Don't Let Me Keep You by Kathie Giorgio: Blog Tour & Giveaway

Monday, October 21, 2024
We're excited to announce the blog tour for Don't Let Me Keep You by Kathie Giorgio. If you read this novel, you will be immersed in the push and pull of relationships within a family that feels so familiar. Each family member reveals secrets about themself and, in the process, secrets about other family members. This reading journey to reveal a family's history will have you asking questions about your own family. Join us as we meet author Kathie Giorgio in an interview and enter to win a copy of her latest book Don't Let Me Keep You.

About the Book

"Don’t Let Me Keep You is a lyrical meditation on motherhood seven times over, gestating, unfurling with rhythmic, poignant prose. Over decades we see each of the Halversons through the eyes of the others, bringing into sharp focus how differently each member can experience the same family. The way children protect their mothers, the way mothers remain children themselves, and what a mess we can still make of things despite our best intentions. That we can choose to love each other regardless of who we turn out to be, no matter what."

 –Maggie Ginsberg, author of Still True

Motherhood is a symphony, from the first movement, through crescendo after crescendo, to the finale.

Hildy Halverson, a genius in math and science, is pushed by her parents to step into a male-dominated field and change the world for women. But Hildy, enamored of the scientific force of the human body, and her own body’s ability to create and sustain life, decides to go against contemporary expectations. She marries young and raises a houseful of kids.

Hildy wants her children to choose their own life paths. As each child is born, she tells them, “You can be whatever you want to be, and whatever you want to be will be great.” Despite her efforts to not influence her children, Hildy does so, often in unexpected ways. Each child is introduced in that first private moment between Hildy and her new baby. This is followed by a chapter revealing that child’s life, years later. Woven throughout is an underlying grief over the death of the sixth baby soon after birth. That grief is more pervasive than any of them expect.

In this ambitious novel, the struggles and joys, fatigue and exhilaration of motherhood, are captured in the full panorama of family life. Hildy lovingly raises her children, then lets them go, finding herself along the way.

Publisher: Black Rose Publishing (October 3, 2024)
ISBN-10: 1685134882
ISBN-13: 978-1685134884
AISN: B0D2JK38W9
Print Length: 230 pages

You can purchase a copy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org and Black Rose Writing. Be sure to add Don't Let Me Keep You to your GoodReads reading list.

About the Author, Kathie Giorgio

Kathie Giorgio is the author of a total of fifteen books: eight novels, two story collections, an essay collection, and four poetry collections. She’s been nominated for the Pushcart Prize in fiction and poetry and awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Wisconsin Library Association, the Silver Pen Award for Literary Excellence, the Pencraft Award for Literary Excellence, and the Eric Hoffer Award In Fiction. Her poem “Light” won runner-up in the 2021 Rosebud Magazine Poetry Prize, and her work has also been incorporated into many visual art and musical events. Kathie is the director and founder of AllWriters’ Workplace & Workshop LLC, an international creative writing studio. 

She lives with her husband, mystery writer Michael Giorgio, and their daughter Olivia, in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Three of her adult children, Christopher, Andy, and Olivia, live close by, along with her solo granddaughter, Maya Mae. One adult child has wandered off to Louisiana and lives among the mathematicians and alligators.

You can find her online at:

Twitter/X: @KathieGiorgio
Instagram: @kathiegio1

---Interview by Jodi Webb

WOW: So glad to have some time with you today and so many questions!  Let’s start with the title of your novel: Don’t Let Me Keep You. Is there a story behind the reason you chose this title?

Kathie: A common phrase, at least in the Midwest, is, “Don’t let me keep you,” when ending a conversation or a phone call. “Don’t let me keep you, I’m sure you have lots to do!” But this book is also about letting children go as they become adults. So the “Don’t let me keep you,” ends up with a double-meaning. The end of a conversation, but also, “Don’t let me keep you – as much as I want to, you need to have your own life, away from me.” I think one of the hardest moments in parenting is when kids are adults, and you realize that, while they are still the center of your life, you are no longer the center of theirs.

WOW: It is tough realizing they have this whole life that you know nothing about. After years of knowing everything about them. I noticed that much of your work has a thread of parenting connecting them. What inspires you to write about the journey of parenting?

Kathie: There is no relationship more profound, more convoluted, more confusing, more passionate, than the relationship with a child. Every phase of parenting has left me astonished. And now that I have adult children – they are 40, 38, 37, and 23 – I feel just as clueless as I was when I was raising them. For heaven’s sake, I just drove my 40-year old son to his first colonoscopy! How did that happen? And it’s certainly not one for the baby book.

WOW: Novels, poems, short stories, essays…you’ve done it all. Do you have a favorite type of
writing?

Kathie: Definitely. The short story. I love the novel too, but five of my eight novels include short story chapters. The short story is such a postcard of life. The writer can say so much with just a moment.

WOW: At what moment did you first start writing?

Kathie: I was writing before I knew I was writing. I used to trace the illustrations of my picture books and then rewrite the story the way I thought it should be written. My fifth grade teacher, after hearing me read one of my stories, told me I was a writer – and it just fit. I published for the first time at fifteen years old and kept on going. I became well-known as a short story writer, but the novel was elusive for me until I was fifty years old…and wrote a novel that included short stories.

WOW: What a long career you've had. But you aren't just a writer. You also teach. Can you tell us about a memorable time as a writing teacher?

Kathie: Oh, gosh, I learn from my students all the time. There have been many, many memorable moments – I’ve been teaching for almost 30 years. For me, the best moments are when a student calls or texts or yells at my front door, “I’ve had a _____ accepted!” That burst of confidence and that moment of validity, before the constant self-doubt that all writers feel seeps back in, is just amazing to witness. Seeing self-confidence and self-worth emerge in a student, even if it’s just for a moment, means that I’ve done my job.

Something a student taught me recently – I’m a Wisconsin girl, at least since I was twelve years old. This is the dairy state – there are cows and milk and cheese everywhere. My sister-in-law was raised on a dairy farm. And yet somehow, I never knew that cows have to be pregnant or have just given birth to give milk. I thought there was some magic of nature there, that somehow, cows just gave milk whether or not there was a baby cow in the world. Yet while working with a student who wrote about being an animal rescuer, she wrote a chapter about saving a baby bull, who, like many, was left in the field to die, because it would never give milk. She wrote about how the cows are impregnated, over and over again. I was horrified. I never, ever knew. And I ended up writing a poem called “The Truth About Cows.”

WOW: I think that wins the award for most unusual inspiration. How do you manage to complete so much writing? Your schedule is about one book per year!

