Congratulations to Sherry Morris from Scottish Highlands, UK
for her touching nonfiction essay titled:
Check out Sherry’s submission, The Munlochy Clootie Well as well as all the other winning entries and then stop back here to read Sherry’s enlightening interview with Crystal J. Casavant-Otto from WOW! Women on Writing.
Sherry’s Bio:
Originally from Missouri, Sherry Morris writes prize-winning fiction from a Scottish Highland farm where she pets cows, watches clouds and dabbles in photography. She also presents Sherry’s Shorts—an online radio show of short fiction with Highland Hospital Radio. Her stories often stem from her Peace Corps experience in 1990s Ukraine or rural life. Feel free to visit Uksherka.com for her published work, check out Sherry’s Shorts using the Listen Again button, and follow her on social media.
X: @Uksherka
BlueSky: @uksherka.bsky.social
Sherry’s Shorts radio show: sherry@hhr.scot
interview with Crystal J. Casavant-Otto
WOW: Sherry - thank you so much for taking the time to sit down with me today! A special thanks for the great pictures that really highlight the beauty of where you live! That begs the question: Where do you write? What does your space look like? I imagine you don’t write in a fairy garden or surrounded by castle ruins however I’m confident that your living in the Scottish Highlands must mean your writing space is simply magical!
As for what my writing space looks like, I have a modern desk set up in the corner of the lounge (living room) of our 2-story flat which is part of a refurbished 18th century stone farmhouse. Two bulletin boards full of mementos (cards, photos, ticket stubs) hang on one wall, while art, a signed poster of the gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello, and various writing awards hang on the other wall. I suppose it’s a rather cluttered space with my laptop, three screens (I work from home) papers, idea journals, knick-knacks and of course, my ceramic frog scattered over the L-shaped desk.
WOW: Everything about what you describe sounds magical and quite conducive for creativity! You mention your partner and living together on a horse farm - but I hate to assume. Do tell us, who is your support - what have you found to be most supportive in your writing life as well as in life in general?
My desk is near the window and I have an amazing view that takes in the front garden where the paddock is and extends further on to green fields and then hills. (I’ve included a photo). My partner and I live on a horse farm—the farm and the horses aren’t ours, but we have the benefits of open space and horses without the costs or responsibility. Twice a day the horses are led from stables to fields through a cobblestone courtyard, clip-clopping along at 11am and 4pm—I can almost set my watch to it!
I like to get up early to write and sometimes I’m so distracted by the sunrise view, I can’t resist grabbing my camera and heading out to take pictures. Morning light is magical light.
Sherry: I’m lucky my partner is a writer too—a published playwright—and a big supporter of my work. Writing brought us together--we met on a week-long residential creative writing retreat here in the Highlands. As I mention in my story (The Munlochy Clootie Well), he was living here in the Highlands and I was living in London. I came up to attend a course…and the rest is happily-ever-after history. Writing literally changed my life for the better.
It's super-helpful to have a partner who is a writer—he gets it—the need for time alone to write. And he understands how hard writing is. It’s also useful to have another writer available to give feedback at short notice and wonderful to celebrate writing successes together.
We’ve experimented in writing in each other's genres…
I’ve written a few short plays—or rather dialogue--only stories—and he’s started writing flash. It’s great to have someone to bounce ideas off of and ask if a piece of writing is working. When we watch films or tv dramas we talk about character development, story arc, dialogue, all those crafty writerly aspects.
Sherry: That’s a great question…I think it’s important to set tasks and each month I give myself small achievable goals…like submitting x number of times in a month, or editing a specific piece of flash, finishing an in-progress short story or maybe just writing the tricky part of a short story—the part I’ve been avoiding. I write down a few things I want to accomplish that month in my journal, review it each week and at the end of the month, note what I’ve accomplished and what will roll-over to the next month.
WOW: You definitely haven’t been sitting still. Listening to all this, I’m getting tired - and let’s talk about your bio while discussing how ambitious you are! You have an impressive bio - could you tell us one other strange story about yourself that may surprise us?
WOW: So interesting - if anyone describes you as boring, EVER… let me know so I can talk some sense into them! Speaking of other people, what role has journaling and/or writer's groups played in your life?
WOW: Thank you Sherry for the fabulous photos and candid discussion, and thank you for sharing with us in today's interview! You're a bright light for all of us writers and readers! I look forward to our paths crossing again and until then - keep writing (and smiling)!
A year ago I started presenting a monthly spoken-word radio show on hospital radio called ‘Sherry Shorts’. This one-hour show features short stories and flash with a connection to the Highlands—either by their setting or because the writer has a link to the area, as well as music and chat. I love putting the show together. Finding stories that share a similar theme, pairing the story with music, talking about the story and the writer after listening to the story. It’s a lot of work producing the show--it means I have less time to write--but I think it helps me as a writer as I’m reading more to find stories for the show and I’m thinking about what makes a good story. I think all that helps my own writing and stories shine. I have a show page with all the episodes I’ve produced so far. I’d love for people to have a listen: https://www.hhr.scot/show/hhr-show/sherryshorts
For 2026, I plan to continue my radio show and continue to work on writing short stories and flash. I have a number of pieces I need to fix or finish and then submit. If I finally manage to get some of these pieces published, maybe I’ll think about a collection…watch this space.
Sherry: Thank you! I like to think many of my stories are quirky, but I suppose it just depends on each person’s quirk! I have stories that range from a woman who falls in love with a chameleon to a daughter who has an escapologist dad. There are stories about evil sunflowers and a woman who believes she’s seen the face of the Virgin Mary in the cracks of her bathroom mirror. Sometimes I write about the past and my experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 30 years ago and sometimes I write about a future Zombie Apocalypse where Dolly Parton features. My website has links to all my online published stories, so feel free to have a look and a read at Uksherka.com
Sherry: Writer’s groups and journaling have played huge roles in my writing life. I love them both! I was in a writing group when I lived in London and I’m a member of one here in the Highlands—we meet monthly at the same creative writing centre where I met my partner. I am also part of an online writing group of terrific international writers I can call on anytime for feedback and we also have online workshops and cheer each other on. I rely on these groups for keep me accountable to my writing, to help ensure I write regularly and show up with something to share with the group and to give constructive gentle feedback that helps get the piece published. I also love the camaraderie of being in a group as writing is such a solitary activity.
Today's post was penned by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto
Crystal Casavant writes. Everything.
If you follow her blog you have likely laid eyes on every thought she has ever had. Her debut novel, It Was Never About Me, Was It? is still a work in progress and shall be fully worthy sometime in 2026...or maybe 2027. She has written for WOW! Women on Writing, Bring on Lemons, and has been featured in several magazines and ezines relating to credit and collections as well as religious collections for confessional Lutherans.
She runs a busy household full of intelligent, recalcitrant, and delightful humans who give her breath and keep her heart beating day after day.
Crystal wears many hats (and not just the one in this photo) and fully believes in being in the moment and doing everything she can to improve the lives of those around her!
The world may never know her name, but she prays that because of her, someone may smile a little brighter. She prides herself on doing nice things - yes, even for strangers! Sometime during 2025 Crystal decided a free moment simply wouldn’t do and she added even more hats! She went back to school to pursue a degree in education at Concordia University and dusted off her vocal chords and joined the local Chorale, so if you’re feeling festive, you can also listen to her sing with the Manitowoc Symphony Orchestra and the historic Capitol Civic Center later this month.
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