Darkly Delicious Detail about Dorothy Dreyer

The Reaper’s Rite series is a young adult paranormal series with a horror bent. Knowing this, you’d probably guess that I’m one of those full-on horror movie fangirls who gets a kick out of jump scares and screaming teenagers being chased by guys in hockey masks. Well, the truth is this: I hate horror movies!

Okay, hate is a pretty strong word. I don’t hate them. And I do admit that watching a few scary movies with my hubby (who loves the horror genre), I have been enlightened with a few ideas for both stories and characters. And to tell you the truth, watching scary movies has helped me out with my writing, especially when I’ve needed to convey a really spooky tone.

That said, there are some movies that will always frighten me, even though I’ve seen them more than once. To the point I sit huddled up under a blanket, peeking through my fingers and whimpering like a toddler. Like The Exorcists. Probably the first scary movie I ever saw and the one I’m most frightened of. I mean, talk about creepy! *shudders*

Are you a horror movie fan? What’s your favorite one? And if you’re not a fan, what is the one movie that will forever give you nightmares?

An Intriguing Excerpt from My Tethered Soul by Dorothy Dreyer

The second book in the Reaper’s Rite series releases in just over a month. I don’t know if you’re as excited as I am, but I thought I’d share an excerpt that I hope intrigues you.

***

I quickly found the girls’ bathroom and pushed the door open, glad that the school staff was considerate enough to keep this light on.

“Naomi?”

I bent down to peek under the stall doors, but didn’t see any feet. Maybe she ran into someone and had to stop and chat. I was sure she would be along soon, so I checked my hair.

I tucked a stray hair back in place, humming the song that Gavin and I had danced to. Like a soft breeze, a whisper caught my ear.

“Hello?” I turned toward the stalls. Had I missed someone’s feet? I bent down, but saw nothing. “Is … someone in here?”

I took a few steps forward, the sound of my heels on the tile floor echoing in my ears. I was probably just imagining the whisper. After all, I’d just gone from the loud gym to the quiet bathroom. My ears were simply adjusting to the noise variance. Weren’t they?

But I had to check. I couldn’t let it go. Rubbing my sweaty hands on my dress, I licked my lips, trying to muster up some moisture in my otherwise dry mouth. Holding my breath, I put my hand on the first stall door.

“Hello?” I called once more, just to be sure. It wouldn’t be out of the question that a student had passed out drunk in there after indulging in too much spiked punch. At least, that’s what I was trying to convince myself.

When no one answered, I shoved at the stall door. It banged against the inside wall and ricocheted back at me. But the stall was empty. I peered at the remaining stall doors: there were four more. Swallowing back the grit in my throat, I went to the next door. Was I really doing this? There had to be an easier, quicker way.

Of course there was.

I took two steps back and concentrated on the remaining doors. Focusing on the air in the room—as stale as it was—I pushed my energy toward the doors, willing the air to drive them open. My body buzzed with magic, and suddenly a wind swept through the space. All doors flew open at once.

***

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Tuesday Teaser: An Excerpt from My Tethered Soul by Dorothy Dreyer

Today I’m sharing a teaser from the second book in my Reaper’s Rite series, My Tethered Soul. Before you read the excerpt, let me fill you in on the book’s synopsis.

MY TETHERED SOUL

Reaper's Rite Book Two

Expected Publication August 19, 2014, from Month9Books

It’s been months since Zadie faced her sister’s Reaper, months during which she’s been under her mentor’s magical protection. But now that she’s turning seventeen, that protection is about to run out.

When dark forces lure Zadie to wander at night, she’s manipulated into committing unspeakable acts. With her friends and family at risk, Zadie must try to use her powers to break free from the Reaper’s grasp, or surrender to the Reaper’s Rite, which can only lead to death.

Excerpt

“Leave me alone!”

