Guest Blog and Giveaway with Fiona Dodwell

As it's so close to Halloween, I thought the subjects of ghosts and hauntings would be at the front of most people's minds. It's a time when we're allowed, with a smile, to indulge ourselves with the dark and sinister side of life, and I thought it'd be a perfect time to share a small slice of my new release - Obsessed. A story about the haunting of a man who committed suicide, Obsessed is a troubling, dark read.

If you read the extract and find yourself wanting more, please leave your name and address in the comment box, and I will select two people to send a Ebook copy to for this coming Halloween!

Enjoy...


PROLOGUE

He waited there, patiently staring towards the rising sun. He
enjoyed the warmth that caressed his flesh, the light that painted
the world around him with its yellow and amber glows. There were
people around him, people waiting to go places, people waiting to
live, but he was not a part of that. He was no longer one of them.

He could hear the faint sound of the train in the distance as it
approached the station platform, and he braced himself, a smile
curling the tips of his lips. Now was the time. Now was his time.
He took a small step forward, peering past the others lining the
platform edge and watched as the train sped toward them. It was
fast. This one was not going to stop.

This is the one, just as I expected. The right time had come.

Finally.

Without thinking another thought—all reason and expectation
dimmed and forgotten—he stepped forward until his toes
were tipped over the edge of the platform. A hand behind him,
probably from a concerned pedestrian, reached out to pull him
back, but he shrugged the contact off. It disgusted him.

It had to be this way. It was always going to be this way.

The screech of the approaching train filled the air like the wail
of a wounded animal, and he leaped forward—his body slamming
against the front of the moving train.

In those dark, shadowy moments—before the blood came and
the organs loosened from the flesh they were once cocooned by—
he had looked up. He had seen him. Their eyes had met. They had
connected.

This was only the beginning. This was never the end.


If you want to learn more about Fiona Dodwell and her novels, please find her online at:
www.fionasfiction.wordpress.com

Good luck with entering the draw!

Obsessed
by Fiona Dodwell
eBook ISBN: 9781615724864
Genre: Horror
Sub Genre: Supernatural
Novel of 63000 words
Sex rating: 1
Violence rating: 1
Edited by Andrea Heacock-Reyes
Cover Artwork by Dawné Dominique
Print ISBN: 9781615724871

BLURB:

James Barker thinks he has it all, until one fateful morning he witnesses a gruesome suicide.

Haunted by the death, James seeks therapy for post-traumatic stress. Finding that the answers he seeks don’t lie in the therapist's office, James embarks on a journey.

Who was this man, and why did he kill himself?

Now haunted by visions of the dead man in his home and in his nightmares, James begins to wonder if he is losing his mind. Surely the dead can’t return?

As his obsession spirals out of control, James uncovers the terrifying truth of the stranger who died at his own hands.

Soon he realises that his life may be in danger – as well as the lives of those he loves.

YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=malbnCYxAUk

Damnation Books: http://www.damnationbooks.com/book.php?isbn=9781615724864

Author Bio:

Fiona Dodwell lives in the UK with her husband. She works part-time for a care charity, and enjoys writing horror. Her love of all things dark began when she was a child, and found a battered copy of Stephen King's Pet Cemetery in the house. Since then, her passion has grown. Fiona enjoys writing short stories, novellas and novels, and her first two published novels - The Banishing and Obsessed - are both now available in eBook and paperback formats. Her third novel - The Shift - has been contracted for release in 2013 with publisher Double Dragon Publishing. You can find out more about the author at her website: www.fionasfiction.wordpress.com

Obsessed Tour Party

It doesn't feel like such a long time ago since I was touring my novel The Banishing, and yet here I am again, working with Fang-tastic Books for my second novel, Obsessed. I thought I would kick start the week-long tour by telling you a little about my new release.

