Mike Dellosso is someone who has ministered to me in many ways over the years. His stories entertain and creep me out, and they give me great conversations to share with my teens! More importantly, his life's testimony has challenged my own faith walk.Please welcome Mike to my Window as we discuss his latest release, Darkness Follows! If this sounds like a book you would enjoy, please leave a comment on this post with your contact information, and I will draw for a FREE copy of this great book!
Welcome, Mike!
The old house, Tommy's voice, they call to Sam and his parents - beckon them to darkness. Where was this idea born? Does it/can it represent a universal "temptation" that everyone must face?
Kim, I'm a seat-of-the-pants writer, I make the story up as I go. The whole idea of Sam's past beckoning to him was just something that popped into my head as I was writing. I wasn't sure if the whole backstory thing would work at first but the deeper I got into Tommy's story and the more the past interacted with Sam's present the more interesting it got and I new it would work well. And yes, sure, it can represent temptation, that dark voice within all of us beckoning us to satisfy the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
Does the relationship between Sam and Eva resemble the relationship with your daughters in any way? What elements of your own life were you able to draw from to create this relationship?
I modeled Eva after my third daughter (I have four), the looks, the personality, it's all her. But I have a very good relationship with all my girls. I love them dearly and would do anything for them. But I mess up. I say things I shouldn't, do things I ought not do. I lose my patience with them, put them off, and hurt their feelings at times. And the amazing thing is, they still love me just the same. Their love never wavers. That gave me the inspiration for the relationship between Sam and Eva.
"God has pointed me down this road, and I have to walk it true and straight." this is a statement Stephen Lincoln makes on page 173 reflecting a dramatic change in his personal life and political affiliation - on the issue of abortion, indeed a darkness that shadows many lives. Do you think that the world views such radical changes in belief/ideology as insane? Why or why not?
Definitely. The things of Christ and his mindset, teachings, and heart, are foolishness to the world. Love your enemies? Really? That's nuts! Turn the other cheek? Yeah, right. Put your trust in an unseen God? Crazy! They think we're uneducated, hillbilly, numbskulls because of what we believe and how we live. They live in darkness and have no understanding of the ways of God.
"He's in a dark place, and needs you now more than ever. Wherever he is, your love can find him there." This is a quote from page 209 that is referencing a human relationship. Truly, it speaks of an unconditional love that you hope would exist in marriage and other vital life relatiionship. However, I couldn't help but think that this could also refer to God's love for all of us. Can you speak to this theme a little bit?
The main theme is the unconditional love of God for us, His children. Though we mess up and stumble and fall and embarrass him and make fools of ourselves, He still loves us perfectly. His love cannot be quenched. That's the truth I hope people walk away with.
Eva is in touch with a spiritual reality that the adults in her life are blind to see. Have you ever experienced startling truths presented to you through the lives of your own children? (not necessarily in the form that it exists in your book!)
Absolutely, they teach me things all the time. One example, when the girls were younger I took them hiking and told them we'd pretend we were pirates. They wandered off and a few minutes later returned with handfuls of leaves, moss, rocks, and bugs. "Look, Daddy," they said. "Treasures." It reminded me of the treasures all around us in God's creation. The innocence of a child and the purity of their thoughts is refreshing and convicting on so many levels.
The Civil War plays a significant role in the story line. Are you a Civil War buff or did you have to do a lot of research to make this plausible?
No, I'm not a Civil War buff, but I work in and around Gettysburg everyday. It's a wonderful town and the battlefields are so beautiful. My uncle is quite the Civil War buff and I have a few friends who are, so I did much of my research by talking to them. The geography and setting descriptions are pretty accurate to the real Gettysburg.
I know you have other projects in the works. While you have to promote Darkness Follows as it releases, what else is waiting in the wings that you are excited about? Is it hard to juggle the relase of one story while working on another?
Frantic will release in Feb. of 2012. It's a fast-paced, thrill-a-minute, rollercoaster of a story. I'm the editing phase with it now while working on my next book which will be something totally different from anything I've done thus far. Is it hard to juggle books? Harder than I ever thought it would be. I'll be writing on while editing another while promoting yet another. At times it's difficult to keep them all straight in my mind and organize my time to give each the attention it needs.
What closing words of encouragement would you like to share with your readers?
God's love is the love you've been searching for your whole life. It's perfect and pure and unconditional. It requires nothing in return and never, ever fails.
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