The Dark In-Betweenby Elizabeth Hrib
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: May 5th, 2020
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
Action-packed and emotionally powerful like big- and small-screen hits such as The Sixth Sense and Supernatural, The Dark In-Between by Elizabeth Hrib is sure to stay with you long after the lights go out.
Something lurks in the shadows between life and death.
A terrible accident brings sixteen-year-old Casey Everett’s life to a halt—literally. Pulled from the water, Casey is rushed to the hospital and miraculously revived. But her sudden return to the living is shadowed by the drowning of her best friend, Liddy.
Overcome with grief, Casey returns home for the summer only to find the memories of the accident won’t let her go. Shadow-drenched nightmares. Whispers in the back of her mind. Her friend’s screams. Casey thinks she’s losing it… until she watches a boy fall from the sky.
Red—an angel fallen to earth to regain his wings—takes her to Limbo, a place that exists somewhere between the living and the dead. Now, in order to save her best friend, Casey must learn to walk these mysterious and dangerous paths or else risk losing Liddy’s trapped soul to something worse than death.
~ AUTHOR INTERVIEW with Elizabeth Hrib ~
1) What gave you the inspiration for
the storyline?
There were a couple of
things. The first was this very visual image I had of a marble statue
shattering into a million crystal pieces. I had no idea what was happening or
what it was about, all I knew was it belonged in this story I’d yet to write.
The next bit of inspiration I had was from some research I was doing for a
nursing assignment in university. I came across an article on the Lazarus
effect — basically people spontaneously coming back to life after being
pronounced dead. I don’t know how, but those two things sort of sparked the
idea that became the strange, paranormal world of The Dark In-Between.
2) Are there any hidden (or not so hidden) themes in the book that you hope readers will discover?
The book deals with the
process of grief and healing and forgiveness after a tragedy, examining
different journeys to that point through the various characters. But for me,
The Dark In-Between is ultimately a story about hope and the power of friendship.
I have some really amazing friends in my life which I think is where I drew a
lot of that inspiration from, and it’s very much the same for Casey. Throughout
the book, the question really becomes what wouldn’t she do to save this person
she cares about. When it comes to Liddy, there’s no hesitation. Whether that
means crossing into some other dimension, breaking unwritten rules of the
universe, or causing chaos in the world of angels and demons, Casey’s prepared
to do just about anything and she does. I hope readers will be able to connect
with the more human moments of the book, while also being able to see
themselves reflected in this paranormal adventure through things like
friendship and first loves.
3) Are any of the characters based
on real people you know?
Liddy,
the best friend of main character Casey, is loosely based on my sister. My
sister and I are super close in real life, so it just seemed fitting when some
of her real characteristics worked their way into the story. We don’t see a
whole lot of human Liddy, except for in a few of Casey’s flashbacks, but those
moments definitely capture Liddy’s spirit and fabulous sense of style, her
wittiness, and humour — all of which are things that I sort of unconsciously
based on my sister.
4) Who has influenced you most as a
writer?
I suppose it could be any
number of the authors I read growing up. I was fortunate enough to have a
librarian in the family who kept me supplied with new books, and I read widely
as a kid and even now as an adult. But the actual person who I think has
influenced me the most as a writer is my grandma. She’s not a writer herself,
but looking back, she was the first real storyteller I was exposed to. I
remember my siblings and I sitting at the kitchen table at her house, eating
delicious food, while she sat across from us and entertained us with fabulous
stories. Most of them were based on her life growing up in Europe on the cusp
of World War II. I was captivated by it all, especially as a kid, hearing about
this world that differed so much from my own. And every time we visited, I
would beg her to tell us more stories, even the same stories, over and over. I
definitely came to understand the art of storytelling from her and have learned
to incorporate that in my writing.
5) If you could have any three
literary characters over to your place for game night, who would you invite,
what would you play, what would you serve, and why?
Oh, this is a hard one! I
guess I would invite Gandalf, obviously, because he’s a wizard from one of the
richest literary worlds around. He would have all the stories to entertain us
all night. Plus, he has a penchant for fireworks, so there’s your post
game-night entertainment. I’m going to stick with the wizard theme and invite
Remus Lupin next. He definitely taught the coolest class at Hogwarts and has a
fondness for chocolate. Hello, same! He was always a favourite character of
mine, so he gets seat number two. Lastly, I would invite Elphaba Thropp, the
famed Wicked Witch of the West, because in Gregory Maguire’s Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, we learn that there are two sides
to every story and I dig a social-justice-warrior witch! I’d obviously go with
an old classic and serve pizza, because one: it’s game night; and two: I’ve
literally never met anyone that doesn’t like pizza. Plus toppings are
customizable for any picky eaters. Then we can have the great pineapple on
pizza debate! With this crew of characters we would play Dungeons and
Dragons, obviously, because what better to play with a bunch of wizards/witches
than a fantasy RPG game?
6) Do you feel that you can ever have too many books?
No! There is absolutely no
such thing as too many books. That’s like asking if you can ever have too much
chocolate? The answer is also no in case you’re wondering.
Author Bio:
Elizabeth Hrib was born and raised in London, Ontario where she studied nursing at Western University. She now calls the East Coast home, where she works as a nurse in Halifax. When she’s not working or writing, she can be found at the piano, planning her next Netflix binge, or attempting to keep her small, windowsill garden alive.
Thanks for hosting today, Jen!
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