Interview with Elizabeth Hoban, Runner Up in the Winter 2026 Flash Fiction Contest

 

Elizabeth is a traditionally published author of The Secrets That Save Us and The Cheech Room, and a historical nonfiction novel, The Final Mission, a Boy, a Pilot and a World at War. She has written numerous newspaper and magazine articles over the years. She has won several writing awards, including Bethlehem Writers Circle Best in Prose 2018, Writers Digest runner-up in Memoir 2019, Millennium runner-up for Best in Prose 2023, and Reedsy first-place award for two short stories and two short-listed. Her first winning story appears in 2025 Reedsy Anthology. She received the Miriam Chaiken Award for Best in Prose 2025, and is the 2026 guest judge for same. In 2025, she won Women on Writing (WOW) Q3 Essay Contest Award 2025, as well as 3rd place in WOW 2026 Q1 Flash Fiction. 

 Aside from writing, Elizabeth is a Nurse Practitioner who loves spending time with her kids and her four-legged antidepressants. She doubts any of her 6 adult kids have ever read her work – maybe her cat Seuss based on his pedigree.

 ----------Interview by Renee Roberson 

WOW: Welcome back, Elizabeth! This time around we're discussing "A New Normal," which is such a powerful story because any of the scenarios you listed could have been pulled from real news headlines (and in some cases, probably were!). What was the process like for you, from the first draft to the final edits where you felt confident it was ready for submission? 

Elizabeth: "A New Normal" borders on nonfiction - and I started it several years ago. My cousins both worked as teachers in Sandy Hook in 2012 when that horrific shooting took place, which hit close to home and heart, so I started there. Then, so sadly, the news headlines practically wrote the rest in the ensuing years. I am confident a work is ready for submission when I realize that tinkering with it too much would lose something. So, after writing so many stories now, I can tell when I am overthinking and over-editing. I also have a few friends who I've met on writing sites who are my beta readers, and they tell me often to - "...leave it alone and submit already or you'll ruin it!" It's a fine line writers walk. Editing is the tricky part, especially when there is a word count to adhere to - too little, too much, or just right? One thing I've learned with short stories is that every word has to count, and if I need to cut a chunk (killing my darlings). I believe it is fabulous work; I can put that paragraph in an e-file knowing I can always use it in another story, and the reader of the original story will never be the wiser. 

WOW: I love that advice from your friends--sometimes it is possible to tinker with a piece too much! As an award-winning writer with an impressive list of publishing credits to your name, what advice would you give to any writer considering entering a contest for the first time, especially any of WOW's? What should they focus on with their piece of writing, whether creative nonfiction or flash fiction? 

Elizabeth: They say, "write what you know" - and that is always a good place to start. It takes guts to put your name on something you created and put it out there for scrutiny. I have been fortunate over the past couple of years with short story contests and awards, but I can paper my walls with past rejections. It takes time and dedication to the piece you are writing, and if it bores you or you avoid getting to it, then it will do the same for the reader. I guess Nike has the best advice for this - Just Do It. The great thing about entering WOW is that for an extra $10, you get the best critique you've ever received from a professional - hands down. That has helped me improve so many of my stories. 

WOW: I agree, the investment of a critique is so worth it! Having traditionally published three different books, do you have any tips for writers seeking that traditional pathway to publication? 

Elizabeth: Traditional publishing has changed dramatically in the past decade. It has become easier to bypass the traditional route and self-publish or go with a smaller house. But again, if you choose the traditional route, get an agent. Join Query Shark and get help with your query letters. There are books on just about any genre. Currently, I am working with a friend on a children's book series, and I purchased Writer's Market for Children's Writers and Illustrators (Writers Digest series) because I do not have an agent that covers that genre. They are fairly massive volumes, and I always buy the hard copy rather than search online because I am old-fashioned in that respect, and I like to make notes in the margins and keep track with post-it notes of where I have submitted. These books are highly rated, have been around for decades, and a new one is printed yearly - it presents you with everything you need to find a good fit for your book. 

WOW: All great pieces of advice! Are there any common themes you find yourself exploring in your writing? 

Elizabeth: Honestly, I used to be a humor columnist and always leaned towards that style, but it seems that, judging by the awards I have won, judges like sad stories. Ones that really pull at the heartstrings. I may have become somewhat of a doom-and-gloom writer in the past couple of years, but that's okay because there is a market for nearly every well-told story - even humor. 

