Jennifer’s Bio:
Jennifer’s interests are many and varied. She especially likes geology and history, and has been studying the American Civil War for over thirty years.
Her psychological Western horror short story, “The Killer,” was published in House of Long Shadows magazine in March of 2025. She has been named a finalist in several Globe Soup competitions, and was awarded second prize in the Parsec 2025 short story contest with “Blood and Stone,” a historical fiction/fantasy tale.
Jennifer lives in northern Vermont not far from beautiful Lake Champlain.
If you haven't read her story, "Scars," take a few moments to do so and then come back here for her perspective on writing flash.
-----interview by Sue Bradford Edwards-----
WOW: What was your inspiration for "Scars?"
Jennifer: My writing is often historical fiction fantasy, or a combination of the two. I’m a big history buff and have toured many battlefields, especially from the US Civil War. I find myself drawn to the ordinary people thrown into extraordinary circumstances – the minor characters, if you will. The ones who don’t usually get a speaking role.
In the Franklin, Tennessee battlefield, a brick house was in the center of what became one of the most horrific battles of the war. On those grounds I heard a story of a Union soldier caught between the lines while the battle raged. In desperation, he smashed out a panel of the door and crawled through. He spent the rest of the battle in the cellar with some civilians who were also taking shelter. In the account I heard, he left his rifle… and eventually returned for it. From there I let my imagination run. What was the battle like for the soldier? For the civilians who were trapped in the cellar with one of the enemy? Why did he go back for the rifle, and why had they kept it all that time?
WOW: You did a great job in spinning this from so little actual information. In flash fiction, so much is left unsaid. How did you decide what details to include, and which details were unnecessary?
Jennifer: I wrote the first version of this story about six years ago. It was one of the earliest pieces I wrote when I returned to fiction writing after many years. That first version, which I titled “Enemy at the Door,” was based off the same Civil War incident as “Scars,” but was quite different than this one; it took place in the cellar during the battle, and there were several other people in it. I entered the story in WOW and also purchased the feedback option. It didn’t score well and the feedback stung a bit.
I let it sit for a while, and when I went back to the story and the feedback I realized I was trying to tell too much story in too short of a space. In fact, I wasn’t even telling the right story! The story I was most interested in was the one that took place later, when the soldier returned.
With that in mind, I wrote the first version of “Scars.” And then another, and another. I sent it into WOW and scored better, but the story was still lacking something. Again, the feedback was very helpful to see what was coming through and what was falling short. I let it sit for a while.
WOW: Your bio says that you also write short stories in addition to flash. How do you determine whether a story should be flash or a short story?
Jennifer: This spring I decided to play a game I call, “What Is Wrong with This Thing?” “Scars” was one of the stories I worked on. I wrote it again, this time without any regard for word limits. It was about 1,200 words. Then I trimmed it back to 750, and that’s the version I sent in. Those last 30 words were a trial!
Is it the story I wanted to tell? It’s close. I don’t know which is better, the flash fiction version or the short story version. I think ‘Scars” works as either. Some stories, though, have to be longer, or you end up with just the shadow of the story rather than the thing itself.
WOW: Do you have a writing routine? How and when do you write?
Jennifer: As for a writing routine, I don’t really have one at this time. I’ve got several projects somewhere in the middle; some need revising, some need writing. I do think about my stories a great deal, even when I can’t write down what I’m working on. I might be in a grocery store or on my way to an appointment, and suddenly it comes to me, “Oh, of course! That’s why he has the tattoo!” People look at you funny if you say those things aloud in public.
And the real brick house that inspired the story? It’s still there. So is the copper repair in the door. But the rifle is long gone.
WOW: It is obvious that a lot of careful consideration went into tis story. What are you working on now?
Jennifer: One of the many projects I'm working on is a genre-defying series of short stories about a Civil War soldier who has, shall we say, unusual experiences. It's part historical fiction, part fantasy, with a dash of horror to spice things up.
WOW: Historic horror is one of my favorites! Thank you so much for taking time to share how you work with our readers. I know I won't be the only one looking for more of your work.
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