When I wrote Obsessed, I knew that I was going to find it a challenge – for many reasons. Not only does the story deal with some tricky and heavy subjects (suicide, post-traumatic stress, therapy), it also delves into the art of ghost-story telling; a creative aspect I have loved and been enchanted by since childhood. Susan Hill's The Woman In Black remains, to this day, one of my all-time favourite novels – the beauty of that ghost story has captivated me since my first read of it, back in the 1980's. I longed to do something like that – bring to life the ghosts that sneak into shadows and whisper in darkened corridors. Writing a ghost story, simply put, was an ambition of mine.

Obsessed is that ghost story.

It's a story about a haunting, of a young man called James Barker. Not only does James see and hear visions of a man who is supposed to be dead and buried, he begins to suspect he has become entangled into a web of danger and lies through being touched by the supernatural entity. He begins to question his sanity, the validity of his ghostly visitor. It is up the reader to ask of themselves – is the ghost James is seeing real, or is it merely the result of a tired and unstable mind?

October, I hope, is the perfect month for a ghost story. I hope that being released so close to Halloween, that Obsessed can be enjoyed with the backdrop of dark, cold evenings, lanterns and ghostly decorations. It is, I believe, an atmospheric story, one that seems to draw it's readers in. This, though, is truly for you to judge. If you feel you want to give Obsessed a read, you can find either eBook or paperback copies online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository or www.damnationbooks.com Many local book stores can also order copies in. Thanks for reading, and I hope you follow me on my blog stops this week!

Obsessed
by Fiona Dodwell
eBook ISBN: 9781615724864
Genre: Horror
Sub Genre: Supernatural
Novel of 63000 words
Sex rating: 1
Violence rating: 1
Edited by Andrea Heacock-Reyes
Cover Artwork by Dawné Dominique
Print ISBN: 9781615724871

BLURB:

James Barker thinks he has it all, until one fateful morning he witnesses a gruesome suicide.

Haunted by the death, James seeks therapy for post-traumatic stress. Finding that the answers he seeks don’t lie in the therapist's office, James embarks on a journey.

Who was this man, and why did he kill himself?

Now haunted by visions of the dead man in his home and in his nightmares, James begins to wonder if he is losing his mind. Surely the dead can’t return?

As his obsession spirals out of control, James uncovers the terrifying truth of the stranger who died at his own hands.

Soon he realises that his life may be in danger – as well as the lives of those he loves.

YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=malbnCYxAUk

Damnation Books: http://www.damnationbooks.com/book.php?isbn=9781615724864

Author Bio:

Fiona Dodwell lives in the UK with her husband. She works part-time for a care charity, and enjoys writing horror. Her love of all things dark began when she was a child, and found a battered copy of Stephen King's Pet Cemetery in the house. Since then, her passion has grown. Fiona enjoys writing short stories, novellas and novels, and her first two published novels - The Banishing and Obsessed - are both now available in eBook and paperback formats. Her third novel - The Shift - has been contracted for release in 2013 with publisher Double Dragon Publishing. You can find out more about the author at her website: www.fionasfiction.wordpress.com

The Banishing Tour Kick Off and Interview with Fiona Dodwell

To kick off the 1 week tour for The Banishing by Fiona Dodwell we have her here today for an interview.

Can you tell readers a little bit about yourself and what inspired to write in this particular genre?

I live in the UK with my husband. I currently work in psychiatry part-time, and around that, I write. I've been writing since I was a teenager – short stories, poems and writing competitions filled a lot of my time when I was young. I've been a fan of horror since I was a child; I picked up my brother's copies of Stephen King's paperbacks and became quickly engrossed in dark fiction, and that is what inspired me, eventually to write horror myself. My first book, The Banishing, is my first full length novel to be published – my second, called Obsessed, is due for publication this summer.


What is it about the paranormal, in particular demons and spirits, that fascinates you so much?

I've got quite a morbid fascination for these topics. Even as a child, I studied paranormal literature, watched documentaries, read case studies and reports of hauntings and possession. Today, I'm still heavily engrossed in these subjects – I'm a staff member at a paranormal web site and I have attended some paranormal investigators evenings. I'm learning about these things all the time. I can't honestly say why I am drawn to these things – it's something I've been drawn to for as long as I can remember. The idea that spirits roam this earth, that they seek to contact us, and the theory that demons exist and want to possess us simply amazes and terrifies me. My work often touches upon these things.