WOW: You mention living with your “four-legged antidepressants.” I love that description! Have any of your pets “found" themselves in your recent work? 

Elizabeth: I have a dog named Tag who was found at 4 weeks old on a military base, and I ended up adopting her - her name is derived from dog-tags, but they called her Tag for short. She is my pride and joy at only 9 months old now. I wrote a story for Reedsy - which is a great site for weekly story prompts, by the way. I titled it "Tag," about a Vietnam War soldier and his stray dog, and it actually won that particular week. She brought me a bit of luck! I have always had a dog or two - currently just Tag- and I have two cats who think they are dogs; they bark and fetch: Seuss and Monkey. And I did have a two-legged, foul-mouthed African grey that I had for 20 years and then donated to a veterans sanctuary so she could fly as she was intended to, but Woodstock appeared in several of my stories. He was comic relief for all of us. I find that all animals inspire me, and I do not believe I'd feel complete without at least one critter running around. In fact, as I type this interview, I have Tag at my feet, sound asleep. She also reminds me every 90 minutes that it is time to take a break and go for a walk so I get exercise squeezed in throughout the day.

WOW: I concur. If I don't have my pets around to chat with throughout the day, I get very lonely! They make excellent writing companions and I love that yours have made their way into so many of your stories. Thank you again for this conversation and giving us such a rich insight into the writing life, Elizabeth! 

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Unfinished Writing Projects

 

One thing we all have in common as writers is unfinished projects. We let these documents exist on our hard drives or printed drafts that are then tucked away into folders we stuff into desk drawers. For fun (and out of curiosity!) I decided to go through the files on my computer and examine just a few of the drafts that have been left uncompleted. Maybe I’ll uncover something I want to revisit! 

In my fiction folder: 

Pieces of a novel titled “Crying Wolf” that I began in 2004. There are only a few chapters and an outline in the folder and I have no recollection of writing this. Based on the subject matter, I was working through frustrations with some uncomfortable family dynamics at the time. 

The first novel I ever completed, which has changed genres twice (from adult to young adult) and has evolved through at least three different titled changes. Completed but never published. 

A middle-grade time travel book titled “Camp Big and Bright.” Completed, but never published and needs revision. 

A young adult romance/thriller novel titled “Screen Play.” I sent the first few chapters off to Writer’s Digest for a critique by one of their contractors and was so mortified by her comments that I never opened the document again. 

My latest novel, a suspense/thriller, which a few agents requested but never offered representation. I’ve put it on hold for now, but it also needs more revision. 

A new draft of a novel, an adult contemporary time loop story, that has 6,000 words and a full outline in the folder. I’m currently back to working on this project. 

Short stories: 

I have a lot of completed drafts in this folder, some that have even won awards, but there are also drafts of only a few pages in at least three or four documents. This folder is worth revisiting because I think there are stories that could be submitted to various markets with beta readers, critiques, and additional revision. 

In my non-fiction folder: 

There’s a short piece I wrote fifteen years ago about the steps I went through to become a writer. Maybe that’s worth revisiting. I have several essays I’ve written, revised, and submitted to contests with no luck in the past several years. I can look for new markets for those. 

A full outline of a true crime book based on stories I’ve shared in my podcast has been completed. Text and sources have been transferred into this document—but it needs more work. 

I found a folder of a few drafts of blog posts from when my kids were still small, and I thought about breaking into “mommy blogging.” They are in their 20s now. I think I’ll just let those be. 

A draft of an essay I started writing about the contentious posts you see on the NextDoor app and neighborhood Facebook pages. I wanted to lean into humor on that one, but I originally started it during the pandemic so some of the bullets are no longer relevant. That might be worth taking another look at and revising. 

These are just a few things I found on my hard drive, and they don’t include my published work. But there is still plenty of raw material to work with! I encourage you to go through your own files soon and see where you can find some new sources of inspiration. 

Have you unearthed any hidden treasure in your writing files lately? I'd love to hear about it!

Renee Roberson is an award-winning writer who also produces the weekly true crime podcast, Missing in the Carolinas. Learn more about her at FinishedPages.com.

