If you haven't done so already, check out Connie's award-winning story "73 Seconds" and then return here for a chat with the author.
WOW: Congratulations on placing third in the Winter 2026 Flash Fiction Contest! What excited you most about writing this story?
Connie: Tragedies like this one stay with us. I watched on television the astronauts walking to Challenger. Their smiles, and their stories. I remember wondering what they were thinking and feeling. I remember people watching and the moment the mission went horribly wrong. I wanted to spin that into something hopeful.
WOW: What did you learn about yourself or your writing while crafting this piece?
Connie: I love flash fiction. The paring down of a story so that every word earns its place. This story, when the woman poolside comes forward, showed me that even with small stories characters can take over, and as writers we have to let that happen.
WOW: What a useful revelation. It feels like a bit of magic when the characters take over the story. Please tell us more about your debut novel and your writing process to create it.
Connie: The novel, We Was Drove, has been in my heart for fifty years. I was nine the first time I told my grandmother I wanted to write about her island home. The novel is fiction, because I love taking real life and adding what ifs; however, my grandparents and parents were resettled. It was in the 1950s and the government of Newfoundland and Labrador was moving people to more populated areas, with larger schools, electricity, running water, and access to health care. The church was heavily involved, influencing people's decisions. I grew up hearing the stories, negative and positive, and it certainly was a different way of life.
The novel follows how four members of one family dealt with the move. One teenager yearns for the city life she has only heard of and has her own plans for getting away. Her Irish twin sister is terrified. Their mother (a midwife with five other children) cannot leave unless her husband signs the documents but he's conflicted. There's a shipwreck, a fire, a murder, and a lot of other things tossed about like the ocean they may be forced to cross.
WOW: That sounds exciting! And how exciting that you’re sharing it now, after having it in your heart for so long. What are you reading right now, and why did you choose to read it?
Connie: When I'm writing, I read books with similar themes or subjects. When I wrote We Was Drove, for example, my desk was full of Newfoundland and Labrador literature, which I love. I am currently reading the Weekend by Charlotte Wood and Tilda is Visible by Jane Tara.
WOW: If you could give your younger self one piece of writing advice, what would it be and why?
Connie: Write your first novel now, and don't look back. I started my career as a journalist and for a while I was a freelance writer. I became a communications manager and now a teacher. I wish I had written the novel earlier because there are many more to come. When I started the novel, my goal was to publish it before I turn 60 in fall 2026. It's out on query but as I am learning it's a long process. In April of this year, I published a chapbook of short stories, What if I Told You? Stories about Secrets, with our local community press. My tiny book sold out on launch night so I guess I achieved my goal, just on with a smaller book. It was one of the best nights of my life.
WOW: That’s amazing! Congratulations on the publication and success of your chapbook! We wish you much success with your novel, too. Anything else you’d like to add?
Connie: Stories connect us. Don't be afraid to share yours. We Was Drove started out as a 100-word micro fiction and it grew from there.
WOW: What an incredible metamorphosis that story has taken! Thank you for sharing your story and your responses with us. Happy writing!
Interviewed by Anne Greenawalt, founder and editor-in-chief of Sport Stories Press, which publishes sports books by, for, and about sportswomen and amateur athletes and offers developmental editing and ghostwriting services to partially fund the press. Connect @greenmachine459.
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