Divine by Dean Skinner is a book worth reading and available in paperback #supernaturalthriller #horror #christianthriller #booksale #mustread
- N. N. Light
- May 22
- 6 min read
Title: Divine
Author: Dean Skinner
Genre: Supernatural Thriller, Horror, Christian Fiction
Book Blurb:
Four short stories. One soul-stirring experience.
Divine is a gripping, genre-bending collection that brings together Dean Skinner’s bestselling works, Faithful, Healed, Broken, and Paths, in one emotionally charged volume.
From psychological torment and supernatural battles to powerful themes of redemption and faith, these stories explore what it means to endure, to believe, and to survive the darkness.
For the first time ever, these stories are now available in paperback.
Skinner created this print edition in response to countless readers who said, “I wish you make print books… I only read physical books.” So now, everyone has the opportunity to experience his bestselling stories… no matter how they choose to read.
Perfect for fans of suspense, spiritual warfare, and redemptive storytelling, Divine delivers chills, heart, and hope… one page at a time.
Now just $4.99 for a limited time, or $16.99 in paperback.
For the first time ever, my books are now available in paperback.
Divine brings together all four of my bestselling stories in one powerful volume and marks my very first release in physical print.
Why now? Because I’ve heard from so many of you: “I only read physical books.”
I created this edition to ensure everyone has the chance to experience these stories…
no matter how they choose to read.
18+ Excerpt:
“Whoa, tie a yellow ribbon 'round the ole oak tree
It's been three long years; do you still want me?
If I don't see a ribbon round the ole oak tree
I'll stay on the bus, forget about us, put the blame on me If I don't see a yellow ribbon 'round the ole oak tree”
It’s been 30 days now, about four and a half weeks, but it might as well be forever because I’m in Hell. I am absolutely in Hell and apparently… I’m atoning for my sins.
The day starts like every day… Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree by Tony Orlando and Dawn (can’t believe I remember that) begins to play through the shittiest PA system ever… warped, grainy… broken. It reminds me of how old phonographs used to sound during an episode of The Little Rascals, when they used words like “shucks”, “gee-whiz” and “sarsaparilla.” Funny, how I associate the most innocent of times with undoubtedly the darkest of mine.
Sometimes the song plays once. Sometimes the song plays twice. Sometimes the song plays for what seems to be an hour… two… maybe more… I don’t know… I just know when the song starts, eventually so will the day’s torture. And inevitably, the song signifies that he will make his appearance.
I don’t know who he is. And I don’t know why the f*ck this is happening to me. Who did I piss off? Who did I cross? Sure, I can think of a million men that may have an ax to grind with me, but this… this… this is beyond anything any human… any animal for that matter, should have to...
My internal daily detective work is interrupted by his appearance. And today, like every day, he’s sporting the look that has terrorized me since the beginning of this living nightmare: a retro, Halloween Batman mask... you know… the ones with the rubber band worn behind the head, and the small slit in the mouth to barely breath; an old pair of blue mechanics overalls with an embroidered name tag that reads “Chuck”, and yeah... I’m guessing his name isn’t Chuck. I called him Chuck at first in a desperate attempt to connect with him and the beatings that followed were... raging... intense... personal; his relic of a gym bag that looks like it’s right out of a JCPenney catalog from 1979; and of course... those shoes... those f*cking shoes.
I see him, hear him… shuffle across the dirt and grime of this abandoned school. A school that hasn’t heard the screams of little souls for decades... but definitely hears mine….
Every…
Single…
Day.
Today… I notice an uncharacteristic and disturbing spring in his step... even more so than yesterday... f*cking yesterday... f*cking monster. Today, my maniac is frolicking.
Performing. Sliding and gliding across the debris ridden floor, as I hear the dirt and dust crumble beneath his unmistakable shuffling running shoes. I don’t know what to make of this, and frankly, at this stage of this f*cking horror movie that I am apparently the star in, I just want to die. But I haven't died yet. And I can’t take my eyes off my tormentor’s hypnotic yet somehow familiar dance. And then… it hits me…
“Holy shit! He’s stealing this scene right out of Reservoir Dogs. You know… we all know… the infamous “ear scene” where Mr. Blond takes way too much pleasure in cutting off…
My thought stops as abruptly as it started. And all I can think about, over and over again, is the ear scene… the ear scene, the ear scene… he’s f*cking doing the ear scene and I drop my head in exhaustion and stop witnessing this demented dance to submit to what I believe is about to happen. “F*ck it,” I think to myself. “F*ck it all.”
At least today’s torture will be over with. And there are worse things than losing an ear. Much worse.
He saunters his way directly in front of me and lifts my chin with a cold, steel object that I surprisingly did not see during his performance.
“Knife,” I think to myself and again, succumb to what I believe is about to happen.
He excitedly opens his gym bag with the ferocity of a child opening presents on Christmas morning and retrieves from it, of course, his infamous Bible and begins to feverishly flip the pages to find today’s lesson. As he does, one of the many, miniscule, hand-cut sticky notes falls from the pages, fluttering down like an innocent little feather. I fix my eyes on the neon pink sliver as it whimsically spins its way onto the cold, dilapidated tiled floor, finding peace, solace in witnessing this little piece of parchment’s hypnotic plight, if only for a second... if only for a moment... a very rare moment in what is truly... my never-ending nightmare. He seems to sense my pleasure in witnessing this impromptu act of physics and jabs the steel object deeper into my Adam’s Apple...
“Ahhhh!”
I whimper as the pain pierces me, snapping me out of my trance. He shoves God’s word into my face and of course, like every day for the past 30 days, it is opened to the passage of the day.
I focus… try to focus, through the monotony of underlines and handwritten notes from this zealot. But he makes it easy on me, he always makes it easy on me, pointing to the highlighted verse with the sharp metal object, and for the first time I can see that it’s not a knife and get distracted in my daily lesson. He sees my wandering eye and quickly grows impatient with me, jabbing the verse dripping in dried yellow highlighter so quickly and forcefully that he actually pierces the pages of this magnificent manifesto.
I clear my dry, malnourished throat and begin to barely speak today’s sermon...
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Grab your copy in both e-copy and paperback on sale!
Amazon:
Barnes & Noble:
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1745264
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Special Giveaway:
I posted on my social media platforms that if anyone buys a physical copy of Divine and brings it to me, I will draw a cartoon of the two of us on the inside front cover or title page😉
Author Biography:
Dean Skinner is a multi-disciplinary creative force, an internationally exhibited artist, and an Amazon bestselling author. His large-format portrait paintings have been featured in galleries across the U.S. and U.K., with commissioned works in the private collections of high-profile clients, including NFL athletes. One of his pieces was prominently featured in the acclaimed film documentary The Sax Man, further cementing his presence in the cultural and cinematic art landscape.
Dean’s work has never shied from bold expression. His public chalk installations in Cleveland’s Playhouse Square District once sparked immediate censorship when city officials power-washed them the same day, labeling them “too controversial”, a testament to the emotional and provocative power of his vision.
Most recently, Dean was selected as a featured artist in New Christian Makers, a juried publication that honors creators who pursue their work with excellence, purpose, and conviction. His inclusion, selected by a panel led by Professor Gregory Deddo of Gordon College, speaks to his growing influence in both sacred and contemporary artistic circles.
As a writer, Dean’s emotionally charged fiction has consistently ranked at the top of Amazon’s bestseller lists. His stories blend thriller, horror, and faith-based themes into unforgettable explorations of redemption, fear, and spiritual warfare, adding literary prestige to a career already defined by fearless creativity.
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