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1 comment Renee Roberson, revision process, works in progress, writing projects

Interview with Elizabeth Hoban, 2nd Place Winner in the Winter 2026 Flash Fiction Contest

 

Elizabeth is a traditionally published author of The Secrets That Save Us and The Cheech Room, and a historical nonfiction novel, The Final Mission, a Boy, a Pilot and a World at War. She has written numerous newspaper and magazine articles over the years. She has won several writing awards, including Bethlehem Writers Circle Best in Prose 2018, Writers Digest runner-up in Memoir 2019, Millennium runner-up for Best in Prose 2023, and Reedsy first-place award for two short stories and two short-listed. Her first winning story appears in 2025 Reedsy Anthology. She received the Miriam Chaiken Award for Best in Prose 2025, and is the 2026 guest judge for same. In 2025, she won Women on Writing (WOW) Q3 Essay Contest Award 2025, as well as 3rd place in WOW 2026 Q1 Flash Fiction. 

 Aside from writing, Elizabeth is a Nurse Practitioner who loves spending time with her kids and her four-legged antidepressants. She doubts any of her 6 adult kids have ever read her work – maybe her cat Seuss based on his pedigree. 

----------Interview by Renee Roberson

WOW: Hi Elizabeth, and welcome! I"m excited for our chat today. First of all, I have to mention to our readers that you had two stories place in this contest! We're going to have you back on August 11 to discuss your other winning story, "A New Normal." Today, we'll start with discussing your second place winner. "Downloading Hemingway” features a twisty narrative that slowly builds tension throughout, ultimately ending in a shocking conclusion. Where did you first get the idea for this story? 

Elizabeth: I attended a funeral service a couple of years ago with a dear friend who didn't want to go alone, and it was held in the family home. I was shocked at how people could come and go - no guest sign-ins - just a lot of people partying, including the widow of the young man who had died. It was a drunk-driving accident, but that went unsaid other than those who were close to the widow and her late husband. And many of the platitudes, as an objective observer, I found absurd. They'd recently had a baby who was basically unattended in a back room - just a basic baby monitor the widow/mother had next to her outside on a table. That was when the story came to me - I decided to use a neighboring dog as a distraction. Since the widow had no idea who I was and barely knew my friend (my friend was a casual coworker of the widow's mother), I didn't feel it was unethical, but that's why I chose to write it in second person. Obviously, no baby was stolen, but it was easy to envision that scenario. 

WOW: I love how you pulled observations from a real-life experience  and wove them throughout a fictional narrative. It really made the story come alive, in my opinion. In your bio you mention having written for magazines and newspapers as well. How has that professional experience influenced what you choose to write about creatively? 

Elizabeth: I always wanted to be a writer and started books but never got past the first few chapters before moving to something else. I was at an event with my children in my twenties when I met a newspaper journalist and asked him if I could write a humorous column about being a single mom. As a widowed mother, I had so many stories to share. The journalist was kind enough to humor me and asked me to send him a few pieces. I was so fortunate that he had a similar sense of humor and gave me a byline, "Single and Surviving," for several years. I soon realized that if I could write close to 300 columns totaling about 900 pages, why couldn't I finish a novel? Writing my first book took a decade and was harder than grad school, but I became obsessed with finishing it. I was able to get that book published a few years after completion, but it was not easy.

WOW: Writing a full-length novel is not for the faint of heart, but you did it! You've also completed a full-length work of nonfiction, too! Your book The Final Mission, a Boy, a Pilot and a World at War is a true story about your father. Can you tell us what the process was like working on a story so close to your family? 

Elizabeth: This was an act of love for sure. I am by no means a history expert. I mix up Mussolini and Napoleon (eye-roll). When my father was in his nineties, we learned through a simple Google search that the Austrian government had been searching for my dad for years, and they had erected a monument in the ravine where his B-17 went down. Apparently, there was a six-year-old boy who witnessed my dad's heroic efforts to veer his plane away from Innsbruck and straight into the Austrian Alps. He bailed out with seconds to spare and was taken POW for the rest of the war. My father never talked about his war experiences, so discovering this Austrian heroism over 60 years later was a miracle. If it weren't for the internet, we would never have known. The boy who witnessed the heroic maneuvers never forgot my dad, and when he was in his 60s, he took part in the search for him. He was able to thank him personally when we were invited to Austria. I recall saying to my dad at one point that it would make a great story, and he said, "...then write it." 

