Albert Camus


Friday, October 11, 2013

Interview and Giveaway My Sister's Reaper by Dorothy Dreyer



Thank you, Mrs. Dorothy Dreyer

I saw you like the old German castles and churches (where you live). What do you love more about them? Was their gothic features inspiration for Sister’s Reaper or for you in general?
Aside from looking amazing, they are filled with so much fascinating history. It's so cool to walk through them and imagine how many people had been there through so many centuries. I got a lot of inspiration from the castles and churches, for sure.

Tell us something more about this reaper. Is he different from the “ordinary” ones? Is he just doing his job or it has some feelings?
He's your classic Reaper, tattered cloak and all. Except for the fact that he loves to feed on pain and suffering. Also, this one is infuriated because someone *cough*Zadie*cough* messed up his job.

I read some reviews and I saw that some scenes are described as spooky, others said that My Sister’s Reaper has a dose of violence. How important are these scenes and how did you control your imagination to keep the story in the YA "imposed" limits?
I think this was more like keeping the writing within the limits of what I would read. I don't like anything too violent, and I can't really read horror novels or watch horror movies without my hands in front of my eyes. So keeping that in mind, I was able to write those scenes in terms of what I would be able to handle, or what I would let my kids (they're both teenagers) read.

Given the above question, what do you think about the lobby against the violence and thrill in books / movies / games compared with the violence from the classic stories? Where the line must be draw?
I think there's a place for everything. There are people who like their violent movies and graphic games, but I don't think YA books is the place for the extreme cases of these aspects. I guess it all depends on what one classifies as violent. Is a slap on the face violent? A stabbing? Being hit by a car? And how graphic is it depicted? I think it all depends on the audience and the availability.

Back to your book, everybody said that are twists, unexpected and I saw that in general you plan everything. How do you make peace with your “pantser evil twin” when she suddenly comes to change all of your plans?
I love my pantser evil twin. She keeps me on my toes. I do plan and plot my stories, but if something unexpected comes up, I get excited, because it might be something the reader wouldn't have seen either.

How hard is it and how do you bring originality in YA Urban Fantasy?
It's very hard, because if you search, you can probably find a book about anything you could imagine in a YA urban fantasy/paranormal book. Mine is far from the only reaper story out there, but I like to think the twist I've given my MC makes it a bit more unique. It also depends on the execution and the voice. Tell a story all your own and you can bring originality to an already frequented tale.
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