Well, time and again, through Nicole’s teaching and my experience practicing different forms, I’ve learned the power of compression. That constraints don’t have to lessen what I want to say, and instead they can enhance my point of view with a type of fertile precision.
Interview with Carole Vasta Folley, 1st Place Winner in the WOW! Q1 2026 Essay Contest
Well, time and again, through Nicole’s teaching and my experience practicing different forms, I’ve learned the power of compression. That constraints don’t have to lessen what I want to say, and instead they can enhance my point of view with a type of fertile precision.
Friday Speak Out!: THIS IS MY LAST BOOK…BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN I’VE STOPPED WRITING
Honestly, no one was more surprised than I was when I published my first book at 74.When I retired from a decades-long career directing non-profits, where I wrote detailed—very detailed—grants asking for funding, and even more detailed reports accounting for how the money was spent, I swore I’d never write anything longer or more complicated than a grocery list.
But then, looking for community, I signed up for a writing workshop at my local senior college, came home from the first class and announced to my husband, “I think I’m writing a novel.”
A few years after that, I was lucky enough to have said novel, So Happy Together, published by She Writes Press, and in the meantime, some of my smaller pieces were finding homes in on-line indie magazines.
I was one and done on the book front, though. In addition to the years spent writing; revising; editing; proofing; engaging both a developmental editor and a copy editor; submitting to agents; and being rejected over and over again, there was the year after acceptance intensely promoting and marketing the book first with a publicist and a social media consultant, and then the next few years selling the book on my own at indie bookstores, book fairs, and even farmers’ markets.
I didn’t need to and never intended to write a second book, let alone a memoir about my age-gap marriage to my first husband.
But then, one day…well, actually three years later, I found myself with 300 pages of a new manuscript in my hands. Some of it had been joyful to write, some of it had been gut-wrenching, but there it was. And I’m so happy that An Old Man’s Darling has found a home with Heliotrope Books. It’s out in the world right now—and I’ve just turned 79.
So, I really AM done writing books. I don’t have the impetus to start another one, nor the stamina to see it through to fruition.
But I still love writing, maybe for publication (waiting six months for an acceptance of an essay is a LOT easier than birthing a book) or maybe not. I’m finding that writing to prompts from my local writers’ group—100 words from the point of view of an animal, anyone?—or reading one of my essays at an open mic, or even just scribbling for myself when something jogs my writer’s brain---like the piece I jotted down on hearing The Beatles’ “When I’m 64” at the age of 78 and know I’ll probably never submit—still brings a sweet kind of pride and satisfaction.
So, I hope I never lose this desire to write--it feels like such a gift as I am poised to enter my 9th decade.
And, who knows, maybe I’ll even turn my grocery lists into haikus.
Deborah K. Shepherd’s first novel, So Happy Together, was published in 2021 when she was 74. Her essays have appeared in Oldster Magazine; Fauxmoir; Motherwell Magazine; Herstry; Eat. Darling, Eat; Persimmon Tree, and more, and her Covid-themed essay was a winner in the Center for Interfaith Relations 2020 Sacred Essay Contest. A retired social worker, she spent much of her career focused on the prevention of domestic violence and sexual assault and the provision of services to survivors. The mother of two and grandmother of two, Deborah lives in Maine with one husband and one sweet, jaunty rescue dog. You can find her at deborahshepherdwrites.com.
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Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!
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The Search for Beta Readers
I periodically share updates here about a suspense novel I wrote a few years ago, inspired by my work podcasting. In early 2024 I hired a developmental editor to help me go over the manuscript. I began sending queries out to literary agents that spring after incorporating her suggestions. After the first few rejections, I had writer friends I trust help me tackle my query letter, and almost immediately I began receiving manuscript requests. I’ve written a few other novels before in the young adult genre and had never received a request, only rejections. I was elated.
Interview with Claire Dalkin: Summer 2025 Flash Fiction Contest Runner Up
Marie Conner, A Leading Lady by Elle Mott: Blog Tour & Giveaway
Elle Mott writes creative nonfiction. This is her third book. She is the author of “Out of Chaos: A Memoir” and “People Helping People.” Her other writing pieces have been featured in literary journals, news magazines, and anthologies. She has a background working in libraries, both at the college level and, for more than ten years, at the public library in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. While library work is her livelihood, writing is her passion. Elle grew up in Oregon and now makes her home in the suburbs of northern Kentucky with two cats and several pet birds.
There's a Lot To Be Said About Knowing Your Niche
Interview with Liz deBeer, Runner Up in the WOW! Summer 2025 Flash Fiction Contest
Liz deBeer, retired from teaching high school language arts and various college classes, currently teaches and writes with Project Write Now, a writing cooperative based in New Jersey. Her flash has appeared in BULL, Fictive Dream, Bending Genres, Switch and others. She has written essays in various journals including Brevity Blog and is a volunteer reader for Flash Fiction Magazine. She holds degrees from University of Pennsylvania and Rutgers University. Follow Liz at www.ldebeerwriter.com and lizardstale.substack.com.
Bright Midnights by L.S. Delorme: Review Wrap Up, Interview Giveaway
Eventually, I went back to school and got a master’s in science, so I pivoted to science writing. Then, because I bore easily, I went to law school and learned legal writing. From there, I did international business and new country entry which required a whole new kind of writing and learning to summarize complex legal and risk concepts down to 5 Power Point bullets for senior executives.