I spent about 2 years interviewing my dad - everywhere we went because he was too old to drive I recorded him and just kept grilling him with questions, figuring if not now, his story will be lost when he dies. He was able to find closure in finally talking about all of it - the book is amazing, but it is not my story - it belongs to my father, and I wrote it for him. He lived till 100 years old, and we were able to do numerous book signings, and he gave speeches; luckily, he was lucid until he died of a sudden stroke. I had already written The Cheech Room, which took almost ten years, as it was my first novel. I was raising kids at the time and had to carve out an hour here and there, but they were grown by the time I wrote Dad's story. It took 3 years to write it and about an hour to find a non-fiction publisher - Westholme Publishing in Yardley, PA who called me after I sent out ten queries to publishers, and he was very interested, especially because the entire book was written already. I had always heard it was easier with a nonfiction book that has a decent proposal to go straight to publishing houses and bypass the agent. It proved true for me. The Final Mission, a Boy, a Pilot and a World at War was published a year later. After my first book was traditionally published, it didn't take long for my two other books to be picked up by a fiction publisher. An interesting fact: my dad's publisher's name is Bruce Franklin, and he is a direct descendant of Benjamin Franklin. His publishing house in Yardley was home to Benjamin at one point. 

WOW: What an amazing experience both learning about that piece of family history and documenting it with your father. Kudos! I remember your award-winning essay “You” from the WOW! Q3 2025 Creative Nonfiction Contest. Have you given any further thought to writing that memoir you mentioned during that interview? 

Elizabeth: I have a few about 200 pages of my memoir done and no title yet. Every time I write a section, I recall another pertinent story and have to go back and put it in sequence. It hasn't been easy, but winning WOW last year really encouraged me to get started on it, which I did. I am writing an anthology of my short stories, and once a week, I try to devote a few hours to the memoir. This is another act of love and can be emotional. Even if it never gets published, I am okay with that. I will have it bound for my kids someday. 

WOW: What does a typical day look like for you as far as working on your various writing projects? How do you manage your time? 

Elizabeth: I will admit, I am not a great time manager - I can get easily distracted with 6 adult kids to keep track of; however, I never watch TV, and I rarely sit down and read a book, but rather listen to books when I am commuting/driving. I feel guilty when I am not writing while I sit and support others' work, whether in TV or books. Having said that, I am an avid reader and finish about 100 books/year. I work full-time as a nurse practitioner, but hope to cut back to part-time in 2027 to spend more time on my writing endeavors. Currently, I spend about three hours at the end of the day writing, and I take the weekends off. I find that when I return to whatever I was working on, fresh on Monday evening, I am more motivated and can more easily find flaws and weak spots. I have always heard that one should step away from a piece of writing for a while, then return to it with fresh eyes. It took me a while to do that without feeling guilty - but after publishing a few books now, I know that advice is very true. 

WOW: Well, you certainly know how to manage your time in my humble opinion! I look forward to sharing more about you with our readers in a separate interview next month. Happy Writing!

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Leave a Comment 2nd place winner, Contestant interview, Elizabeth Hoban, Renee Roberson, WOW! Winter 2026 Flash Fiction Contest, writing advice

Interview with Fiona Jensen, Runner Up in the WOW! Q2 2026 Creative Nonfiction Contest

 

From a childhood divided between Scottish castles and the tundra of the Canadian Arctic, Fiona’s experiences have tumbled across the raising up a brace of heart-strong kids, a career in psychiatry, cherished connections with friends, bizarre health adventures and an enduring drive to create. She offers a bow of gratitude to her writing circle—that’s looking at you Beth, Patricia, Liz and Dianne. Her words have found print in the Tadpole Press Literary Magazine, Writer Advice, 101 Words and beyond. 

 ----------Interview by Renee Roberson 

WOW: Hi, Fiona, and welcome! First of all, can we talk about your delightful bio? I was smiling the whole time I read it. What tips would you give someone who needs to put together their writer bio and wants to infuse as much of their personality as they can into it? 

Fiona: Initially, I was mystified by the task of condensing my life into just a few sentences. I ended up considering what I most valued in the story of my life and what might intrigue others. The intersection of the two became my starting point. I will confess, I was rather taken aback at the idea of listing publications at the end. This challenged that irksome imperative to modesty I, like so many women, picked up somewhere along the way. Everyone seems to do it though, so I tacked a few publications on the end. I guess the next time around, I can add Women on Writing! 

