Sophie's Thoughts and Fumbles: Guest Post: Author Danielle DeVor Writing Horror is Different (Constructing Marcus Book Tour)

Thursday, 6 March 2014

Guest Post: Author Danielle DeVor Writing Horror is Different (Constructing Marcus Book Tour)

Today, I am hosting author, Danielle DeVor, on a stop of her Constructing Marcus Book Tour. She's talking about writing horror, or rather, not writing it. So, without further ado, over to Danielle. :)

Welcome to the Book Tour & Giveaway for Constructing Marcus by Danielle DeVor. You can find Danielle's complete tour schedule at MythBehaving Book Tours.
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Writing Horror is Different

I kind of always set out to write horror, but in my brain, something isn’t horror unless it scares me. So, by that rule, I have, so far, never written anything horror. But- other people disagree.

My publisher first listed Constructing Marcus as horror and coming of age. Well, that surprised me because, to date, it is the least scary of all of my books. The main premise is the love between Emma and Marcus, so that makes the book a YA Paranormal Romance in my mind.

I did have them change that listing.

Why? Because horror is in-your-face-scare-the-pants-off-you stuff. It can be psychological, like The Shining, or full of gore like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

So, that makes writing horror different than writing other genres. Instead of creating a good feeling, you set out from the start to incite fear, disgust, angst, and melancholy. You are not writing a book that is supposed to make someone feel better. You are writing a book to create a very specific response.

So far, the closest I’ve come to true horror is Sorrow’s Point, but even then, I don’t think I’ve made it yet.

So, that’s what makes Constructing Marcus so different. Almost all of the violence occurs off-screen so to speak. It has one very minor part that could be considered gory, but it is so minor that most people probably won’t notice. And, above all else, I want you to care for Emma and Marcus, not be afraid of them.

Large Base Consstructing Marcus Working copy

Sixteen-year-old ghost hunter, Emma Hoffman thought that moving into an old Victorian was going to be awesome– ghosts galore.

Much to her delight, she discovers that the house is haunted—not by a ghost, but by a construct (a spirit created to be a servant). As she gets to know Marcus, the construct, he asks her to help him avenge his maker and find her killer. Emma’s not too sure this is a good idea, she’s a ghost hunter after all, not a detective, but she agrees to help him anyway. While trying to discover more information about the killer, Emma begins to have feelings for Marcus- feelings she isn’t ready to admit. Then the sorcerer who killed Marcus’s maker shows up at Emma’s house with an insane plan to capture Marcus and absorb his power- Emma isn’t having it. Marcus is hers. When the killer performs a spell that begins to steal Marcus’s life force, Emma risks losing him. It’s a race against time for Emma to figure out how to stop the sorcerer and his spell before Marcus fades away and disappears from her life forever.

Danielle DeVor

Danielle DeVor spent her early years fantasizing about vampires and watching “Salem’s Lot” way too many times. After living briefly in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, she moved back to her hometown to write. When not writing and reading about weird things, you will find her hanging out at the nearest coffee shop, enjoying a mocha frappuccino. Danielle has been on a writing roll this year! With the release of Tail of the Devil, Constructing Marcus and Sorrow’s Point she already has three books out. You can find Tail of the Devil and Sorrow’s Point at Amazon.