Interview with Elissa Grossell Dickey

Elissa Grossell Dickey’s second novel IRIS IN THE DARK is out 7th of June and we’re delighted to feature this interview with her!

Early praise for IRIS IN THE DARK

“A lucky few of us walk in the sunshine, and the rest of us have to fight our way out of the dark. Elissa Grossell Dickey’s Iris is one of the latter, and in elegant prose, she makes Iris’s journey heart-wrenching, memorable, and all too real. Pages turn faster and faster as you speed to the satisfying resolution of Iris in the Dark.”

—Kristin Wright, Amazon bestselling author of The Darkest Flower and The Darkest Web

 

INTERVIEW WITH ELISSA GROSSELL DICKEY

What gave you the idea to write Iris in the Dark? 

It started with the idea of Iris as a character. As women and especially moms, we’re often told our fears are over the top or unwarranted, so I wanted to tap into that experience and create a main character who is definitely flawed, somewhat unlikeable, and yet ultimately relatable. As Iris’s story started to develop, I was looking for a way for her troubled past to present itself—and it did when my son and I were cleaning his toy room, and a random voice came through the walkie talkie he was playing with. (At the time, I quickly shut it off, but I stored away the creepy experience and wrote it into the story!)

As a South Dakota author, how important was it for you to not only integrate the state’s natural beauty into Iris’s surroundings but make the prairie setting part of the plot?

Very important. In a way, this story is a love letter to the South Dakota prairie that I moved to twenty years ago. It’s one of the most beautiful places in the world, and yet it can be desolate and isolating, illustrated partially by Iris finding the old pictures of the prairie family from a century ago. I tried to use all of this to really punctuate Iris’s chilling experiences.

How did the experience of writing Iris in the Dark differ from writing your debut, The Speed of Light?

With The Speed of Light, I drew more on my own personal experiences of living with multiple sclerosis. A lot of the feelings of the main character, Simone—her fear of the future, uncertainty over her choices regarding her illness, and her doubts about her own worthiness when it comes to relationships—were all based on my own journey with my MS diagnosis. For Iris in the Dark, Iris’s personal experiences were not as closely related to my own, so that’s definitely a difference. However, her feelings about motherhood did come from me—particularly the fears and anxieties of parenting a child with food allergies. Also, I still wanted to feature a character with MS, though this time it was a side character, Jane; disability representation is important to me, and I hope to continue that will all of my stories.

Is there an overall feeling or message you hope readers will take away from Iris in the Dark? I hope that it highlights that all of us, like Iris, are stronger than we know, that we’re worthy of love, family, and the safety of home. Most of all, I hope that Iris’s story can raise awareness about intimate partner violence; this is not something I’ve personally experienced, but I’ve seen people I love suffer from this, as I’m sure most people have as well.

Can you share what you’re working on next? I have a few different works in progress that are calling to me, but at the top of my list is dual timeline women’s fiction set in Ireland—a story that mirrors reality for me somewhat, as I studied abroad in Ireland many years ago and then traveled back in recent years. Like my other stories, this will have suspense with a dash of romance, and I hope that readers will love it someday!

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Elissa Grossell Dickey is a former journalist who now works in higher education communications. Though she grew up in Northern Minnesota, Elissa now lives in South Dakota with her husband and children. She has shared her journey of living with multiple sclerosis through blog posts for the National MS Society. She is the author of The Speed of Light and Iris in the Dark.

Find out more about Elissa on her website https://elissadickey.com/

IRIS IN THE DARK, Elissa Grossell Dickey

A single mother faces her worst fear—the past—in a provocative novel of suspense by the author of The Speed of Light.

Iris Jenkins knows that bad things happen. She’s tried to escape these things for years. So when Iris is entrusted to house-sit at a lodge on the South Dakota prairie, she thinks she’s prepared for anything.

But one surprise is Sawyer Jones, the property’s neighbor and caretaker. He’s a caring, reassuring presence who’s making her feel safe and alive again. Then late one night, Iris hears a chilling cry for help coming from a walkie-talkie buried in a box of toys. As the calls get more desperate, personal, and menacing, Iris realizes the person on the other end isn’t reaching out for help. They’re reaching out to terrorize her.

Now the only way for Iris to move forward in life is to confront the past she’s been running from…a threat that has now followed her into the dark.

“A lucky few of us walk in the sunshine, and the rest of us have to fight our way out of the dark. Elissa Grossell Dickey’s Iris is one of the latter, and in elegant prose, she makes Iris’s journey heart-wrenching, memorable, and all too real. Pages turn faster and faster as you speed to the satisfying resolution of Iris in the Dark.” —Kristin Wright, Amazon bestselling author of The Darkest Flower and The Darkest Web

BUY HERE

 Praise for Iris in the Dark 

“Iris in the Dark investigates the shadowy corners of one woman’s past—and how they try to reclaim her, just as she finally finds some light. It’s a moving and suspenseful story with prose as impactful as its characters’ journeys. I read this one in a single sitting, pulled along by the novel’s stunning revelations and Elissa Grossell Dickey’s beautiful storytelling.”

—Megan Collins, author of The Family Plot

“Iris in the Dark is an unputdownable, unforgettable story of trauma and strength. Dickey expertly fuses romance and internal struggle with moments of abject terror, making for a fast-paced one-sitting read.”

—Suzy Krause, author of Valencia and Valentine and Sorry I Missed You

“A nail-biter of a thriller, with a looming sense of dread etched on every page, shot through with hope, love, and purpose as Iris navigates complicated emotions and confronts a troubling history that threatens the simple small town life she’s always longed for. I could not put it down!”

—Paulette Kennedy, author of Parting the Veil

“Elissa Grossell Dickey is back with a suspenseful visit to America’s heartland. The windswept prairie makes the perfect backdrop for hurt people to be healed by love.”

—Jennifer Bardsley, author of Sweet Bliss

 

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: Interviews, On Writing