WOW: That's right! We recommend you toot your own horn whenever you can. "Instructions for Creating a Love Tapestry" is a complex and beautiful essay about the universal experience of parenting and the overwhelming emotions we feel as caregivers, no matter what the age of our children. How did you first get the idea for this piece? 

Fiona: My impetus for this autobiographical essay is to offer parents newly facing the challenge of caring for a special needs kiddo a leg up. If it also allows those who have not travelled such a path a glimpse of what this form of love looks like, so much the better. The hermit crab format arose after several clumsy attempts to write the story more directly. Those drafts came across as problematically raw. Re-shaping the story as a set of craft instructions allowed me to leaven the anguish with a touch of humour, aiming for that Goldilocks balance between intimacy and spaciousness. What a treat to read Sophie Berghouse's eloquent hermit crab essay “World’s BEST Special-Needs Parent Recipe” – another runner up in this contest addressing similar themes. 

WOW: Yes, Sophie's work is another great example! You placed in the Tadpole Press April 2025 100-Word Writing Contest with your whimsical piece, "On Observing a Wagging Rump." How difficult was it for you to pare your thoughts down to the 100 words? Do you have any advice for anyone else wanting to try their hand at such brevity? 

Fiona: “On Observing a Wagging Rump” was the easiest piece I ever wrote. I dictated it as a voice note on my phone while walking Peggy Dog on a snowy day. It clocked in at 31 words and I never revised a syllable. I’m delighted that others enjoy it. I laboured far more on some of my other efforts at micro-memoir. Despite starting with a single idea expressed in a single scene with a tiny story arc, I frequently ended up over the word count. It turns out this is a wonderful problem. I learned so much about crafting concise sentences by cutting down my own work. I am astonished how many phrases suddenly appear extraneous when I need to cut another 50 words. I heartily recommend trying to reduce a piece by 10%. It gets to be rather fun with practice. 

WOW: How did you first learn about the WOW! Women on Writing Creative Nonfiction Contest and what inspired you to submit? 

Fiona: Early on in exploring where writing might take me, which is to say a year and a bit ago, I realized authors who write for others all have a heap of rejections lurking in some hidden file. I decided that I might as well plunge in and see if I could collect a heap of rejections too. In the process, I reviewed a number of websites offering information on contests and journal submission opportunities. (I wish someone had told me about Duotrope earlier–a much simpler way to explore.) Women on Writing appeared on several of these lists, so I checked it out and felt an affinity with WOW’s values and community feeling. As well as the contests, I enjoyed a couple of WOW courses. They helped me understand my writing in new ways. I can now brag of 56 rejections and am aiming for 100+. (Now, I must confess–you remember that over-wrought sense of modest propriety I mentioned earlier? Well, it is telling me most sternly that I ought not to mention that one of my earlier pieces, “I, Also” scored an Honourable Mention in WOW Q # 2025. And there have been a handful of other non-rejections along the way. There–telling you is my act of courage for the day.) 

WOW: I love that. What writing projects are you currently working on now? 

Fiona: Like “Instructions for Crafting a Love Tapestry,” much of my writing focuses on dilemmas in caregiving. As a parent, a family caregiver, a person with chronic illness and a healthcare professional, I never lack for material. Currently, much of my work revolves around health care workers serving others at an emotional or spiritual cost to themselves--and yes, those also have an autobiographical inspiration. One working title is “A Psychiatrist Loses Her Mind–and Finds a New One.”

WOW: Fiona, it's been a pleasure! I look forward to reading more of your work (rejections or not!)

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When Reading Tastes Evolve

I like to tell people that working in a bookstore for me is like being a kid in a candy shop. Surrounded by the unmistakable smell of new books, alluring covers, sprayed edges, and book-loving merchandise, it’s a miracle I don’t spend my entire paycheck inside the stacks each week. 

But what I do is learn about more books I want to read, and lately, I’ve noticed my tastes in literature evolving. For example, let’s see if you can spot a theme in some of my favorite reads from the past year.

The Correspondent-This epistolary novel shares the story of 73-year-old Sybil Van Antwerp, a highly-educated but brusque widow who has always made it a practice to correspond with her friends and family through weekly writing sessions. Through her letters the reader discovers Sybil’s tough demeanor hides a vulnerability, devastating loss, and complicated family history many of us can relate to. 

