Behind the Scenes of The Gateway Through Which They Came

Behind the Scenes gives you a closer look at the process of writing a manuscript. This edition features Heather Marie and her manuscript, The Gateway Through Which They Came. Heather Marie is a YA writer of horror and supernatural. She lives in Northern California with her husband, their tortoise, and a round, fluffy cat named Jill. You can find Heather on Twitter at @xHeatherxMariex.

Inspiration for The Gateway Through Which They Came:

"First and foremost, my lack of a religious background. I really wanted to bring this sensitive subject up in my work, because I feel it's important for people to see a character struggle with his faith. You don't see that too often, at least I don't think you do. It's not a religious book, by any means, but that has a small part in it.

"Horror movies, of course! Where would I be today without Nightmare on Elm Street? [It was] my first ever horror movie and it definitely set the bar. Horror in general has changed throughout the years, and not necessarily for the better. Everyone is all about shock factor now which I find disappointing. I miss the scares that left it to your imagination."

"My own personal experiences with the supernatural. Now, I haven't seen dead people all bloodied and cut in half before, but I've definitely witnessed some very interesting stuff. I find the idea of ghosts fascinating. The idea that people still linger around after death is kind of incredible. I'd love to investigate a haunted castle someday. I'm sure it'll completely creep me out, but it will be so worth it!"

About The Gateway Through Which They Came:

"The Gateway Through Which They Came is a YA horror with supernatural elements. It follows the story of Aiden Ortiz, who is a Gateway that allows the dead to walk through him in order to crossover. Things begin to change for Aiden when he becomes infected by a Rogue Bleeder, one of the dead who refuses to cross, and he is left battling a part of himself he never knew existed, something dark and evil living inside of him. As if that's not enough, Koren Banks, the girl who went missing months before, mysteriously shows up and acts as if nothing is amiss, but there's something very different about her this time around. Along with Koren's reappearance, the dead begin to gather in droves to seek out Aiden in order to be free––but they're nothing but puppets in the Dark Priest's plan; his plan to resurrect his Brethren of Shadows, leaving Aiden to not only fight a battle within himself, but a battle of good vs evil to save the world."

A piece of Heather's writing process:

"When it comes to writing, my biggest thing is that it needs to be absolutely quiet. It works out well when I'm home alone and have several hours to get the words down. I used to do writing sprints all the time, but I realized it didn't help my writing for the better, and have since decided to take my time. Sometimes I'll write a few hundred words and stop, check Twitter, then write some more. Twitter can definitely be super distracting, but also very motivational. Also, I'm a pantser all the way. Outlining is not my friend, though it would be helpful if I did some type of outline. I often forget little details about my characters and have to go back and search it out. Very time consuming. But it's all part of the process.