What inspired you to write this book?

The idea for The Banishing didn't hit me like a strike of lightening – it was an idea that simply evolved over time. I had been reading testimonies from those that claimed to have been possessed by demons, I had also been reading literature on the subject of demonology. I found the idea of somebody being possessed by an entity purely terrifying – especially after reading The Exorcist and watching the movie, The Exorcism of Emily Rose. I wanted to create a story about a modern day possession that felt real, gritty, realistic and close to home. From the reactions of readers, so far, I feel I have come close to achieving that.


Was one of your characters more challenging to write than another?

I found my main character, Melissa Sanderson, hard to write. In The Banishing, Melissa undergoes some very traumatic domestic abuse, and as a writer, I wanted to pull her out of that situation. I kept thinking in my own logical way “Why would she stay with her partner? I need her out of there.” But I looked into the subject of domestic abuse – and so many women or men DO stay with their partners, even when suffering terrible abuse. It's a fact; it happens. So my struggle was making my character, Melissa, understandable and likeable to people who felt that she, as a character, was insane for staying by her partner. I had to make people see and understand the reasons why people stand by somebody who abuses them – and it's something I explored in The Banishing.


What is the most interesting thing you have physically done for book related research purposes?

Well, in writing The Banishing, I wanted to surround myself in the subjects of demons, possessions and the after-life, so I read some fascinating literature – some which is allegedly true, some was fiction, but it all helped inspire me and helped me to learn. I read some great – and frightening things. I love that about writing – the things you expose yourself to, that you'd have otherwise never come across.


Do any of your characters have similar characteristics of yourself in them and what are they?

I always try to distance my characters from myself and the people I know, however I feel that parts of me, and the people I know, sneak in there on some level.



Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? How do you deal with it?

I haven't, to any serious degree, but I do have moments where I just don't feel mentally in the place to write and I don't force it – if there are a few days where I'm not ready to write, I just don't write. There is no use in me forcing myself, I have tried that before and the results were bad. I have to be inspired, I have to feel in the place, or the writing won't be as good as it could be. It means I have a few days, sometimes a couple of weeks off, but thankfully most of the time I feel good and write at least something each day.


Do you write in different genres?

I only write horror books – however, horror can cover a wealth of other subjects. For instance, my second novel, Obsessed, which is due for release in September, is a ghost story, however it also delves heavily into the subjects of therapy, post-traumatic stress and mental issues. Horror sounds like it is all about blood and gore, but quite often, a good scary story will involve so much more.


When did you consider yourself a writer?

I consider myself a writer now - because I write all the time, and thankfully I am now published too.

What was the last amazing book you read?

The Mother's Tale, by Cammilla Noli. It's such a dark, disturbing story – not typical horror at all, but it really gets you under your skin. Sometimes we find horror in surprising places.

Where is your favorite place to read? Do you have a cozy corner or special reading spot?

I like to read each day, if time permits. I normally grab a cup of coffee, curl up on my sofa, and read. All the better if it's a cold, wet day and I can snuggle down!


What can readers expect next from you?

Well, I'm still busy promoting The Banishing. I have Obsessed, which is a ghost story, due for release in in a couple of months, so I'll be busy working on the release for that. I have finished writing my third novel, The Shift, and I am currently submitting that to different publishing companies – so fingers crossed that it will be released in the future. Alongside that, there are often short stories, articles and interviews being added to my website.

Where can readers find you on the web?

My website, which is updated regularly, is the best place:

www.fionasfiction.wordpress.com

You can also email me at: fionadodwell1982@hotmail.co.uk

Thank you!

