It's the forgotten women who I wanted to write about - An Interview with Jaime Grookett

Thanks to DNA testing kits and easily accessible records from years past, ancestry and interest in what’s come before has skyrocketed in this internet age. Before family trees could be easily grown online, families relied on passed down photos and stories to fill out the branches.

Jaime Grookett has taken that interest in her grandparents (and great-grandparents) to a whole new level, writing her debut fiction novel, THE INVISIBLE ONES, set in the rural lands of Pennsylvania.

We spoke with Jaime about her family history, about the difficult topics surrounding this period of time, and how her previous writing experiences have helped her publish her very first novel.

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You have acknowledged that despite The Invisible Ones being a work of fiction, your story is inspired by the lives of your grandmother and great-grandparents. We wanted to ask how their impact on you impacted your writing?

I was always interested in family history, particularly the history that was left out of stories. There seemed to be gaps in knowledge of who my grandmother and great-grandmother were. These gaps led me to study how some women could disappear from society. This led me to the history of asylums and eugenics in America and the rush to lock women and disadvantaged people away from society.

American eugenics is the central focus of your novel. What first brought you to this topic and why have you decided to write a book focused in on such a complex social practice?

The history of American eugenics is one largely left out of history books. It’s not a positive part of our history. However, it is an important part of our history, and it was not that long ago that these practices were common. The practice of American eugenics still impacts many people today as their relatives were victims of unfair treatment at the hands of those who were supposed to help them.

You have previously published poetry, personal essays, short stories and have been featured in many literary magazines. How did these experiences help you when writing your debut novel and how do they differ to the experience of writing a historical fiction?

Publishing my work in literary magazines was good practice in writing for an audience. I learned to hone my skills based on the feedback I received from readers and editors. I also learned to take rejection and use that to motivate me to improve my craft.

The time setting for The Invisible Ones is the early 1900s, when Americans faced the difficulties of The Great Depression and women were tormented for very little reason. Have you always had an interest in this period of history or did the inspiration from your grandmother draw you to it?

This story is fictionalized, so does not reflect my grandmother, but it was the mystery of how women are erased from their lives that prodded me to explore this time period. When there were struggles for all the population, it was generally the weaker ones who were more easily removed to make space for those in power to have even more power and money. Those who were struggling were abandoned and seen as unworthy of a chance to thrive. They were forgotten for generations. It’s the forgotten women who I wanted to write about.

You have alluded to us that your future plans for writing include a paranormal suspense novel. Where do you see your writing taking you next?

I’ve been asked to write a sequel to The Invisible Ones, and I haven’t ruled that out yet. However, I’m continuing to work on a thriller that has been the focus of my work over the past year. It again deals with the complexities of mother-daughter relationships and the connection between one’s past and future. I really enjoy exploring those themes in my writing.

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The Invisible Ones is available now in paperback and on Kindle Store.