Theo of Golden-When a kind but mysterious 86-year-old man named Theo appears in the fictional Georgia town of Golden, the townspeople aren’t quite sure what to make of him. But when he begins purchasing the hand-drawn portraits of local residents from a coffee shop and gifting them to their owners, he bridges connections between himself and people he never would have expected. 

The Uncool-This memoir by screenwriter and rock journalist Cameron Crowe reads like a who’s who of music history. As Almost Famous is one of my favorite movies, I was inspired by the real story of how the writer first broke into Rolling Stone magazine before he could even drive. Expect to learn about interviews with legends such as David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, Jim Groce, Greg Allman, and more. 

And now I’m a few chapters into Whistler by Ann Patchett. I’m embarrassed to say I’ve never read any of this author’s books before, but we can’t keep this one in stock at the store and I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. When I first read the premise, a 53-year-old woman encounters the man who was her stepfather for two years during her childhood in a museum, I wasn’t sure it would interest me. Was I wrong. As a middle-aged woman who had a complicated relationship with both my biological father and stepfather, I feel like Ann and I could be kindred spirits. 

I have a few younger co-workers at the bookstore that have looked at me sideways and wondered why these books have been some of my recent favorites. They learn more towards romance, nonfiction, fantasy, and romantasy. But the employees that are closer to my age align with my reading taste. While in my 30s I read a lot of young adult because I was trying to learn how to write in that genre, I find myself exploring more books about family relationships, aging parents, and parenting young adults. I think that probably happens with us all, but these books are also helping me think about new topics I want to explore in my own writing. 

On my TBR pile now is a new book by Anna Johnston, who also penned one of my favorite books set in a nursing home, The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife. I can’t wait! 

Have you found that your reading tastes have changed as you get older? I’d love to know what you’re reading now. 

Renee Roberson is an award-winning writer who also hosts the true crime podcast, Missing in the Carolinas. In her spare time, she works at an independent bookstore in North Carolina.

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2 comments found family stories, independent bookstores, reading in middle age, reading tastes, Renee Roberson

Interview with Jill Martin, 3rd Place Winner in the WOW! Q2 2026 Creative Nonfiction Contest

 

Jill Martin writes and lives in Northern Virginia. Previously a federal government lawyer, she now travels extensively with her husband, and writes a Substack newsletter about what she learns from her travels (https://jillme3801.substack.com/). She has completed her first novel, which is still unpublished, and has started on her second. She also writes short stories, several of which have won prizes. She loves going to writing conferences to improve her craft, and enjoys meeting other writers. 

 ----------Interview by Renee Roberson 

WOW: Congratulations, Jill, and welcome!"Recipe for Mom's KitchenAid Mixer" is a great example of a hermit crab essay. Did you always plan to structure this piece as a recipe and what is it you like about this particular format? 

Jill: I only recently learned about hermit crab essays. Last year I took a short online course in creative nonfiction (a webinar by Nicole Breit) and that got me thinking about different forms and how you can address an emotionally difficult subject in a structured essay. I like the way that you can uncover some of your deep feelings and memories in this way. I tried several things that didn't work too well, and then one day when I got out my mom's Kitchenaid and all these feelings came flooding in, I wanted to sit and write immediately. But I needed to finish the recipe first.

WOW: I was envious when you shared that your mother's KitchenAid mixer was likely from the 1950s! Are there any other antiques or similar treasures you've chosen to write about over the years? 

Jill: I'm grateful that you asked this question, because my first response was "no," but then I remembered that I wrote something years ago about a tiny family heirloom. Now I need to go back and find that essay, and improve it. 

WOW: I love it! It's always a good idea to do a "spring cleaning" of our files because we often forget about buried treasures such as that one. You are hard at work on writing novels, and bravo to your latest work in progress! What genres would you categorize your work as? How long did it take you to complete the first manuscript? 

Jill: My first novel took me 2-3 years to complete, and I'm still editing as I get further feedback. It's contemporary women's fiction (or "book club fiction" or "upmarket fiction"). My second novel is completely different; it's either YA or middle-grades, and it's about fairies, so it's in the fantasy genre. That's also something that's not recommended by agents; they want you to stick to one genre. But I'm doing what I want to do right now. 

WOW: Follow your heart. I'm also one of those people that likes to write a variety of genres--I get bored when I stick to the same thing all the time! As someone who keeps waffling back and forth about whether I should start a Substack, how has your experience with it been? Do you have a regular publication schedule for it, and what other Substacks do you subscribe to?