To visit Fiona at other stops along her tour check this list:

June 13th and 14th

The Plot Character Post
http://theplotline.wordpress.com

June 13 Tour Kick Off
www.fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com

June 13 Review Authors By Authors
http://authorsbyauthors.blogspot.com

June 14 Guest Post Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews:
http://paranormalromanticsuspensereviews.blogspot.com

June 15 Guest Post
http://hotgossiphotreviews.blogspot.com/

June 16 Guest Blog Mysteriousbooks
http://mysteriousrose.blogspot.com/

June 16 Guest Blog and Review All Things Books
http://speedyreader-allthingsbooks.blogspot.com

June 17 Review and Guest Post Reader Girls
www.readergirls.blogspot.com

2 ebook copies of The Banishing

will be given away tour wide-

if you'd like to enter to win a copy

please leave a comment on this post

with your email address

Winners will be chosen at the end of the tour

Author Fiona Dodwell Discusses The Nature of Fear

The Nature of Fear

I've been obsessed with horror since I was a child. I think I must have only been about six years old when I curled up on the sofa, hiding behind my hands, catching glimpses of Pet Semetary the movie. I couldn't let my parents catch me; they didn't want me to watch those films. Like any protective parent, they thought no child should be watching horror. But I loved it. I enjoyed being frightened. I did then, and I do now.

When people ask me why I write horror I have trouble answering them, because it's never really been a choice. Horror is the home of my heart. It's where I find escapism, it's where I lose myself entering another realm, find myself detached from the reality of daily life.
I suppose I can understand why people are intrigued. Fear in itself is not something we as humans normally crave. In fact, it's quite the opposite. We revel in feeling safe and secure, making sure our front doors and windows are locked at night. We don't want to face anything dark or uninvited.

So why, then, do so many of us enjoy horror? For me, it's the same as those queuing up at theme parks, waiting in line to jump on a fast and high-speed roller-coaster. People want the darkness, the thrill, the escapism – that ugly churning in the stomach when we're thrown around in unexpected realms. I feel that we, as humans, sometimes crave that darkness.
In a world where our lives are controlled, tightly scheduled – at times even monotonous - it is fun to switch to a place of fear, twists and turns, a place where we can safely enjoy a dark thrill knowing that, at the end of the day, we are able to step off the terrifying roller-coaster, switch off the DVD at the end of the horror movie, or slide the scary novel back onto the shelf.

Horror is a fun, safe way for us to explore a world we normally wouldn't. It gives us a taste of fear without having to be truly afraid. It gives us a chance to hide behind hands knowing that we can pause the show if it becomes too much. It can be, perhaps, a way to deal with darkness in our lives a therapeutic way.

When people blame horror (whether in film or literate) for having a bad influence, I strongly disagree. Life can be dark at times; that's a fact that can't be ignored. For many of us, at least, there is a great moral in much of the horror genre: we desperately wish for the character to survive. We desperately want to see the demon banished back to hell. We want to see triumph, goodness and light conquer evil. There lies the truth of it, in my opinion: horror is a thrilling journey from darkness to light. One will never exist without the other.

Here is an excerpt The Banishing:

It was laughter. Giggling. It echoed and bounced around the empty toilet, sending the hair on her arms straight, creating a carpet of goosebumps along her back. She straightened up and waited there, her ear pressed to the cubicle door.

“Hello? Is somebody out there?” she called.

Again, a small giggle from somewhere in the room.

Melissa felt her legs turn to fluid, her chest tighten in fear.

“Who is that?” she called.

A small voice, neither male nor female, replied, “I am the one.”

Melissa felt the blood drain from her face. She pulled herself out of her paralysis, unlocked the cubicle door, and stepped out into the main toilet area. She looked around her—all of the toilet doors were open, except one.

If you want to share a slice of Fiona Dodwell's darkness, you can find her debut novel, The Banishing at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Damnation Books.

Both e-book and print versions are available.

Book Description:

When Melissa first notices the change in her husband - subtle at first - she thinks it may be the stress of moving into their new home. Or working long hours. But soon her husband turns into something far darker, far more sinister. Who or what is the dark shadow living beneath her husband? What is haunting him? Melissa must quickly find the answer to these questions, because Mark is changing, and fast. Soon her fight will be for her life, as well as for her marriage.

Learn more here: http://www.fionasfiction.wordpress.com/