Kathie: I guess I am prolific, though I don’t feel prolific. But if you look at my work, you’ll see that the books are peppered with collections – short story collections, a collection of essays, collections of poetry. When I have a year where I’m working on a novel, then I put together collections of things that are already written – short stories that appeared in magazines, essays from my blog, poetry that was already published. So I’m not “writing” the collection. I put it together from already written work, while I’m working on new stuff. But I am dedicated to writing. I am committed to it. I work hard at it. I’m already thinking of the next book before I finish the current one.

WOW: Speaking of thinking about the next book, what will you be working on next?

Kathie: I’m working on a sequel to my novel, If You Tame Me, though I hesitate to call it that, as you don’t need to read If You Tame Me first. This novel will have the same characters, the same relationships, but it will be a standalone. I wanted to take on the subject of the overrule of Roe Vs. Wade, and what it means to women. So that will be in this book, along with several other topics, many of which are surprising me as I write it.

WOW: Isn't it wonderful when your writing takes you down unexpected paths? We can't wait to read this sequel-not sequel.
 
Don't Let Me Keep You by Kathie Giorgio Blog Tour
 
---Blog Tour Calendar

October 21st @ The Muffin
Join us as we celebrate the launch of Kathie Giorgio's novel Don't Let Me Keep You. Read an interview with the author and enter to win a copy of her book.

October 22nd @ Tracey Lampley
Kathie Giorgio reveals how she had 15 books published with traditional publishers in 14 years, including her latest Don't Let Me Keep You.

October 24th @ What Is This Book About
Get a peek inside Don't Let Me Keep You with today's excerpt.

October 25th @ The Frugalista Mom
Rochie will be reviewing Kathie Giorgio's latest novel Don't Let Me Keep You.

October 26th @  A Wonderful World of Books
Author Kathie Giorgio writes about controversial books and the hurdles they face in today's post: "You've Been Banned. Now What?"

October 29th @ Michelle Cornish
Learn what Michelle thinks about Kathie Giorgio's latest novel: Don't Let Me Keep You.

October 30th @ Create Write Now!
Is Writer's Block real? Learn what author Kathie Giorgio has to say today on CreateWriteNow!

October 31st @ The Frugalista Mom
In a complicated world, author Kathie Giorgio shares how she takes on controversial topics in her writing.

November 1st @ Michelle Cornish
Author Kathie Giorgio shares the challenges of writing through illness and crisis.

November 4th @ A Story Book World
What's on your TBR list for November? Learn more about Kathie Giorgio's latest novel Don't Let Me Keep You.

November 5th @ Chapter Break
Kathie Giorgio writes about the precarious balancing act of writing and raising children.

November 6th @ Lisa Haselton’s Reviews and Interviews
Don't miss today's interview with novelist Kathie Giorgio.

November 7th @ Knotty Needle
Still deciding on your November read? Check out today's review of Don't Let Me Keep You by Kathie Giorgio.

November 8th @ Word Magic
Author Kathie Giorgio shares her thoughts on Writing as a Business.

November 12th @ The Faerie Review
The spotlight is on Kathie Giorgio's latest novel, Don't Let Me Keep You.

November 13th @ Words by Webb
Jodi is reviewing Don't Let Me Keep You by Kathie Giorgio.

November 14th @ Some Thoughts - Everything Creativity
In today's guest post, learn if author Kathie Giorgio is Plotter, Pantser or Both? 

November 15th @ Choices
Author Kathie Giorgio writes about Depression: Putting One Foot in Front of the Other.

November 19th @ StoreyBook Reviews
Looking for a good book for the Thanksgiving holiday? Leslie is reviewing Don't Let Me Keep You by Kathie Giorgio.

Don't Let Me Keep You by Kathie Giorgio - review

*****BOOK GIVEAWAY*****

Enter to win a print copy of Don't Let Me Keep You by Kathie Giorgio! Fill out the Rafflecopter form below for a chance to win. The giveaway ends November 3rd at 11:59 pm CT. We will randomly draw a winner the next day via Rafflecopter and follow up via email. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Rejections and Notes

Thursday, October 17, 2024

Not at this time. It doesn't fit our needs. Please submit again. Thank you for thinking of us. We wish you luck...editors have an unending list of ways to hopefully soften the harshness of the no. But they don't really take the sting out of the rejection, do they?


I'm just thankful that we have moved (for the most part) past print communications. The days of opening a envelope, unfolding the crisp letterhead and reading...NO. You got to hold that physical representation of rejection in your hand and, if you wanted to torture yourself, you stuffed it into a file marked "Rejections". A file that taunted you by getting fatter and fatter and occasionally whispered "Read me."


I had one of those files for many years. It all ended with the advent of email and the instantaneous erasure of rejections with the delete button. That and a small but cathartic bonfire.


Erasing reminders of rejection is a great first step but writers need more than that. If you're anything like me you can recount every writing rejection in detail. The ones you knew were longshots. The ones you thought were sure things. The ones that started out as maybes but instead of transforming to an acceptance went the other way. We remember them all.


Stop that!


A few months ago I found another file stuffed in the back of my cabinet labelled "Notes". Fifteen years of letters, handwritten notes, and Letters to the Editor about my writing. Some from readers came directly to my house but many took a circuitous route, going to a publication that forwarded it to my editor who then mailed it out to me. There were also notes from editors and fellow writers.


Thanks for the great story...I had no idea...You really made my day...Believe in yourself.


After perusing through that file full of encouragement I realized that although delete made erasing the rejections easy, it also made erasing the positive boosts easy too. How many encouraging emails from both people in the industry and readers had ended up forgotten?


So I decided to start printing out any positive communications before they disappear into the Trash file. My own personal version of WOW's Success Stories. When I feel a little discouraged I look over the email print-outs taped to the wall in my office and feel invigorated. It's like having my own personal cheerleader.


How do you encourage yourself when rejection has you feeling down?


Jodi M. Webb writes from her home in the Pennsylvania mountains about everything from DIY projects to pretzels to butterflies to treehouses.  She's also a blog tour manager for WOW-Women on Writing. Get to know her @jodiwebbwrites,  Facebook and blogging at Words by Webb.
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Interview With Susan Strauss, Runner-Up in the WOW! Spring 2024 Flash Fiction Contest

Tuesday, October 15, 2024
 

I'm so excited to be interviewing Susan Strauss, who joins us again as a runner-up in the WOW! Spring 2024 Flash Fiction Contest. Before we get to our interview, make sure you read her story Guadalupe and the Roses, and then come on back.

