Dark Hope (50 page)

Contrast Mona’s appearance and lifestyle with those of Don. What does it reveal about the worlds they inhabit or what they consider important? What does it mean that they continued to stay married? How did you feel about the fact that Mona left Hope alone so
soon after she arrived from Alabama or that she didn’t know what Hope’s favorite food was?

The book said that in school pictures, Hope’s spirit had seemingly been snuffed out. What do you think was meant by this? Hope lived a very lonely childhood and it seems her parents lived lonely lives too. Does their isolation have a purpose in the story? What other characters in the book are also isolated?

How do you believe the Mark got on Hope’s neck? Does it warn her of danger or provide her protection? Why is the Mark always referred to with a capital letter? Why do people outside Hope’s family see the Mark as beautiful?

What do the throbbing vein in Michael’s forehead and the feeling in Hope’s Mark have in common?

What is the role of Henri in the book? How does Henri move the plot along? When the voice in your head speaks to you the next time, will you think of it as the voice of a guardian angel?

Does the idea that angels such as Michael and Ralph could walk among us change your view of people you meet or have met, or your idea of the world itself? After reading this book, do you know someone whom you think might be an angel?

Tabitha provides a great contrast to Hope. She has siblings, a very happy family life and a circle of support via her church. What significance is the fact that Tabitha has two personas—one for home and one for the outside world? What is the significance that she
dresses so differently from her classmates and is also the perfect daughter to her loving parents? Why is it significant that Tabitha is the daughter of a preacher? Tabitha’s bedroom and possessions are described in detail. Hope’s are not—why?

The scenes involving domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) and the men and girls involved in them were very dramatic. Did these scenes change your thinking about the trafficking of humans in the United States? Did you realize that these things are happening in ordinary American cities? Will this knowledge change any of your normal routines or habits? What do you think you can do to spread the word about human trafficking and try to bring it to an end?

Who do you think is at risk of being trafficked and sold into prostitution? Foreign children or native citizens? Young girls or young boys? At what ages? From what socioeconomic backgrounds? What risk factors increase the odds someone is victimized in this way? Why would a woman—such as the older Chinese woman at Wynne—cooperate in such a crime? Why would the victims—such as the Asian girls at Wynne—not try harder to escape? In what ways is Hope similar and different to the victims of DMST that she meets?

What is the significance of Michael saying that angels can neither create nor discover? How does his declaration of love for Hope provide a pivotal moment in the story?

Enoch is blind and in exile, yet is the source of knowledge. Is there significance in this?

When Mona pulls into the driveway with Hope for the first time, Hope thinks that the windows of her mother’s house look sad. What do you think is the significance of observation?

There is a great deal of emphasis on names and naming in the book—for example, Michael listing out his various aliases when he reveals himself to Hope; Enoch pondering the importance of what we call things and noting the special significance of Hope’s own names. What is the author trying to convey by emphasizing this point repeatedly?

The course of Hope’s life was and is determined by Michael’s presence in her life. By the end of the book, we learn that some of his power has been transferred to Hope as a result of the irresistible force that draws them together. Do you think Hope will eventually attain the level of power Michael possesses in this book? What does it mean if she does?

What is the significance of a heavenly being and a human being drawn together in such a physically powerful way as Michael and Hope were? What could it mean for the future of each of them? What does it say about cooperation between heaven and earth?

In many ways, this is a story about a girl struggling to define her own destiny—one that is not predetermined by her past or by fate. What are your feelings about predictions and fate, prophecies and destiny? Does Hope have a choice in how her life plays out, given the greater forces around her? Do you think the rock will be found?

Q. Although Dark Hope is a work of fiction, you seem to understand the young protagonist’s mind very well. Was there a particular teenaged girl in your life or a specific event that inspired you to write the book?

MM: I have always been very attuned to women and girls’ issues and the role of popular culture in shaping our expectations of young women. The initial impetus for this particular story was my own observation that many YA novels targeting teens depicted girls as victims needing rescuing, with significant amount of the action being motivated by a traditional love triangle. Often times in these books, the consequences of the decisions made by the heroine are whisked away to enable a “happily ever after” ending. I wanted to provide a counterpoint to that—a supernaturally infused, action-driven plot that showed a young girl struggling to define her own destiny against the backdrop of something much bigger, facing real consequences for the choices she actually
makes. I wanted it to be something I would be proud to have my own daughter, who is now twelve, read; something that would send her the right message about the role she has to play in shaping her own life path.

Q. Your knowledge of the Bible seems significant. Did that knowledge lead you to the story or did the story in your head lead you to the Bible?

MM: I approach my writing like putting together a puzzle. I generally know how I am going to start and how the story is going to end and the real problem solving is to find a way to get the characters from point A to point B in a way that is consistent with their personalities as well as my message. While from my own upbringing I was familiar with many parts of the Bible, I tried to approach the story with fresh eyes, researching not just the Biblical stories but also angelic folklore from many religious traditions, including Islam and Judaism. So, I didn’t start with the religious references, but they became an integral aspect of pushing the plot forward.

Q. Enoch mentions names and that the names of things and people are important. Did you pick the names of characters and places in the book for a specific reason?

MM: As far as locations go, I started in Atlanta because it is my current home and I thought it would be fun to write about it. Other locations—Las Vegas in this book, and Istanbul, Skellig Michael in Ireland, and Puy-en-Velay in France in the next book—I chose because they were places I wanted to visit, places I had been intrigued by, or places which offered something interesting in terms of a connection to the plot.