Jill: I have surprised myself with how much I enjoy writing my Substack newsletter. When I first started it, the focus was just on my travels. But lately I've been throwing a lot of other stuff against the wall. I've posted a poem, a short story, and several essays. I heard from one friend who was upset because she wanted to read only my travel posts and nothing else. I should probably re-brand the newsletter because it's basically my writing platform now. I don't have a regular schedule for posting my newsletter, although it's a recommended practice. Sometimes months go by between my posts, and then I'll post a bunch in a row (e.g., following a trip somewhere). I subscribe to several Substacks by successful fiction writers, on the craft of writing. My favorite is George Saunders. I also subscribe to several by political writers, as well as the Substacks of writer friends whom I've met at workshops. 

WOW: Our community here loves a good writing conference or residency! What types of conferences have you been to so far and what advice would you give to someone attending one for the first time? 

Jill: I recommend attending as many conferences and workshops as your time and wallet permit. I've been to many different types: quick online workshops that are 1-3 hours; 2- or 3-day writing conferences that are open to all and focus on the craft of writing (e.g. the Women's Fiction Writers Ass'n conference); conferences that focus on pitching agents (I've done in-person as well as online ones); and conferences that include both pitching opportunities and talks on craft (Atlanta Writing Conference, Washington Writers Conference; TBR in Boston). The most helpful ones for my writing have been the competitive-entry workshops that are intensive, in-person, and include an instructor who gives feedback (e.g., the Yale Writers' Workshop). My advice for someone attending a conference for the first time is to be social and meet other writers, even if that's not easy for you. Networking is quite helpful; I've learned a lot from other writers. You can also practice your pitches with them!

WOW: Thank you so much for all this great advice and a peek into your writing life! Congratulations again and we can't wait to read more from you. 

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1 comment Contestant interview, Jill Martin, Renee Roberson, Third Place Winner, WOW! Creative Nonfiction Essay Contest, writing advice

Anatomy of an Essay

 

Last month I shared that I’d begun working on an essay about being the victim of financial fraud in 2023. After dogged determination and enlisting the help of a local consumer affairs reporter, I got the $3,000 back from my bank only to find out my biological father had passed away penniless. I ultimately used some of that money to help pay for my father’s funeral. 

I’ve been working on that piece for the past several weeks, and wanted to share what the writing and revision process has been like for anyone curious about the process. 

First, because my essay had so many numbers, dates, and legal details involved, I dug out the folder of information I’d compiled during the process of reporting the fraud and filing claims. Thankfully, I had saved all that, but I was re-traumatized all over again reading the timeline. I had to step away from the project for a few days as I processed what I had been through. 

Next, I sat down and wrote my first draft over the course of a few days, and it was long (close to 4,000 words). I didn’t worry about the word count though, because I know I would be editing and cutting words down. 

After having a few trusted members of my family read over the draft, I sent it to my critique partner. Once she looked at it, she made a few suggestions, such as limiting the role of one of my family members in the piece and focusing more tightly on the estranged relationship between myself and my dad. She also suggested I make sure everyone had a name, even if I had to make one up, such as calling a bank representative “Barbara from Bank of America” to make the narrative flow more smoothly. I completed another round of revisions and sent those back to her, she brainstormed a good title with me, and offered up a few suggestions for places to submit the completed piece. 

The essay is now in fantastic shape (in my opinion) but I would still like to have one or two more people read it in the latest draft. And for my final step, I’m compiling a list of places to send, “Your Claim Has Been Resolved: How a Bank Scam Helped Me Heal After My Estranged Father’s Death.” 

Not only that, but this positive experience gave me some ideas on how to rework an essay I haven’t had any luck placing and braiding it with a local true crime story from my podcast. I may have finally found a good “hook” to make a stagnant piece more attractive to editors. 

Have you had a positive experience working on a project recently? I’d love to hear about it! 

Renee Roberson is an award-winning writer and editor who also produces the weekly true crime podcast, Missing in the Carolinas.

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Interview with Bianca Jones, 2nd Place Winner in the WOW! Fall 2025 Flash Fiction Contest

 

Bianca Jones is a library assistant, developmental editor, and fiction writer represented by Leah Pierre of Ladderbird Literary Agency. She writes sweet young adult romance and dark, unsettling horror…and she would love to combine the two one day. You can find her on X (formerly Twitter) at BJOwrites. 