First, here's more about Susan:

Susan Strauss is a Portuguese-American author whose culture influences her identity and her writing. She is an English teacher, a coach, and as the world keeps turning upside-down, she writes like crazy. She belongs to groups that cultivate good writing: The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, The Writers Guild of America, and the best writing group this side of Portugal's Douro River.

Susan writes novels, Dear Senhor Hunny, The Queen of the Frostbite Ball, and The Banned Books Club, short stories, flash fiction, feature articles, editorials, plays, and poetry. She also writes picture books, such as Sincerely Yours, Buster, My Dog Speaks Portuguese, and Vava’s Baking Bread Today.

She lives in California with her family and a dog named Buster.

--- Interview by Nicole Pyles

WOW: First off, I LOVED your story. And as someone who has been known to need contests and coupons to make ends meet myself (and praying the whole way through), I can relate to your character whole-heartedly. What inspired this story?

Susan: Thank you for your lovely words, Nicole. I am so grateful for this opportunity to be interviewed as a writer. WOW.

Though I have been known to collect coupons, my inspiration for the story, Guadalupe and the Roses, to write this particular flash fiction came from my need to write stories that matter as well as my fascination with the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I first learned about Guadalupe while visiting Mexico City. It was her feast day, and crowds of believers processed by my hotel, some on their knees, many carrying images of Guadalupe and baskets of roses draped with white cloth, the color of her veil. The image has a permanent place in my heart and frequently surfaces in my head. 

Since my main character is focused on her very real need to win a “free” chicken for her family, I turned to Guadalupe, the patron saint of the Americas, to move the plot forward.

My character, who speaks Portuguese, wears pajamas while shopping at various downtown Ralphs Markets in the middle of the night in search of a winning coupon for whole chickens. My hope was to make the woman and situation relatable and offer opportunities for readers to connect.

WOW: You certainly did exactly that. I loved your character so much! I have a gut feeling her and I would be friends. What was your revision process like for this short story?

Susan: My primary revision strategy was to read my story out loud to the mirror, my garden, doggy friend, writing friends, husband, and now to you, Nicole, and everyone involved with WOW’s writing contest. I enjoy writing to a specific word count, another top form of revision that I call “Squeeze In, Squeeze Out.” I am grateful that WOW’s flash fiction contest gave me the opportunity to use limited words to tell a good story.

WOW: I love how you read to whoever you can! I love that your culture influences your writing. And you do it so richly! What advice do you have for writers who want to do the same?

Susan: Muita obrigada! When you write with voice as we all hope to do, it is important to allow words to represent your identity and underlying beliefs. Since being Portuguese is a major part of my identity, one that I cultivate, my culture influences all three: identity, voice, and beliefs.

WOW: So true! How does your work as an English teacher and a coach influence your writing?

Susan: My work as an English and ESL teacher and coach influences my writing because I am fortunate to be a writing teacher who writes my teacher-models of the assignments either before class or side-by-side with my students. It can be humbling but rewarding, especially when a student who does not have a filter tells me exactly how they feel about my writing. 

WOW: I can only imagine! You have an incredible amount of publications under your belt! What inspires you each day?

Susan: My most important inspirations are the people and situations that unfold right in front of me as well as my own life experience. Though I’ve written in various formats, I always focus on my intended audience. To think that right now a community of writers are my audience is mind-blowing yet invigorating as I try to do right by all creatives real and imagined. 

Knowing that publishing is the best motivation for revision, when I push myself to submit my writing, I tell my fears to “Wait out in the hall!” and then surrender to the old saying, “Leap and the net will appear.” It’s all part of being dedicated to constant improvement.

WOW: What a great technique! What are you working on now that you can tell us about?

Susan: I am currently polishing my novel, Dear Senhor Hunny, and expanding on a working outline for another, The Banned Books Club. I’m also working on picture books, such as My Dog Speaks Portuguese and Turn Right at the Red Door.

WOW: I can't wait to see these books published! Thank you for your time and I hope our paths cross again.

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Sleeping with Ghosts by Jen Payne: Blog Tour & Giveaway

Monday, October 14, 2024

Sleeping with Ghosts by Jennifer A. Payne
We're excited to announce the blog tour for Sleeping with Ghosts by Jen Payne. If you appreciate poetry, memoir or the thought that we are all living with our ghosts of memory, let us introduce you to the ghosts on this tour. Join us as we meet author Jen Payne in an interview and enter to win a copy of her latest book Sleeping with Ghosts.

About the Book

“Beautifully crafted and luminous, these poems take the reader on an intimate and unforgettable journey of love found and lost, the joys of creativity, and the power of memory.” — Judith Liebmann, Ph.D., Poet Laureate of Branford, CT
 
“Sleeping with Ghosts is not an ordinary ghost tale. Jen's latest collection of writings is a poignant meditation on a life of love confronted.” — Mary O'Connor, author of Say Yes! to Your Creative Self

Known for her meditations and musings about our outside world, Jen Payne takes readers inside this time…into the heart and mind of a poet, where memories wander, hearts break, and ghosts appear in dreams. Those ghosts — her lovers, soulmates, and muses — reveal themselves slowly, one at a time, chapter by chapter, in this wistfully reflective, time-traveling memoir.

Publisher: Three Chairs Publishing
ISBN-13: 979-8990152311
ASIN: B0DDYSK5XM
Print Length: 182 pages

You can purchase a copy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and Etsy. Be sure to add Sleeping with Ghosts to your GoodReads reading list.

About the Author, Jen Payne

Jen Payne is inspired by those life moments that move us most — love and loss, joy and disappointment, milestones and turning points. When she is not exploring our connections with one another, she enjoys contemplating our relationships with nature, creativity, and spirituality. Ultimately, she believes it is the alchemy of those things that helps us find balance in this frenetic, spinning world.

In addition to Sleeping with Ghosts, Jen has published four books: LOOK UP! Musings on the Nature of Mindfulness, Evidence of Flossing: What We Leave Behind, Waiting Out the Storm, and Water Under The Bridge: A Sort-of Love Story. 

Her work has been featured in numerous publications including the international anthology Coffee Poems: Reflections on Life with Coffee, the Guilford Poets Guild 20th Anniversary Anthology, Waking Up to the Earth: Connecticut Poets in a Time of Global Climate Crisis, the 2024 Connecticut Literary Anthology, and The Perch, a publication by the Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health. 

Jen is the owner of Words by Jen, a graphic design and creative services company she started in 1993, based in Connecticut — where she keeps house with a cat named Molly. 

