ASMSG Scifi Fantasy Paranormal Emagazine May 2014 | Page 8

SFP Indie Issue 2 TOO CREEPY? Danielle Devor Discusses Her First ya Novel and the Change from Horror Writing Constructing Marcus was my first attempt at a YA Paranormal Romance and since I usually write gritty fantasy/horror, it was an experiment in what I could and could not get away with. In this case, it was the “creep” factor. Firstly, romances aren’t supposed to be scary. Nor are they supposed to have graphic violence. Gritty language, well, that depends on the characters. But, with this being a YA Romance, I had to be even more careful. So, how was I to write a story with danger, evil witches, and a spirit created to be the servant of a witch without graphic violence? I took a note from horror films of the 1960’s Old classics like “13 Ghosts” and did the violence off screen so to speak. That and make sure the “monsters” looked like normal human beings. I did keep some of the creepy- I just couldn’t help myself. Still though, I seem to have two camps with CM. One group finds the scary parts scary enough to be considered horror. Others, seem to not be bothered at all. So, I guess I’ll never know if it is too creepy. One more thing to add about the interesting job of a writer. ABOUT THE BOOK 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. 8|Page Buy Constructing Marcus Amazon Barnes & Noble ABOUT THE AUTHOR 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. DANIELLES LINKS Danielle’s Website Danielle on Facebook Danielle on Twitter Danielle on Goodreads