WiHM 9 Presents - Michelle Dorey

Each tale of The Hauntings of Kingston is a standalone novel that takes place in the enigmatic city of Kingston, Ontario.It's been waiting....When Gillian and her family move into the old house on Harvest Street, it's too good to be true. The rent's dirt cheap, and it's right next door to the University she’s going to be attending. With her recently widowed mother on board, there’s a ready and willing babysitter for her five-year-old daughter Sarah. 
Who could ask for anything more? 
When Gillian’s mother Maureen discovers a family connection to the house they see it as Providence. They’re meant to live here! 
But then… odd things start to happen. 
Sarah loves the swing in the backyard and her new friends—twin girls only she can see. The odd becomes foreboding when Nana Maureen can’t sleep in her room. She’s constantly woken up by creaking floors, nightmares of being strangled, and the smell of rotting flesh. 
The family has always been loving and close, but now the atmosphere between them is tense. Small disagreements explode into rage. 
What on earth is happening to them? 
They don't know about the evil that descended upon the house. How, almost a century ago, dashed dreams rose again into a rage— a murderous rage. A rage that still breathes in the very walls of this home. 
This is how it began and how it will end. At Crawley House.

1) As a female horror writer what do you bring to the table in terms of what of you write?

 I write supernatural ghost/haunted houses novels. A subtle touch in the writing, creating an eerie setting is essential, an approach which I think is intuitive for a woman. Also as a daughter, sister, mother and grandmother, my perspective in creating female characters is real. It comes through in Crawley House where the main characters are a recently widowed mother, her adult daughter and granddaughter.

2) Do you think female authors are underrepresented in the horror genre?

No, I think for the sub-genre of horror, supernatural, there are some very fine and popular women authors. I’d say we outnumber men by a factor of two women to one male..

3) Tell us about your book(s)
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I started in this genre with Crawley House, which is a tale where my three main characters end up in a strange city in a house which has a dark history. There is a theme of the past reaching forward to complete circles of emotional events. The past and future are intertwined when the grieving family find that their ancestors owned the house and an evil spirit is bent on revenge.
I decided to write a series of stand-alone books where the common thread is that they are based in the area where I live, Kingston, Ontario Canada., My second book Haunted Inn features two young guys who don’t believe in an afterlife but are quite willing to capitalize and become rich exploiting people who are believers. They buy a large old home with the intention of spooking it up, only to find that it is actually haunted.
Ghosts of Centre Street is based on a theory of powerful ley lines which cross the earth. Stonehenge, the Pyramids and many churches are built where these lines interesect.The house is built on the intersection of tow of these lines and is in fact a portal to hell. A psychically gifted cab driver and his pregnant wife inherit the house from an eccentric client who recognized Barry’s special gifts. It’s a classic chilling fight of good versus evil.
The Haunting of Larkspur Farm has a similar them, except it brings in elements and back story of the history of the house and the tragic horror that is about to play out with the young family.
The final book in the Hauntings of Kingston series is Hanson House. This was fun to write as it features four adolescent and teen girls who are distant cousins visiting their grandparent’s farm for a summer vacation before the couple retire and sell the property  Creating distinct believable characters who continually snipe at each other was challenging and entertaining. When curiosity brings them to the neighboring haunted farm, they bond pretty quickly in order to survive.
Haunted Cabin is the tale of a young woman who travels to a remote island with her soon to be fiancée when he inherits it. The cabin has a tragic and horror filled history that comes to light in eerie ways. During their visit Meryl learns not only the history but the fact that her fiancée isn’t the guy she thinks he is. She not only battles spiritual entities but him as well.
My latest book, released January 14th is about a family swept up by the FBI and put in a so called ‘safe’ house. They find to their horror that the house is haunted. A blinding snowstorm prevents them leaving on the night when hell is about to break lose.
I have written a series of books, the Mystical Veil about a young woman’s growth and journey in working with spiritual bodies. She’s the unlikely heroine, a flighty college drop-out who becomes the world’s most powerful psychic. Book 1, Legacy, Book 2, Heritage and book 3 Forsaken are published and the final Book 4 Ascendant will be published this spring.
 
4) Why is horror writing important to you?

I have always loved reading horror! To write it is an even bigger thrill, creating scenes and characters. Hell, I’ve even spooked myself when writing these books! The characters and scenes play out by themselves and I’m just the scribe. That’s my favorite thing about writing. It doesn’t always happen but when it does, it’s a rush!
 
5) Is the future of horror female?
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I wouldn’t say that it was. But female writers will dominate, especially in my sub genre, spooky thrillers. A woman brings a depth of emotion and experience which is a natural fit for themes that strongly rely on psychological elements.

About the Author:

A lifelong resident of Kingston, Michelle has experienced firsthand, eerie events. She's witnessed episodes where the veil between our world and the next has shimmered gossamer thin. These encounters fascinate rather than frighten her. On the other hand, her two pugs Ruby and Sookie freak out enough for the three of them. The Irish part of her heritage, stories of banshees, druids and, yes, leprechauns are what started her down the road of writing about the paranormal. In the summer she dreams about skiing, and in the winter wishes she lived in Cuba. Yes, she's contrary as hell, but never boring. She hopes you enjoy reading her work as much as she enjoys writing it. She is currently practicing her acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize in Literature just in case. 

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