You can find her online at:
 
 
3 Chairs Publishing: https://3chairspublishing.com/

---Interview by Jodi Webb

WOW: Jen, welcome back to WOW! Women on Writing with your fifth book Sleeping with Ghosts. What inspired you to write about past relationships?

Jen: Hi Jodi. Thanks for welcoming me back to WOW! I loved working with all of you for Evidence of Flossing and am happy to be back for Sleeping with Ghosts.

What inspired this new book and its focus on past relationships? Good question. I have always had an acute ability to recall moments in time—I call them “defining moments.” You know, the point in time when something shifts or that you bookmark to remember later? As a writer, those “defining moments” are a pretty fertile source of inspiration for all of my work, most especially when it comes to writing memoir and poetry.

I think it’s called autobiographical memory—like photographic memory, but related to people, conversations, emotions, and interactions. I can easily find and settle down into memories and re- experience them in order to write about them. Sometimes I consciously rummage around to find something interesting, but often, the memories just show up—like ghosts—and ask to be written about.

I’m also a storyteller by nature. I frequently use analogy and story not only to talk about my own experiences, but to say, “I understand yours, too. Let’s talk about it.”

WOW: This book of poetry if so personal. Have you ever found it difficult to write about relationships featured in your poetry?

Jen: Some of these poems were definitely a challenge to write. There’s often sadness or grief knotted up in a memory. So when I untangle it to tell the story, those emotions resurface. But it’s more cathartic than difficult.

Other poems come more easily, welcoming the chance to reconnect with a love story, or remember moments with a dear friend, or find counsel from cherished mentors.

Have you read Brené Brown’s book Rising Strong? It’s one of my most dogeared books. She talks about being brave, showing up, telling our stories. It ends with her “Manifesto of the Brave and Brokenhearted”:

We are the authors of our lives.
We write our own daring endings.

We craft love from heartbreak,
compassion from shame,
grace from disappointment,
courage from failure.

Showing up is our power.
Story is our way home. Truth is our song.
We are the brave and broken hearted.
We are rising strong.

I love that!

I have to tell you…a side story…that the process of revisiting the ghosts in this book was fascinating. I had two amazing editors who read and critiqued every chapter, poem by poem. I spent hours with each of them, reviewing and reconsidering. It gave me the chance to dive deep into those past stories and live with the ghosts again for a while. That was an incredible experience—to be steeped in memory like that—it was visceral. Heartbreaking and beautiful all at once.

The insights and time from these two women were a true gift. The book is enormously more powerful as a result.

WOW: I am in awe of poets because I simply don’t have that lyrical talent. Tell us a little about how a poem is born. Does it come out in a rush of words or do you have to fight to create each line? 

Jen: I know that some poets anguish over poems for weeks and months. To be honest? I don’t have that kind of patience. On the rare occasion when I do anguish, I end up with an over-kneaded poem that’s too tough and lost its original flavor.

I always say the poems “show up,” which is what it really feels like. Something will trigger a memory or offer up the first line…and whoosh…there’s the poem!

Ok, it’s not that quick of a process. I probably spend at least an hour or two on a poem—write, rework, read it out loud a few times, rework some more, repeat. Sometimes I go back later and edit, but not much and not often.

The poem that took the longest to write in Sleeping with Ghosts was probably “Under His Spell.” That took a few days, mostly because it’s a rhyming poem, and I don’t often rhyme. (In general, I resist writing to [poetic] form…though I’ve been challenged recently to give it a try.)

“Dear Jenny,” one of my favorites, took almost no time at all. That one showed up as if I was channeling the ghost himself and just transcribing his words. Like magic!

Poetry always kind of feels like magic to me.

WOW: A magic that is out of reach for so many of us. So tell us, how do you curate a poetry book? Do you select a topic and write poems, do you look at poems you’ve already written and perceive a common thread or is it some combination of the two?

Jen: Would you believe I’ve had the title of this book in my mind for more than 10 years? I even saved the cover art and artist’s name in a file for safekeeping!

The poems span about 20 years of work. The curating of them was fairly straightforward when it came to the ghost chapters—the seven ghosts are seven of those defining moments for me, with plenty of poems written over the years. But there were other poems—like the small pieces of stories you find in the Ephemera chapter, or the ghosts that reappear in Dreamwork—that needed to be included.

My favorite chapter to put together was Muses—these are the women who have shaped and continue to shape my life. It felt important to include them.

Most of the poems were already written, but about a dozen of them are new, written specifically for the book or because of the book. The very last poem I wrote for Ghosts is called “The Poet at Midnight,” which describes, in a sense, what the curating often feels like—a wandering through old memories and the discovery of which ones we hold onto.

WOW: Fascinating! I love the idea that you saved that image, knowing that someday there would be a book to go with it. Let's take a peek at your life beyond poetry.  In addition to a poetry and prose writer, you are also an artist, photographer, graphic designer (let me know if I’ve forgotten anything). Do you have a favorite creative outlet? 

Jen: Writer, artist, photographer, graphic designer, yes. Also blogger and zinester…business owner (Words by Jen) and publisher (Three Chairs Publishing).

I don’t think I see them as individual roles, so much as tools I use for my Creativity. And I don’t have a favorite, really. Sometimes I love poetry—like in April when I write a poem a day for NaPoWriMo (National Poetry Writing Month), and sometimes I’m all about creating the next zine. It’s more like whichever burner is fired up is the one I’m cooking on today—LOL!

I need to create. It’s my raison d'être—who I am and how I move around in this world.

I’m just lucky that I get to participate in the creative process all day long, either for my clients or with my own various ideas and projects.

WOW: What a lovely life to lead. You mentioned being a zinester. Could you tell us a little more about MANIFEST (zine)?

Jen: The zine is like storytelling lite!

I had always dreamed of doing installation art—in my “spare time.” LOL!—like large spaces filled with words and visuals that visitors could walk through and experience. As an alternative, I came up with the idea of doing a zine that could hold the same ideas on a much smaller scale.

I had published another zine back in the early 90s, so I was familiar with the format and the (fabulous) zine community. It just felt like the perfect venue for my essays and poetry, and my other creative pursuits, like collage and photography.

MANIFEST comes out quarterly with a different theme for each issue. It has covered topics like change and transition, solitude, the pandemic, time and time travel—sometimes politics, like gun control and women’s rights. I just mailed issue #15 called Write, about finding inspiration.

WOW: So where are you finding inspiration? What are you working on now? 

