Interview With 2024 Winter Flash Fiction Runner Up Winner, R.H. O'Brien

I'm excited to interview R.H. O'Brien, one of our runner-up winners in our 2024 Winter Flash Fiction contest. Before you read our interview, make sure you check out her story, "The 'London' Cafe." Then, return here to read our conversation.

Here's a bit more about R.H. O'Brien:

R.H. O'Brien fell in love with books at a young age. She enjoys libraries, bookshops, traveling, taking walks with friends and spending all her free time watching her kids in their various activities. She lives in Colorado with her two amazing teenage children, one elderly rescue dog, two snooty cats, five freeloading chickens and the coolest horse on the planet.

-- Interview by Nicole Pyles

WOW: First of all, congratulations on winning runner up! I loved your story! It was so up close and personal about the thought process that happens on a first date. What inspired this idea?

R.H.: Thank you for the compliment!  I think the story started with the idea being a sort of humourous snapshot into the lives of two people in one of the most awkward situations ever: a first date.  I also wanted there to be a bit of a sub-theme around the idea of loneliness.  I think my main character is a very lonely person and so she talks herself into trying to form a connection with a man she isn't especially interested in.  I don't know if that made it onto the page successfully but it was definitely there in the back of my mind as I was writing.

WOW: I can so relate to that moment she experiences. The setting felt so rich to me. Was this inspired by somewhere real? How did you capture those details so well? 

R.H.: There used to be a cute little cafe in Denver that I would go to back when I was in college.  It's since closed but the cafe in my story is loosely based on it.  

WOW: You definitely brought it back to life! What is your approach with writing flash fiction?

R.H.: I love flash fiction because of the challenge of holding to a low word count, especially since I tend to be verbose.  What I usually do is write the story the way I normally would then go back and edit it down, removing all the fluff and hopefully keeping the meat of the piece.  The process really makes you think about how you can communicate everything you want in the most minimal way possible.  It's a really fun challenge for me.  

WOW: It does really make you focus on your words and being careful with which ones you choose. Why did you decide to submit to WOW?

R.H.: I submitted to WOW because the judge was a literary agent and so I felt like, even if I didn't win, I would be getting quality feedback on my writing from someone who had a lot of experience and knew what they were talking about.  As someone who has never been published this was really important to me.

WOW: That is incredibly helpful. If someone is nervous about sending their writing to contests, what would you say to them?

R.H.: That you should totally do it, and also splurge and get the feedback.  I was terrified to send in my story but I'm so glad I did.  Not only was the feedback I received really helpful but the experience has bolstered my confidence and encouraged me to submit more stories.

WOW: That's so cool to hear!  What are you working on now you can tell us about?

R.H.: I have a novel that I've finished the first draft of and am editing.  I'd love to have the initial editing done by the fall but since I'm also working on another novel at the same time (as well as a full time day job and, you know, life) it isn't going very quickly.  

WOW: I can't wait to see it come out! Best of luck to you and congrats again on your story!