Monday, August 10, 2015

TOUR: THE ONE YOU FEED by James Drummond

GUEST POST:

Inspiration To Your Writing

When it comes to authors who inspired me to write my own horror series there are quite a few. Over the years I’ve been inspired by Stephen King’s ability to draw in his readerswith his characterization skills. There’s the intelligence of Clive Barker. There’s Dean Koontz’s undeniable aptitude for building suspense. Anne Rice’s approach of identifying with vampires instead of their victims was a wonderful twist. The list goes on and on.

However, the author who finally convinced me to sit down and write my first few horror novels was Stephenie Meyer.Now, before I continue, let me clarify that I don’t view the Twilight books as great horror. I’m not sure Mrs. Meyerwould either. My books are meant to be about the scary and less about the YA romance. There are no love triangles between humans and creatures of the night. There are no sparkling vampires. What I’m trying to say is, StephenieMeyer didn’t inspire me as much with the stories she wrote as she did with her dedication to writing them.

She took a proven genre and put her own spin on it. And that spin drew quite an audience. Most everyone who read the books or saw the movies had a strong reaction to them. Some reactions were obviously more positive than others, but almost everyone had an opinion on this series.

And what more can you ask for really?

And as a fan of the horror genre, how could I not take all these creatures I loved reading about and try to put them in my own stories? We all have genres, or even specificcharacters, we daydream about creating our own stories for. Just look at the number of fanfiction books available on Amazon. In fact, I believe that’s how 50 Shades of Grey got started. I’ve even kicked around some ideas for a G.I. Joe series since discovering that Amazon purchased the rights. (https://kindleworlds.amazon.com/world/GIJOE?ref_=kww_home_ug_GIJOE) I especially like rule #15.

But I digress. What inspired me to write this book wasStephenie Meyer’s own drive to write the stories she wanted to write, and all the stories I’ve reacted to over time. I love the challenge of writing my own stories in the horror genre that hopefully readers will enjoy as much as I’ve enjoyed the works of King, Barker, and Koonz.

YA Horror

Synopsis:

Like most kids who grew up in the small Oregon town of Silver Falls, Toby Hoffman had heard all the scary stories about the monsters living in the neighboring woods of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Now a teenager, he knows the stories are made up to keep the town’s children from wandering where they aren’t wanted.

Then his best friend, Nate, wakes up covered in blood in the reservation woods, with no recollection of whose blood it is or where it came from. When even more brutal attacks follow, Toby can’t help but wonder if one of the fables he was told as a child might be true. With the help of Rachel, a determined Native American girl who has moved off the reservation and into the house next door, he begins searching for an explanation for the recent carnage. He also develops feelings for his new neighbor, which are put to the test when he and Rachel discover that her uncle may be responsible for the emergence of a legendary monster that does in fact exist.

To make matters worse, there’s evidence that Nate was turned by the beast, and that he has every intention of holding onto his extraordinary new creature capabilities no matter the cost. In order to save Silver Falls from a true scary story, Toby will have to face off against forces he doesn’t fully understand – and his closest friend.