As an answer to my shout, a low guttural growl filled the room. The floor began to shake, knocking items off the bathroom shelves and rattling the shower curtain. I backed up, searching the room for the shadow. My foot caught a patch of water and I fell backwards, landing on my back. A sharp-sounding crack filled the room as the back of my head hit the floor.

Cringing in pain, I grabbed my head. A shadow floated across the ceiling.

“Mara!” I screamed, unable to move.

The shadow swept across the wall, the form of the Reaper almost concrete now.

“Mara!”

The doorknob jiggled.

“Zadie, the door is locked!”

I turned my head, and was punished by blurred vision. I hadn’t locked the door. This was the Reaper’s doing.

The growl came again.

Be sure to add MY TETHERED SOUL to your Goodreads shelf.

And don't miss book one in the series, MYSISTER’S REAPER

Read MY SISTER'S REAPER today

Amazon paperback | Kindle | Barnes and Noble paperback | Nook | Book Depository

The Importance of First Lines by Dorothy Dreyer

Sometimes, it’s the cover that grabs you. Other times, it’s the word-of-mouth hype. Or all the raving reviews. But sometimes, all it takes is a killer first line to pull you heart-deep into a story.

I will always remember when I was pitching my first second third manuscript around and entered “First Line” contests all over the internet. There was a line by another writer that really caught my eye. It was Lacey J. Edwards’ first line from (then titled) GREYSKIN. And it went like this: 

There’s a dead girl in the trunk and all I can think about is how white the trees are. 

Creepy, right? Reading that, I urgently wanted to find out more. And I think that’s what books should do: grab you and not let you go. I’m still waiting to read this book. Since discovering that line, I’ve become online friends with Lacey, featured her in an interview on my blog, and celebrated the fact that she got an agent. As soon as that book goes into print, I’m getting it.

As authors, that should be our goal. To make readers crave our stories. It’s years later and I still crave to read that story. That’s definitely something to strive for with my own writing.

Tuesday Teaser from My Sister’s Reaper by Dorothy Dreyer

Today I’d like to share with you a teaser from my debut novel, MY SISTER’S REAPER. The sequel is coming out in a couple of months, so hopefully this teaser will strike up your interest and persuade you to get the second book as well.

Here’s a little more about MY SISTER’S REAPER before we jump into the excerpt:

Sixteen-year-old Zadie’s first mistake was telling the boy she liked she could bring her dead sister back to life. Her second mistake was actually doing it.

When Zadie accidentally messes with the Reaper’s Rite that should have claimed her sister Mara, things go horribly wrong. Mara isn’t the same anymore—Zadie isn’t even sure she’s completely human. To top it off, a Reaper is determined to collect Mara's soul. Now Zadie must figure out how to defeat her sister’s Reaper or let Mara die … this time for good.

Excerpt:

I almost didn’t see her. The room was still, and I’d turned to head up the stairs. But something by the kitchen island caught my eye. Something that shouldn’t have been there. A shoe. Mara’s leg, sticking out from behind the counter. I circled the island to find out why she was sitting on the floor and came face to face with a large knife.

Mara was in a tank top, running the serrated blade in a slow line near her shoulder. The cut ran just along the surface of her skin, blood oozing from the broken skin and staining her top. I gasped, and Mara looked up at me with a tear-streaked face.

I dropped to my knees and grabbed her hand. “Mara!”

“I have to.” She pulled away, stronger than I thought. “He wants the pain.”

“Stop it! You don’t have to do this!”

She twisted away from me, her eyes wild as she dug the knife into her shoulder. This time deeper. Lines of red ran down her arm. I grabbed her wrist and used all my might to separate the knife from her skin. She screamed, her teeth bared like some kind of untamed animal. My eyes darted around the room, searching for unusually dark shadows.

I felt desperate, my voice pleading when I said, “Mara, I’m trying to help you.”

“I need more time!”

“Just let go of the knife!”

“You don’t know what he wants from me! You have no idea!”