Character names were a bit different. Some were random. Some were named after people in my life—for example, Mrs. Bibeau, who bears a surname that comes from my own maternal family line. Hope’s name was chosen specifically for its meaning. Choosing her name was one of the first decisions that I made as I began to write.

Q. What does the title
Dark Hope
have to do with the plot of the book? Why did you choose
Dark Hope
and not just Hope?

MM: It is called
Dark Hope
as a reference to the term “dark horse”—in other words, a little known or inconsequential person or thing that emerges to prominence and achieves unexpected success against great odds. That is what we are talking about as Hope (with Michael’s help) tries to define her own fate, beat the Fallen, and save the world.

Q. How did you become interested in the trafficking of young girls in the United States?

MM: I stumbled across the facts about the modern-day slave trade and the domestic sexual trafficking of minors, in particular, as I began to research Hope’s abduction story. I had originally envisioned her abduction as a random act by the proverbial disturbed pedophile. I was shocked when I learned that there is a whole modern industry of slavery and that it was going on right here, in Atlanta, where I have lived since 1998.

Q. Did your research for the book have any other impact on you?

MM: For me and for many people, I think, once you learn about the scale of the problem, you cannot look away. You feel the need
to act. So I decided to learn more about the problem and to weave it into my plot. I also decided to get more directly involved—I have joined the advisory board of Street Grace; I am part of their speakers’ bureau, working to educate PTAs, business leaders, church congregations, and other community leaders about the issue; and I have pledged a portion of profits from the sale of
Dark Hope
to some organizations working to eradicate this problem in the United States and globally.

Q. Do you think that the degree of human trafficking that is going on has any implications for the future of humankind?

MM: The modern slave trade is bigger, affecting more human beings than was ever the case at the height of the plantation-driven economy. As much as I love my technology, I worry that it enables us to dehumanize others and that the human trafficking problem we have today is in part a reflection of that. The flip side, though, is that technology can help us spread the word and take action. We just need enough people to not look away from the horror, but to step into it to take a stand and do what they can to help. Readers can get ideas and inspiration for how they can help on my website,
www.monicamcgurk.com

Q. Was there any other significance of choosing the particular location of Enoch in the desert other than it was close to the Chinese traffickers in Las Vegas?

MM: I find that particular landscape captivating and eerie. I could easily imagine Enoch hiding in isolation in such a barren place. I wanted to convey the loneliness of the choice he has made—not just to abandon his humanity, but also to reject the pettiness of the angels.

Q. Is it a coincidence that a place where heaven meets earth is also the setting for such bad things?

MM: In choosing to do what he thought was right, Enoch placed himself at odds with the larger angel community. It is hard when your decisions cast you as an outsider, and since part of my message is about choice and consequence, it seemed fitting to emphasize this as part of Enoch’s story.

Q. We know that Hope grew up as a very lonely child. The last line of the book stresses her solitude once again. Even with the love of Michael and the love of her parents, Hope feels alone. Can you explain why?

MM: I think there is nothing lonelier than loving someone but not being sure if you can fully trust them. That is the place Hope finds herself with respect to Michael at the end of the book.

Q. You make the movement of Michael between spiritual and real forms seem so natural. And the ancient Enoch seems like someone you would actually run into out in the desert. Why did you want to make the lines between angels and human so easily blurred?

MM: In Biblical stories of angel visitations, most of the time the human beings encountering angels—in their homes, on a path while traveling—never seem to recognize the angels for what they are, at least not until after the fact. The drama of the Annunciation seems more like the exception than the rule. But—and this is important—this is a choice the angels make. They can appear however they want. Why do they choose to adopt human form? Is it to be more relatable and less scary to the people they encounter? Is it because they secretly admire and even envy the humans?
Is it because they are trying to understand what it is that makes human beings tick, and why God would have embraced and elevated them so thoroughly? It is an interesting question.

Q. What is the overarching meaning that you hope the reader will take away when reading about the Prophecy?

MM: I want the reader to struggle with questions of destiny versus personal choice. Beyond that, I cannot say until readers understand the true meaning of the Prophecy, which will be revealed in the second book!

Q. Which character in
Dark Hope
do you most personally identify with and why?

MM: In some respects, Mona, simply because she is closer to my age and has the same profession I once had. I can understand the guilt she feels, trying to balance a tricky personal life with a rich professional one.

Q. Do you have a favorite character?

MM: My favorites are Tabby and Enoch. They are the most fun to write.

Q. Hope is repeatedly in dangerous situations where it’s not clear she’ll survive. Have you ever been in any dangerous situation from which you weren’t sure you’d be able to escape? How did you escape?

MM: Not really. I have had plenty of accidents and scares, including some health scares that were pretty serious, but those things were in the hands of very capable doctors so it wasn’t really a matter of escape. It was more a matter of trust and faith.

Q. What types of scenes do you find the most difficult to write?

MM: I am always a bit squeamish about love scenes. It was a struggle in my fan fiction and a bit here, too. I also paid careful attention when writing Hope—whether it be during confrontations with Michael or in her own musings—that she walk the fine line of being appropriately scared but not lean all the way into victimhood. I wanted to show a balanced and realistic view of her thought processes, reflecting the complexities of her situation, but to never compromise her strength nor her individual agency.

Q. Which was your favorite chapter or scene to write in
Dark Hope
?

MM: I had two favorite scenes in
Dark Hope
: the first was the interlude with Enoch. I love his character and that scene was important on many, many levels. The second was the moment in Atlanta when Hope realizes who Lucas really is and Lucas reveals the true nature of her Mark, vastly complicating her relationship with Michael. I think my next favorites were when Michael and Hope go to see Chen, after she is disfigured, and Chen’s interrogation. It is fun to play around with the bad guys!