I don’t know about you guys but I am currently loving the fact that horror is becoming more popular. I love being scared out of my mind every now and then and I have a feeling The Dead House is going to have that effect on me. Clearly I’m very excited to be part of this unique blog tour that Little, Brown has put together.
The Dead House is about Kaitlyn and Carly, two different girls, one who shouldn’t exist at all. In honor of the interesting nature of the story, Little, Brown has put together a blog tour that features one US blogger and one UK blogger each day. I’ve got a guest post about Kaitlyn’s scariest moment of her life and Jess Hearts Books has Carly’s. Make sure to head over there when you’re done reading this one!
Since the book features journal entries, today’s post from Kaitlyn comes in the form of one of those.
Scariest Moment of Your Life
Diary of Kaitlyn Johnson,
Date Unspecified
I would never have met the Viking if it hadn’t happened, so for that reason alone, I wouldn’t change it. But it sucked, just the same.
One of the perks of being around at night is that all the freaky people come out. When we were back in Chester, an “Artists Town”, that was especially true. One of the drawbacks of being around at night is that all the freaky people come out.
I was heading out to the Watergates Bar, as usual. Another night, another distraction. Watergates was out of the way, underground—the worst kept secret in Chester. A totally miserable place to be honest, but they served alcohol to pretty much anyone.
It was as I left that I realized I had someone following me. It was early yet, only 8pm, so there weren’t too many people around. I could smell this guy. He’d been drinking all day, no doubt.
So when he grabbed my arm it was a clumsy stumble, but it startled me. Someone had seen me. I was meant to be invisible. I was used to it. Hadn’t I thought I wanted it?
He fumbled at my waist, trying to get my purse, maybe. Or worse. For a minute, he was strong, and I couldn’t free my arm. It didn’t occur to me to shout. He shoved me, pretty hard, but I wasn’t wasted, like he was, and all that did was help me to get away from him. I ran. When I had some distance, I looked back. He was stumbling into one of the side alleys, alone, staring at me with this look of disgust in his bloodshot eyes.
I realized that night that I wasn’t invincible because of my “invisibility”. And I also realized, I liked that. I liked the idea of being hurt. Of someone hurting me. Noticing me. I felt an urge to push the boundaries of what my life was. I started practicing my suicide note, and leaving it all over Chester.
When you read this, my throat will be a bloody, red smile.
I know. I am one for melodrama.
But I wasn’t stupid enough to go back to the Watergate after that. Not to that creepo.
And that’s why I went looking for something else, and found Masqued.
And the Viking.
I adopted my disguise, and let myself be seen, my veneer carefully in place.
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Over two decades have passed since the fire at Elmbridge High, an inferno that took the lives of three teenagers. Not much was known about the events leading up to the tragedy – only that one student, Carly Johnson, vanished without a trace…
…until a diary is found hidden in the ruins.
But the diary, badly scorched, does not belong to Carly Johnson. It belongs to Kaitlyn Johnson, a girl who shouldn’t exist Who was Kaitlyn? Why did she come out only at night? What is her connection to Carly?
The case has been reopened. Police records are being reexamined: psychiatric reports, video footage, text messages, e-mails. And the diary.
The diary that paints a much more sinister version of events than was ever made publicly known.
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Dawn Kurtagich writes psychologically sinister fiction, where girls may descend into madness, boys may see monsters in men, and adults may have something to hide. She lives in Wales, but grew up all over the world, predominantly in Africa. She writes and blogs for YA Scream Queens and is a member of the YA League. THE DEAD HOUSE is her first novel.
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Make sure to follow the complete tour so you don’t miss any of the extra content!
I love horror and am glad to see it making a comeback as well. I have a whole stack of things I can’t wait to get to in October – one of my favorite months of the year!