---interview by Marcia Peterson
WOW: Congratulations on winning first place in our Summer 2025 Flash Fiction competition! What inspired you to write your story, “Tascadora, Texas, 1935?”
Myna: My grandparents told so many amazing and terrifying stories about growing up during the Dust Bowl years. I’ve always been fascinated by the “rainmakers” who blew into town, promising miracles. Tascadora is a fictional town, but the scenario in my story is based on a rainmaker’s visit to a small town in the Texas panhandle at the height of the drought in 1935.
WOW: You’ve written a lot of creative non-fiction, including contest entries for WOW, as well. What inspires you to write fiction and what draws you to CNF?
Myna: My fiction writing is often based on things I find wondrous. My CNF is usually inspired by anger or sorrow.
WOW: Tell us about the Electric Sheep speculative reading series. What do you like about speculative fiction?
Myna: Electric Sheep is a small, casual group of speculative fiction fans. We meet most weeks to discuss short spec stories. We invite our featured readers to join us for a Q&A. Our goal is to have fun and celebrate short fiction writers and the magazines that publish them. Our reading series is open to the public, showcasing some of the writers we’ve featured over the previous year.
I’ve been a speculative fiction fan ever since I can remember. I have a special love of hard science fiction, including cyberpunk, biopunk, and classic space opera—but I also love all kinds of fantasy and horror. Being able to geek out with the Electric Sheep group is a treat for me!
WOW: Since we’re in December now, do you do any end of the year reflections about your writing achievements? What New Year’s resolutions or planning do you do?
Myna: Great timing with this question! I’ve been evaluating my 2025 goals and, as usual, I see that I’ve spent too much time on ancillary projects and not enough time actually writing. For 2026, I hope to do fewer book reviews and author interviews on my MicroVerse Recommended Reading blog. I love connecting with other authors through the blog, but it really takes a lot of time. I will continue doing my monthly flash fiction roundup, though—I enjoy that too much to stop!
WOW: Thanks so much for chatting with us today, Myna. Before you go, what encouragement or advice can you give to writers about entering writing contests?
Myna: I think contests are so much fun! I appreciate the absolute deadline, and I love the anticipation that builds as the winners’ announcement date approaches. I encourage anyone considering a contest to research it thoroughly before paying an entry fee. Not all contests are managed well, and some are outright scams. Look for contests with an established track record and a reputation for treating entrants with respect.
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