Jen: Mostly, right now, I’m working on shepherding Sleeping with Ghosts out into the world. So there’s a lot of publicity work and events to prepare for, including my blog tour with you!

But I also have the next issue of MANIFEST (zine) in process, and I’m trying to decide if I should resurrect an old manuscript or start fresh with a new project of essays and poems. Maybe also a podcast?

I guess we’ll have to wait to find out, right? Folks can follow along on my blog and social media for all of the latest HERE. 

Thank you for your time, Jodi. It’s been great to talk with you!

WOW: And you. I'll let you get back to your being creative and your WOW blog tour with Sleeping with Ghosts.

Sleeping with Ghosts by Jen Payne Blog Tour

---Blog Tour Calendar

October 14th @ The Muffin
Join us as we celebrate the launch of Jen Payne's memoir through verse Sleeping with Ghosts. Read an interview with the author and enter to win a copy of her book.

October 16th @ Create Write Now!
Today Jen Payne writes about the Importance of Retreat.

October 17th @ Words by Webb
Jodi shares her thoughts on Jen Payne's latest book of poetry: Sleeping with Ghosts.

October 19th @ Boys' Mom Reads
Today's spotlight is on poetry and the book Sleeping with Ghosts by Jen Payne.

October 20th @ Chit Chat with Charity
Charity will be reviewing Jen Payne's newest book of poetry: Sleeping with Ghosts and sharing a poem from the book.

October 21st @ Tracey Lampley
Poet Jen Payne shares How One Phone Call in 1996 Led to a Life of Self-Publishing.

October 24th @ The Faerie Review
Ready to dive into something new? Try a book of poetry that captures the ghosts of Jen Payne's past.

October 24th @ Some Thoughts - Everything Creativity
Kaecey will be interviewing Jen Payne about writing and her latest book of poetry Sleeping with Ghosts.

October 26th @ Anthony Avina
Curious about the ghosts in Sleeping with Ghosts? Author Jen Payne writes about them today while Anthony gives his review of her new book.

October 27th @ Chit Chat with Charity
Hear from poet Jen Payne about the Importance of Storytelling. Second chance to win Jen's latest book, Sleeping with Ghosts.

October 27th @ Shoe's Seeds and Stories
Read a review of  Jen Payne's latest book, Sleeping with Ghosts

October 30th @ Beverly Baird
Jen Payne writes about Listening to Your Ghosts and shares one of her poems. Beverly also tells us her thoughts on Jen's new book, Sleeping with Ghosts.

October 31st @ Some Thoughts - Everything Creativity
Kaecey reviews the latest poetry collection by Jen Payne: Sleeping with Ghosts.

November 1st @ Hook of a Book
Stop by for a guest post on How to Read Like a Writer by Jen Payne, author of Sleeping with Ghosts and enjoy one of her poems.

November 2nd @ A Wonderful World of Books
Last giveaway of Jen Payne's Sleeping with Ghosts! Also, learn the story behind the book's amazing artwork.

November 5th @ Choices
Never seem to have enough time to write? Learn a few secrets from poet Jen Payne.

November 8th @ Jill Sheets
Learn more about poet Jen Payne in today's interview.

***** BOOK GIVEAWAY *****

Enter to win a print copy of Sleeping with Ghosts by Jen Payne! Fill out the Rafflecopter form below for a chance to win. The giveaway ends October 27th at 11:59 pm CT. We will randomly draw a winner the next day via Rafflecopter and follow up via email. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Inside the Search for a Literary Agent

Thursday, October 10, 2024

 


Back in May I shared that I was about to begin the querying process for my latest novel. After several rounds of revisions and one professional edit, I moved on to creating my submission package, which included a logline, an author bio, a one page synopsis of the book, a list of comparative titles, and the potential target audience. I created a QueryTracker account, a separate Excel spreadsheet for my own records, and began sending out queries. 


At first, I struggled with the query letter. I spent a lot of time trying to personalize each and every query letter and the result was a rambling version I wasn’t happy with. After the first few agents politely turned me down, I approached my writing accountability group and asked if they would take a look at letter and give me honest feedback. From those suggestions, I had a version I was much happier with and moved on to the next agents on my list. QueryTracker lets you sort agents by book genre. Instead of starting with the agents whose last names began with an "A," I went to the end of the database and have been working my way backwards from "Z."

The process has been slow, but I’ve had surprisingly positive results. Since April, I’ve sent out 25 queries. Twelve agents have not yet responded to my queries. I’ve had eight rejections, and most of them have been a standard form letter. One agent passed but said I was welcome to query other agents at her agency. One personally thanked me and said she had a small client list and wasn’t able to take on any new clients, but she liked my concept and sample and had a feeling another agent was going to request the manuscript. She was right—when I received her message, I had already received two full manuscript requests from other agents. That’s something that’s never happened to me before in the querying process. 

QueryTracker keeps track of all queries you send out through QueryManager, but not the ones you submit by e-mail, which is why I’m keeping a separate spreadsheet for my records. I also noticed Query Tracker marks submissions as “stale” after ninety days, so as of right now, I have three I sent this past spring that are marked out in the system. That doesn’t mean those agents won’t eventually reach out, just that QueryTracker considers them stagnant. 

So now I wait. One agent has had my manuscript since mid-July and the other requested it in the middle of last month. The first agent did tell me to give her a nudge if another agent offered me representation, but that was before she read the book. I’m keeping my fingers crossed and trying not to be impatient. Fortunately, I have freelance work and podcast production to keep me busy. Right now, I’m trying to use the method of sending a new query out immediately after receiving a rejection. In the meantime, I keep telling myself I’m going to outline my next book idea, but it hasn’t happened yet. Wish me luck! 

Renee Roberson is an award-winning writer and host/creator of the true crime podcast, Missing in the Carolinas.
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Interview with Deidre Bennett, Runner Up in the WOW! Spring 2024 Flash Fiction Contest

Tuesday, October 08, 2024


Deidre lives and works in West Virginia where she raises a feral preteen daughter. She has a passion for mental health awareness, Appalachia, and helping her friends and community however she can. She writes fiction for fun in her spare time and shares personal essays on her blog. 

If you haven't read "Broken Chains and Spilt Milk" yet, click here and then come back to see what Deidre has to say about her writing process. 


WOW:  What was the inspiration for this powerful piece of writing? 

Deidre: I wrote the original draft of this story over ten years ago as part of an assignment for a creative writing course. I've made small changes to it over the years, but I shortened it significantly for this contest. The idea is loosely based on things my mom used to tell me about her childhood as the oldest of three sisters, but the events of this story are completely fictional. 