The first five books have been published and you can purchase them on all the major online retailers. I do have some very pretty, foiled, books that are available only on my website. The next three books will be published over the next 3 years and (spoiler alert) they are called, Mirrored Lands, Outliers and Verite. These 3 are already written and in various forms of editing. Mirrored Lands will come out in October of this year and the other two 2027 and 2028 respectively. I am also in the process of writing a book of short stories called Sabbatical, pt 1 that I hope to have out this spring.
Right now, I have 97 different story ideas on my notes page on my phone. They are all at different levels of being fleshed out. One of the reasons that I decided to do a book of short stories was to allow me to pick some stories from that list that I felt would be better as short stories and would be appropriate for a book that sits between Limerence and Mirrored Lands. While these stories are all different, many of them are in this same world, so there will be consistency for the reader. This is also why I have known characters do cameos in each other’s books. As a reader, I get very attached to characters and I miss them when I am done with the book. Adding appearances of known characters into new stories is something I do, because I would want that as a reader.
Going Analog in 2026?
About a week ago, I listened to the radio as I drove home from yoga. “This is the analog year!” said the DJ. “I’m amazed how much better I feel since I’ve decided to go analog. I use an alarm clock instead of grabbing my phone first thing every morning. You can read an actual physical book like my husband. Check out what’s available at the library.”
- To find out more about her writing, visit her site and blog.
Interview with Annalisa McMorrow, Runner-Up in the Summer 2025 Flash Fiction Contest
The daughter of a screenplay and a poem, words have been in her blood since birth. She grew up in the basement art department of a California magazine, and she’s had a favorite typeface since she was six. (It’s not Helvetica.)
A fangirl of flash fiction, she has been published in venues including The New York Times, Women’s Health, and Romantic Times, and once she got paid $1,000 for a paragraph. (It was a good paragraph.) She has written film, book, and restaurant reviews since high school. Her music reviews date back to the halcyon days of vinyl.
She likes to drink coffee black, like her heart.
If you haven't read her story, "Coming Home," take a minute to experience it and then come back to learn about how Annalisa works.
-----interview with Sue Bradford Edwards-----
WOW: What was the inspiration for “Coming Home”?
ANNALISA: I used to work at a second-hand store, and the women who would come in were a lot like the “influencers” in my story. They all wanted to look alike. A specific type of jeans cut in a specific way. A boxy, caramel-colored sweater. An ecru boot. There was a drawing I saw once online that replicated this look precisely, and I started to realize that they were almost clones. Generally, long straight blonde hair. An IG page that featured fallen leaves. Twisted candles. Frost.
One of my friends works at farmer’s markets, and I was struck by the difference between the vendors and the consumers. Which is when Margo showed up.
For reference, I do not look like these influencers. And one of the funniest interactions I had was when I was dressed head-to-toe in polka dots—my husband used to say I made him dizzy—and a customer asked me to match a beige with another beige.
WOW: Details are a vital part of flash fiction. Why did you decide to name Margo but not her lover?
ANNALISA: My writing style tends to be sparse with a few key details tossed in. I once wrote a 1,000 word short piece and reviewers mentioned the lemon-yellow bra held together with a safety pin. I give just enough to paint a scene, but not so much that a reader can’t fill in the blanks. I love to write in small spaces. 50 words. 100 words. Give me a box, and I’ll climb inside.
Why was Margo a Margo? I hate to sound as if I believe I’m a conduit, but I’m a conduit. The characters tell me their names when they want to. She did. He didn’t.
WOW: Your bio says that while you live in a rural area, you are more at home among the streetlights. Yet much of your story takes place at a farmer’s market and a rural cabin. How did your setting shape the story?
ANNALISA: I spent many years in LA, and cities illuminate me. Accidentally, I’ve ended up living for the past nearly 25 years at the end of a road. Somehow the bay leaves and pine needles have crept into my consciousness. But, if I had my druthers, I’d take neon over a mountain sunrise and a fire escape overlooking a gritty city instead of a clear lake or snow-capped mountains.
WOW: Your story has such a gothic twist at the end. Can you explain to our readers who you set this up?
ANNALISA: Many of my stories deal with the veils between the here and the now and some other area (back in time or in another realm). One of my best friends died when I was 26 and he was 37, and I think I am always subconsciously trying to reach him.
I don’t know if my words will help any writers because I am literally obsessed with writing. I start my day writing/end my day writing, pull the car over to jot notes, scribble on my arm with eyeliner, repeat words to memorize the cadence if I don’t have utensils with me.
Writing is right up there for me with Maslow’s needs for survival. I have no fear of a blank page, and I don’t worry if I can’t finish a story. I move between many projects simultaneously. This is also how I crochet. I am making a blanket right now, but blankets take too long. So I will whip up a scarf or two just to have completion. Currently, looking down my screen at my documents, I see that I have nine stories open in various states and four articles in pieces.
WOW: This is the second time that you’ve placed in a WOW! Flash Fiction competition (first was Naysayers and Skeptics). What advice do you have for our readers about entering contests and getting their work out into the world?
ANNALISA: If I had to give advice, I’d say: Write. Edit. Revise. Leave the piece alone. Return. Revise. Read it aloud. Read it to a friend. Then find a place to submit, send it off, and start again. Do not wait for a response before working on something new. If you get rejected, dust off your words and try to home them somewhere else. But always be moving forward.
WOW: This is such powerful final advice - always be moving forwards. It is so easy to trap ourselves by looking back. Thank you so much for sharing your writing and your passion for writing!


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