The Book
Title: The Banishing
Author: Fiona Dodwell
Genre: Horror, Supernatural, Thriller
Publisher: Damnation Books
Review copy provided by Bewitching Book Tours.
Goodreads | Author’s Website
Read my review for The Banishing!
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 he 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.
The Banishing is a dark, disturbing novel exploring the world of demonic possession, spiritual oppression and domestic abuse.
The Interview
1) The Banishing is a supernatural horror novel, that vaguely reminded me of classics in the genre, like The Exorcist and Poltergeist. Why did you decide to write a horror novel, and what inspired you to write The Banishing in particular?
Well, I have been in love with horror since I was a child; I grew up reading horror books and watching horror movies from a young age, so it made sense to me that my own creative writing would be quite dark in nature. I think The Banishing was inspired by my fascination with possession. I have always been drawn to this frightening idea that we could be, at any time, taken over by an evil entity. I read many fictional studies and my ideas for The Banishing blossomed from there.
2) When you start writing a book, what does your writing schedule look like? Do you write mostly at night, daytime, whenever you feel like it, or…?
I don’t have a writing schedule, I generally seem to write when I feel inspired and in the mood. Because I love writing, that means I usually sit down to write most days. I won’t force myself to write if I’m not in a good place for it though: I wouldn’t be able to create good work that way.
3) Did you do some research on so-called “real cases” of hauntings before writing this novel, or is it all purely fiction? If you did some research, can you tell us a bit about your findings?
Well, The Banishing is fictional, nothing in my novel resembles real life. I relied on my imagination. However, I have read a lot of books over the years, factual accounts of hauntings and demonic possession, so some ideas have bloomed from there. As for my findings when researching the subject of hauntings and possession… it’s tough. I am open minded, and I believe there is more to this world than meets the eye. If I have learned anything from the things I have read and studied about these paranormal subjects, it is that many people across the world swear to having experienced something weird and unexplainable. These people are happy, healthy normal people like you or I, but they have been touched by unseen foreces. Many people’s testimonies of hauntings and possession all appear to have common threads of events/symptoms, which definitely gave me food for thought.
4) The message at the end of the novel is quite dark. We venture into the darkest corners of the human mind, and wonder what exactly we are willing to give up for the people we love. Without trying to spoil anything, why did you decide to put this twist at the end?
The ending of The Banishing is something people seem to love or feel upset by. I have had people say it’s one of the most original endings they’ve ever read, and had others say it upset and disturbed them. However, I love reactions like this! It means my story has provoked an honest, emotional reaction in people’s minds. I decided to make the ending of The Banishing this way because it felt right for the character. In Melissa’s case (my main character), she loves her husband so much, knows so deeply that he is a good, kind, soul, that she will literally give up the world in order to restore him to the man she knows and loves. The endings captures something about human nature, I think. I like to leave it up to the reader to decide what that message means. Is Melissa right or wrong for what she does in those last pages of The Banishing? I’d love to hear from readers to know what they think!
5) Are you currently working on another novel? If so, can you tell us something about it?
My second novel, Obsessed, is currently being considered for publication. I am also writing my third novel, The Shift, which is about a young man who, while fighting off low self-esteem from a broken down marriage and unemployment, starts to be visited by a spirit. The story takes the reader on a journey.. Who is the ghost? What does it want? What lies in the shady and shadowy past of the main character that keeps the ghost at his side?
It’s early days yet – I am only half way through the first draught!
The Author
The Giveaway
Fiona was kind enough to offer 1 print copy and 1 e-book copy of her novel The Banishing for giveaway. The giveaway is tour wide, meaning you can enter at every tour stop! From all the comments left during the tour, two random winners will be chosen. The contest is open internationally.
Participating is simple: just leave a comment on this post, or on my review for The Banishing, or on both, if you feel like it. Good luck with the contest!
Click on the banner below to see the other tour stops!
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