WOW: At the beginning of your story, you reveal the setting to your readers. How do you make the Appalachian Mountains real for people who haven’t experienced the area personally? 

Deidre: It was less about making the story real for the readers and more about sharing Appalachia as I know it. I've had to shovel snow in March (and sometimes later in the year). The truck was based on one my grandfather drove when I was young. The meal Joey prepared is a favorite that I've made myself countless times. The dialogue is based on conversations I've had or overheard. It becomes real for the readers because it is my reality. 

WOW:  What a strong lesson in borrowing from the world around you.  You have so much detail packed into this brief story. How do you decide which details to use and how to get the most impact out of them? 

Deidre: I wish I had an inspired answer. My writing method is a lot like the popular saying about sculpting an elephant: "You just chip away everything that doesn't look like an elephant." Obviously, it's not that simple, but it's hard to explain. 

I tend to "brain dump" and go back after a day or two (or a year or two) and remove pieces that don't fit. This editing process involved finding ways to manipulate language to meet the word count limit without sacrificing the message. I removed inner monologue and trusted that Joey's actions and words would convey her feelings. I tried to picture what Joey would experience through her five senses and wrote it down. 

I'm grateful I found this contest because it made me strengthen a story I've been attached to for years. 

WOW:  On your website, you discuss the fact that you had another site where you wrote as Nadine Frederick. You left it behind to communicate with your readers as yourself on your new site. Can you tell us a bit about that experience and why you decided to do this? How are you now more yourself? 

Deidre:  I initially started a blog to work through personal realizations and share things I was learning to hopefully benefit others. I used a pseudonym because I wasn't ready to share this journey with most people in my personal life. As I made connections and built community through the blog, that fear of being vulnerable in real life started to subside, and I was excited to show off my work. I took a hiatus from writing for a while to deal with life and came back less apologetic and self-conscious. I used to feel that oversharing was my personality flaw, but once I embraced it in writing and life, I made connections and friendships that I wouldn't trade for anything. 

WOW:  What a journey!  It also explains why your writing feels so personal.  It is.  What else are you working on in addition to flash? Where can our readers find your work?  

Deidre: I have been working on a novel in bits and pieces over the last several years, but it's not close to ready for the public eye. I stopped trying to force myself into a particular niche or genre, and I occasionally write articles or essays based on whatever the brain bees decide to buzz about and publish them on my website at www.writelikeme.co. 

WOW:  Thank you for taking the time to share your brain bees and your personal writing journey with us, Deidre.  I know that I hope to see more of your writing in the future!  

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Building Back My Broken Writing Routine

Thursday, October 03, 2024
 

Over the weekend, I started reading Chuck Wendig's Gentle Writing Advice. I don't see books on writing as a cure-all, so to speak, but this one was exactly what I needed to read.

I was reading a section in a chapter called "Self-Care for Writers," and I had a lightbulb moment. Wendig was talking about the importance of self-care. Allowing yourself to take breaks, rewarding yourself for your efforts, and more. However, one particular note spoke to me. He said that if you take off a day or two, it can become a week or two of taking time off from writing, then soon you'll find that "you've self-cared your way into not writing at all, ever." 

Oops.

It turns out that, in the midst of feeling too busy and too overwhelmed for creative writing, I had accidentally "self-cared my way into not writing at all," as Wendig puts it.

When I recognized that, I knew I had to do something about it. Reflecting on my schedule, I asked myself when was a realistic time of day that I would consistently write? 

I decided upon my lunch break.

This week, I've written during my lunch break for at least a half hour. Well, more specifically, I'm working on revising a story. (I ran into another issue lately when I thought, gosh I'm never revising my stories, so why write anything new?) So, knowing that thought crossed my mind, I knew my writing routine would have to include revisions for the time being. 

Building back a broken writing routine isn't easy. It's strengthening a discipline that had weakened and it's motivating yourself in a way that feels like starting at square one. However, if you have found yourself drifting further and further away from your writing goals, it's never too late to start again. I encourage you to identify a spot in your day that has the most possibilities for you to write regularly. 

If I can do it, you can do it.

Nicole Pyles is a writer living in Portland, Oregon. She frequently shares her reflections on her writing blog, World of My Imagination. She's also mastering the art of saying no to projects and assignments when she already has too much on her plate.


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Interview with 2024 Q3 Creative Nonfiction Essay Runner Up, Emily Gates Prucha

Sunday, September 29, 2024

Emily Gates Prucha teaches English and writes about education, active travel, and multicultural family life in the Czech Republic—the land of beer, castles, and Krtek (The Little Mole). Her “Half 'n Half” column ran for more than a decade at The Prague Daily Monitor. Her personal essays have been published on Motherwell, Entropy, The Keepthings, and other international outlets. When she's not teaching or drafting a story, she loves baking chocolate chip cookies and mountain biking with her Czech husband and three teens. Find her online at www.halfnhalf-life.com or @halfnhalfprague on Instagram.

Check out her winning essay "Finding Room to Breathe" here and then return to learn more about her.

---Interview by Jodi M. Webb


WOW: Congratulations on receiving two awards: runner-up award for “Finding Room to Breathe” and an honorable mention for “What birthing a dead calf taught me about life”. Can you explain how two entries so different came from the same writer?

Emily: Most of my Creative Nonfiction writing has been in the form of vignettes about my Czech American family and my experience as an American raising multilingual children in a village outside Prague, Czech Republic, my husband's native country and my adopted homeland. Both of the pieces I submitted to the WOW contest were drafted in the same online flash fiction course during Covid. While I am more comfortable writing vignettes in the vein of "What birthing a dead calf taught me about life," during Covid I found myself with more personal, reflective time, and I tried to stretch my creative writing beyond my comfort zones. I am currently in my mid-forties living in a house full of older teens, and there is no better time to be honest with myself on the page. 

WOW:  So tell us how these pieces made it from online course assignments to the WOW Creative Nonfiction Essay contest?

Emily: I entered the WOW Creative Nonfiction Essay contest because I wanted to see if a story I had written about a significant life moment with my father could resonate with a larger audience. I had worked hard on the story, "What birthing a dead calf taught me about life," and incorporated feedback from my writing group, so I thought it was time to be bold and submit. When I realized the contest permitted multiple entries, I entered "Finding Room to Breathe," on a whim at the last minute.

WOW: Just goes to show that we should follow our whims more often! You have been writing since your children were babies and they are now teenagers (eek!). How have you seen your writing evolve over the years?

Emily: When my children were younger, I wrote a weekly online column called "Half 'n Half" that related our family's (mis)adventures adapting to life in the Czech Republic from my perspective as an American married to a Czech. I mainly wrote about how I experienced life in the Czech Republic by observing my children as I raised them in Czech culture - what was similar to my own upbringing / what was different. 

Now that my children are older teens, I feel more compelled to write about my own inner life and the changes I have experienced after living so long outside my birth country. Hot themes for me at the moment are identity and belonging - as a mother, as a woman, as a wife, as an American in the Czech Republic, as a new Czech citizen (after 20 years I finally applied for an earned dual citizenship), as a human in our ever-changing global world. 

WOW: In “Finding Room to Breathe” you describe how your family supports you as you struggle with personal challenges. How do they support you professionally? 

Emily: Well, right now, I am visiting my parents in the US. Tonight, we are hosting a grilling party, and while my children and husband are prepping for my brother's family to arrive, I'm holed up in my mom's office. No one has bothered me. No one has come to ask where the silverware is or which placemats to use. They appreciate that I have a limited time to use for my writing, and my daughter literally pushed me into the study after I lamented that I really needed to respond to your interview questions before our early morning road trip departure tomorrow morning. 

For many years, I kept my writing very private - it was a hobby that I didn't allow to interfere with my duties as a mother, teacher, or wife. I wrote during nap time or late at night. Now, I am bringing my writing more into focus. And my family has responded positively.

I am also fortunate to have two writer friends in Prague who have read my work for years. Without them, I would not have had the courage to submit to contests or literary magazines. I am still working on developing my literary citizenship, but I have also had wonderful (albeit shorter term) connections with editors, writing coaches, and writers from online courses. And yes, family/friend support definitely makes us better writers!

WOW: I love the idea of each of us developing a literary citizenship. So tell us, in between grilling, family visits and making literary connections, what are you working on now?

Emily: I am currently working on a memoir about finding a home without a zip code . Visiting the US and listening to family stories is the best form of research. :) 

WOW: I agree! And I imagine it's delicious too. Enjoy your grilling party and we're looking forward to reading more of your work.
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Banned Book Week 2024: Freed Between the Lines

Thursday, September 26, 2024

 

September 22 to September 28 is Banned Book Week. Despite my own recent experiences with the challenge against my own book, there is some good news. 


In the last week, Publisher’s Weekly reported that between January 1 and August 31, 2024, the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 414 challenges. Because so many challenges involve many books, the total number of challenged titles was 1,128. How is this good? 


For the same period in 2023 the numbers were 695 cases and 1,915 titles. These numbers look pretty good when you realize that the 2023 total (1,247 cases and 4,240 titles) represented a 65% increase over the 2022 numbers. Trending down is huge! 


But why are the numbers dropping? PW listed a number of factors, and I went in search of information. The magazine's number one reason was the fact that successful lawsuits have overturned bans. For example, earlier this month, Nassau County Florida schools returned 36 books to their libraries. Parents, students, and authors brought the federal suit against the district because there had been no public review – a part of the district’s stated review policy. As part of the suit, school officials admitted that one of the books, “And Tango Makes Three,” a picture book about a penguin family at New York’s Central Park Zoo, contains no obscene material and is suitable for students. Obscenity is one of the buzz words used in many book challenges. 


Another reason for the drop is that teachers and librarians are fighting the bans. This means educating themselves not only on book selection but on how to explain book selection to non-librarians. They are also educating themselves on students’ rights. This includes the US Supreme Court’s Pico Case. This ruling calls school libraries a space for ‘voluntary inquiry’ in which students have a right to read. Materials cannot be prohibited based on viewpoint or doctrine. 


Another factor mentioned by PW is the work of advocacy groups which is an excellent segue into the news, or lack thereof, in my own challenge. For those of you who don’t remember, my book Black Lives Matter with Duchess Harris, is part of a 30-book challenge in Lehighton, Pennsylvania. So what about my challenge? As is the case with so many things that have to do with books and publishing, it is all moving very slowly. The only news that I’ve had since the initial challenge is an email from Gianmarco Antosca with the National Coalition Against Censorship to tell me that they are reaching out to those who are against the challenge to offer support and guidance. It is wonderful to know that someone big is paying attention. 


It feels like you are alone when your book is challenged. But you aren’t. And as bad as the numbers still look, things are getting better. 


--SueBE

Sue Bradford Edwards' is the author of over 55 books for young readers.  
  • To find out more about her writing, visit her site and blog, One Writer's Journey.  
  • Click here to find her newsletter.

She is also the instructor for 3 WOW classes which begin again on October 7, 2024. She teaches:
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Interview With Claudine Wolk, Co-Instructor for Sit & Write: Begin

Wednesday, September 25, 2024
 
Sit & Write: Begin video course by Claudine Wolk and Kate Brenton

If you are looking for a course to get you back into the groove of writing, look no further than Claudine Wolk and Kate Brenton's Sit & Write: Begin. In this six-module online course, you'll receive much-needed inspiration and guidance on building confidence and sparking creativity and other resources for your author journey. Best of all, it's at an affordable price of only $97. Make sure you check it out then come on back for our interview with Claudine Wolk, one of the co-instructors you'll find in the course.

-- Interview by Nicole Pyles

WOW: Congratulations on the launch of your Sit & Write: Begin course. Tell me about the instructors! Share more about your and Kate's background.

Claudine: I am an author, book marketer, podcaster, and essayist who loves to share book marketing and publishing strategy with authors. My philosophy is to make book promotion as simple to understand as possible so that authors are actually excited to do it and make it work for them to sell their books.  Find me at ClaudineWolk.com.

Kate is an author, teacher and speaker who empowers others to bring their brilliance into the world and onto the page. She believes in the transformative alchemy of writing and helps others see the value (and narrative arc) of their stories. Find Kate at KateBrenton.com.

WOW: You both have such a unique background that you bring to your students. What led you to create this class?

Claudine: Thanks so much.  Kate and I were invited to bring our approach to local & live presentations, which we called “Writers Helping Writers.”  The responses were immediate. The information was so helpful and motivational to our attendees that we were compelled to reach as many authors as we possibly could to share the secrets we had learned. We took our longer, three month deep-dive course (Sit & Write) and pulled out the top level, get-you-going gems to make a video, mini-cohort that participants could take and digest in their own time and at their own pace. Viola, Sit & Write: Begin! 

WOW: How awesome! I love how it evolved. What can people expect from taking this class?

