going to say something like cleaning our guns together, but I’m more traditional than that. I went to an OPEC fundraiser with Kat in Paris a few weeks ago. We had dinner at this café next to the river. It was your typical movie Paris evening. I thought it was perfect.

Kat: Lame.

Well, I don’t think that’s lame at all.  You seem quite the romantic at heart, Shooter. *Smiles at him*

So, Kat, a “romantic” question for you.  What first drew you to Shooter?  What qualities does he possess that are attractive to you?

Kat: From the first day I felt comfortable around Shooter. For the first time in years I felt like I could let down my guard. Of course I saw that as a huge vulnerability and fought it tooth and nail, but I eventually gave in. I feel safe with Shooter. I’ve never felt safe with anyone.

And finally, would you guys like for your writer to create a sequel for you?  Why or why not?

Shooter: Hell yes! I want the rest of the Rat Bastards to have to go through having their love lives splattered all over the world like I have. It’s been miserable. I can’t believe I said some of the stuff I did. And even though she doesn’t make me look like a total freaking Nancy, she doesn’t make me look like a tough nutted Force Recon Marine either. My story’s done. It’s their turn to suffer.

Kat: Ditto.

Somehow I don’t think either of you suffered quite that much at Katie’s hands.  Thank you both for coming here today.  And thank you, Katie, for letting me borrow them for a while.  They are quite a pair!  If you want to check out more of Kat and Shooter (and I suggest you do) below are a blurb and excerpt:

Blurb: