Please give a warm
welcome to Kimberly Malanczuk! Kimberly is a runner-up in WOW’s Winter 2014Flash Fiction contest. She entered with a fun little story inspired by the area
in which she grew up, complete with a Gothic church, a graveyard, and a
mischievous little girl. Please enjoy reading The Churchyard, and come back to
learn more about Kimberly.
Kimberly’s Bio:
At four-years-old, I knew I wanted to
write stories and books. I loved reading. Little Golden Books, The Wonderful
Worlds of Walt Disney, Uncle Wiggily, and The Complete Fairy Tales of the
Brothers Grimm filled my bedroom. Madeleine L’Engle, Edgar Allen Poe, Charles
Dickens, and John Knowles further molded my fascination with story.My career path led me to journalism and high-tech public relations in Silicon Valley, where I worked as a reporter and Editor-In-Chief of a weekly newspaper and later developed communications strategy for high-tech companies. I am finally shifting gears and returning to my first love—creative writing—where I endeavor to write middle-grade fictional fantasy and spiritual non-fiction. At the moment, short form fiction with a supernatural twist enchants me.
When not writing, I am either playing on the Capitola Beach with my husband or directing the public relations efforts of South Bay Writers, the Silicon Valley Branch of the 100-year-old California Writers Club.
WOW: Hi Kimberly,
congratulations on being one of our wonderful runners-up in the WOW Winter 2014
Flash Fiction Contest! I’ve read The
Churchyard several times and enjoyed the supernatural twist. What was your
inspiration?
Kimberly: Two colonial-era churches located in Dumont
and Bergenfield, New Jersey. I chose the name and street
corner of one and the visual location of the other. South Presbyterian Church
looks quite ominous, especially in autumn at dusk. When I was a youngster, my
parents would drive past the church on the way to my grandmother’s house. I
would look through the car window at the weathered stone building and the skinny,
tilted old slabs and imagine the unseen ghosts who wandered there at night. We
were only 45 minutes from Sleepy Hollow, so I grew up fascinated by the haunted
legends of the area. It had been years since I’d been back East and I recently
made the trip. When I saw the church and Cooper’s Pond, I knew I had to use
both as a short story backdrop.
WOW: I can see how
being surrounded by all that history, and the stories, would lend to being a
writer! What is it about short form fiction that excites you?
Kimberly: I enjoy writing a short, tight story arc.
Short fiction allows me to quickly switch gears and pursue different story
genres—a remnant of my journalism experience.
WOW: After a career in corporate America, what stumbling blocks have
you faced switching to the life of a fiction writer?
Kimberly: Isolation. I talk a lot to my fish. He and I
are quite close now, except that he tends to be a bit of a critic.
WOW: Well, I’m afraid
they aren’t known for their warm personalities (smile). I’m sure he’s just trying to
encourage you to put you best fin, er…foot, forward.
What are your
thoughts on today’s children stories compared to those you grew up loving?
Kimberly: Writing styles have changed significantly
over the generations. For example, Diary of a Wimpy Kid versus Uncle Wiggily, a
story series first published in the Newark News in 1910. Today’s stories are
more abrupt and to the point. The older stories are a bit more verbose in
language and explanation. But a good story is still a good story. A majority of
my childhood books remains on my bookshelf and I periodically take one down,
dust it off, and give it a read. I think those will always be my favorites—they
had such a profound impact on me when the garden of my mind was first being
seeded.
WOW: We’d love to
hear more about your writing; do you have a work in progress you would like to share?
Kimberly: I’m working on a middle-grade fantasy novel
that is as exciting as it is daunting. Too many fun storylines to pursue.
Narrowing the choices is difficult.
WOW: I hope you’ll
share it with us once you’re finished; I’d love to read it! Thank you so much
for visiting with us today and best wishes on your novel.
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