Claudine: The class combines writing and book marketing instruction so that every author will come away with a clear vision for their book, combined with crucial, fundamental knowledge of book marketing. This is the game-changer for when authors are ready to write and publish their book. After taking the course, writers are excellently positioned to complete, publish and sell their books.  We take the “scary” out of writing and book marketing. 

WOW: I'm so glad you do that. There's so much to learn about the book writing and publishing process. Who is this class right for?

Claudine: Anyone who is ready to embark on the journey of writing a book and becoming a published author. 

WOW: Sounds like our readers! What will people leave with after taking this course?

Claudine: A clear vision and plan for their book and the breath of what is possible to market and sell it.  

WOW: I love that. At what stage in someone's writing life (or career, if you will) should they be to take this course?

Claudine: This course is designed for the aspiring, beginner author; however; it is also valuable for authors who would like to come at the experience of writing a book from a refreshingly new perspective.  Established authors who desire to embrace a new book marketing strategy to sell their books will profit enormously from this course.

WOW: I love what you have given back to the writing world. 

Readers, make sure you check out the Sit & Write: Begin course, which will cost you only $97. A must-have as part of your writing journey.
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Interview with Jennifer Thomas, 2nd Place Winner in the WOW! Spring 2024 Flash Fiction Contest

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

 


Jennifer Thomas grew up in the wilds of Miami, Florida. She loved to watch the pelicans soar, so ugly they were beautiful. Seeing them die off from the effects of DDT in the 1970s made her a lifelong environmentalist. As a teenager she read vast amounts of science fiction, especially early feminist sci fi, which inspired her to imagine how the world could be different. For the past 40-ish years she has lived on the North Shore of Massachusetts, making a living as a machinist, science writer, and teacher (though not all at once). Recently she began writing flash fiction, delighting in how the Muse cavorts inside word count constraints. To Jennifer’s surprise, her stories have been accepted by several publications, including Flash Fiction Magazine, 365tomorrows, and now Women on Writing. You can find some of her work at www.jenniferthomas.net. 






 ----------Interview by Renee Roberson 


WOW: Welcome, Jennifer, and congratulations! What was the inspiration behind writing this particular story, "Who Will Kill the Spiders?" 

Jennifer: One Sunday I went to a bridal shower, where I gave the bride-to-be a cast iron pan. I went home to where my own cast iron pan—originally my late husband’s—was languishing on the stove. The story came to me as I pondered my motivation for giving the bride the pan, and for neglecting my own. I workshopped the story in a critique group, where many of the participants, it turned out, also had some kind of attachment to a cast iron pan. With their help my story improved, but I still felt it was a bit schmaltzy and flat. Out of the blue came the idea of weaving in the “guessing game” as a narrative thread, and I also changed the ending to be a bit more ambiguous. I was happier with the story and sent it off to WOW! 

WOW: I have to say I love that last line! Judge Emily Williamson noted how impressed she was that the top three stories in this contest used something familiar and concrete to "build a world both past and present, and to dive into the things unseen." Can you think of any other concrete items (like the cast iron pan) in your own personal life that would make a great anchor for another story? 

Jennifer: Hmmm, I’m looking through my running list of story ideas and not one revolves around a concrete, familiar object. So I’m taking a mental inventory of familiar objects in my house—there are none I’d regret seeing vanish before my eyes. Well, there’s one exception: a collection of a few thousand family photographs ensconced in plastic cases in a closet upstairs. You know, the photos you got when you took the film canister to Walgreens and drove back a few days later to pick up the envelope of prints and negatives. As you perused those photos, remembrance flowed from your hands to your gut—that goofy kindergarten graduation, the annual Thanksgiving debauchery, those corsaged almost-grown kids endearing their way to the prom. You could winnow the photos, digitize them, store them in a folder in the cloud—to join the (literally) 14 trillion other digital photos in existence in 2024. But should you? I think there’s a story there. Also upstairs, in a drawer, are five or six pairs of pantyhose. I am 100 percent sure I will never put on pantyhose again. I think there’s a story there too. 

WOW: I think you may be right, both about the photo prints and the pantyhose! Your bio says you have always enjoyed reading science fiction and this influence shows up in much of your published work. How have your recent stories been inspired by modern-day events taking place in our world? 

Jennifer: I still remember the thrill I had as a teenager getting monthly selections in the mail from the Science Fiction Book Club. What attracted me to those books was not rocket ships and outer space; it was how the authors reimagined the human condition. In Ursula LeGuin’s 1969 "The Left Hand of Darkness," for instance, inhabitants of the planet Gethen are “ambisexual”—moving between male and female—with far-reaching effects on their society. Quite the thought experiment, at the time! A lot of today’s speculative and science fiction pulls in a dystopian direction, understandably given our wobbly democracy, the creep of anti-human technology, and the spiraling climate crisis. Some of my published stories depict not-too-farfetched struggles in a not-too-distant future, extrapolating from what’s happening under off-the-hook capitalism. But I’ve also tried to write stories with optimistic, if not happy, endings, however improbable. 

WOW: You've also worked as a science writer. What are some of the topics that you've covered in this occupation? 

Jennifer: The topics have run the gamut, from worker safety to drinking water quality to marine pollution to climate change. It’s been gratifying to contribute to the (albeit Sisyphean) task of addressing these issues. Through this profession I learned to value clarity of message and economy of words, and to put myself in the reader’s shoes. I also had to make sure that every sentence I wrote was factual. Now, writing fiction, I get to make stuff up! My typical process is to think of a situation, put a character in it, and see what happens. 

WOW: Yes, writing fiction can be so liberating! Do you have any advice for writers who are just beginning to explore the craft of writing flash fiction? 

Jennifer: As a beginning fiction writer myself, I’ll offer a few things that helped me get started. First, get feedback on your work. I joined an online author’s group where folks are remarkably generous and supportive. When you get feedback, send away the gremlin of defensiveness; look for the kernel of truth and revise. I’ve never received feedback that didn’t make a story better. Second, take the leap and send your work to publications you like. What do you have to lose? Rejections mean nothing at all about you or your talents, and you might get valuable feedback. Also, use a service to keep track of your submissions; that will save you headaches down the road. Third, find ways to keep it all in perspective. I have a semi-regular meditation practice that helps me when I’m stuck. It’s amazing what shows up when I turn off the thought stream—a new story element (that guessing game!), an unexpected plot twist, greater equanimity about my writing and about life. It doesn’t have to be meditation—whatever gets you out of your head can open space for what you need.

WOW: All practical and helpful pieces of advice! Thanks again for sharing your thoughts with us on the craft of writing today, Jennifer.
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