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Author JL Hickey Tells All About His IRDA-Winning Book

The Dark and Darker was the winner in the Horror category of the 2022 IndieReader Discovery Awards, where undiscovered talent meets people with the power to make a difference.

Following find an interview with author JL Hickey.

What is the name of the book and when was it published?

The Dark and Darker was Published in June of 2021

What’s the book’s first line?

“Gillian turned six the same day she found her father’s blood sprayed across her parent’s master bathroom.”

What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.

For over a century, the children of Ojibway City have gone missing at an alarming rate, some reported, some not. Either way, anyone living near the city knows it’s happening, and little is being done to find answers. But when famous national clairvoyant Lydia Cayce takes up her first investigation after the infamous Emmett County Cannibal case, she opens a door into not only the dark secrets of the city but into a century-old curse that she must find a way to break.

Meet Kelsee Kessler; a former addict turned small-time local celebrity. On a bizarre whim, Kelsee purchases a home in the Gratiot Triangle of the city (a local paranormal hotspot) and moves in with her current boyfriend, Codi when things slowly start to turn weird. They begin to experience mood swings and violent outbursts, then Kelsee started seeing…it. Now, their sanity lies in the hand of Lydia, or so they hope.

What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?

This particular story is a fictionalized version of the city I grew up in. More importantly, the house at the center of the multi-generational tale was the same home I grew up in. Weird things always happen to us in the home. Later in life, I discovered some terrible secrets about my childhood neighbors that I never knew. It only added to the mysteriousness of my childhood home. That house, it still haunts my dreams as an adult. So I knew I wanted to write about it.

What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?

There are a handful of main characters that all equally weave important narrative structures in the book. If we follow Kelsee’s story, her main distinctive element as a character is her ability to adapt. Her life, without saying much, is complicated, largely due to an outside influence, deep-rooted emotional issues, and former struggles with substance abuse. Yet, when we pick up her story, she has turned her life around.

What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?

If you love horror, especially King’s “It”, this book would be right up your alley. Complex characters, a dark city with a gritty past, and a haunted house next door  at the epicenter of it all.

When did you first decide to become an author?

I have been writing independently for almost twenty years. During our first covid lock down, and after quite a long sabbatical, I decided I wanted to try my hand a horror. I was writing a MG supernatural series called the Secret Seekers Society, but I had taken time off when my wife and I started our family. Writing has always been a part of my life, and I can’t tell you exactly when I decided I wanted to pave my way as an author as my primary profession (Still have a long ways to go!). But, I do remember being even in grade school, sitting back and drawing/writing terrible comic books about mummies and werewolves while the other kids were out playing football and dodgeball.

Is this the first book you’ve written?

Negative. I have a few independent novels through a small press out of Texas. I also have some novellas floating around.

What do you do for work when you’re not writing?

I am a manager of a Barnes and Nobles bookstore! I love books! Can you tell?

How much time do you generally spend on your writing?

I go in clumps. I have three children, twins who are seven, and a four-year-old. Its been hard with covid, working fulltime, balancing life/work/health. In between projects can last awhile. Once I hit a stride with a book, I tend to go hard, like a marathon. I can finish a book like Dark and Darker in about five months, writing daily, for an hour or two.

What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?

Exposure. Seriously. Its so hard to get people to know your book exists. Then, even if they find you, you have no backing of a traditional publisher, probably less than a hundred amazon reviews, all of that can make it hard to be taken seriously.

Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling?  If so, why?

Yes. For me, it’s a bucket list situation. I started out with that as my end goal. Find an Agent. Ink a deal. Write for a living and enjoy time with my family, something my retail career is not great with.

Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)

Fame, yes. Fortune, yes! But, I don’t need either. I really want to make a comfortable living for my family, where I can write to support and provide for them. It would literally be my dream job. Something I have been training for, for two decades. Hopefully, with some luck and exposure, this will come to fruition sooner rather than later. Its been a long journey already =)

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