----------Interview by Renee Roberson 

WOW: Hello, Bianca, and welcome! I loved your winning story,  “A Forgiveness of Crows," which discusses a family curse and the ability to break the cycle of generational trauma. How did you first get the idea for this piece? 

Bianca: I’ve always admired crows for their gentleness, mischievous nature, and their extreme intelligence. Recently, I watched a blip of a video, maybe 45 seconds long, about crows’ ability to form relationships. Crows are familial creatures that have long memories and can hold grudges for up to 17 years! If you hurt one, you can end up catching a thwack on the head from its grandchild years later—they mean business. As an African-American in the South, connecting crows to Jim Crow came as easily as saying the word “crow” out loud. So, I started there, and the “family history” unfolded all on its own. I’m interested in exploring this idea in an extended format, maybe as a novelette, in the future! There’s a small detail of my narrator being a woman—a break in the cycle of sons that become fathers who are killed by the crow curse—that could have several meanings. Was it actually her tiny son’s kindness that broke the curse? Did the curse require a “male sacrifice” of sorts, and that’s why she was spared? Or was it something else entirely? I’m quite eager to know myself. 

WOW: I did not know that about crows! I can definitely see this being extended into a longer story. Have you published any flash fiction or short stories prior to this one? Where do you find your ideas? 

Bianca: I actually haven’t published any flash fiction before! I’m a novelist, and I’ve never considered myself strong at writing short fiction; I’m far too long-winded for that. In fact, I wrote “A Forgiveness of Crows” as a 2,200-word short story before I re-read the contest rules and realized I was supposed to be writing flash fiction, so I had to cut down this story quite a bit! It was a lovely challenge, though, and it’s made me more confident in my ability to write short fiction. My ideas come from odd tidbits and things I learn, or from inspiration in books that I read; working at a library gives me a lot of inspiration to work with all day long. 

WOW: You are represented by Ladderbird Literary Agency. Could you tell us more about your path to finding an agent and what books you have in the works? 

Bianca: I’m so proud to be represented by Ladderbird. I’ve been writing young adult contemporary fiction novels since college. Around big life events like marriage and children, I queried on-and-off for nearly twelve years before writing a story that centers around the lives and mental health struggles of Black and brown people; in particular, it’s a love story between two high school seniors, one Hispanic and one Black. I decided to, for the first time, query Black and brown literary agents. I found Ladderbird, read its bold, front-and-center mission statement on their website that says, “We have a passion for bringing marginalized voices to the forefront,” and I felt like I and my work would be supported and seen in a way that we hadn’t before. I reached out to Leah Pierre, and she loved my story as much as I do. It was very “right moment, right time,” but built upon years of writing, scrapping, writing again, and quite a few dozen rejection letters. Currently, we’re querying my YA mental health romance and a YA rom-com, and I’m also editing a YA paranormal novel with a touch of romance and a whole lot of spooky. We’re crossing all of our fingers that an editor will bite! 

WOW: Kudos to you for sticking with it! I know writing and querying for so many years is not for the faint of heart. It sounds like you found the perfect champion for your stories and I can't wait to see how your journey progresses. I noticed you work in a library (and I work part-time at an independent bookstore!) so I’m curious what genres you are seeing grow in popularity with your patrons. 

Bianca: I’ve worked in public libraries for 13 years, and I’ve seen so many genre trends come and go. Having one foot in the publishing world helps me see the trends before they even hit the library sometimes! Currently, the focus is less on genre and more on author and author read-alikes; aside from romantasy, which is still a major player in our circulation numbers, authors like Freida McFadden, Colleen Hoover, Kristin Hannah, and Taylor Jenkins-Reid always fly off the shelves. Any author who writes a lot of edgy intrigue is going to be a must-borrow. A touch of historical fiction usually makes a book even more coveted. And with books older and newer being turned into films left and right, I see renewed interest in stories that were popular ten or twenty years ago. Sometimes I get to see a classic, such as Wuthering Heights, start circulating more, and that’s really exciting! 

WOW: And don't you love recommending books to people looking for their next great read? I concur with all you said above. What is the last book you read and what was it about? 

Bianca: I read a cozy little book called Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa. Takako, the 25-year-old main character, is broken up with in a painful and embarrassing way, and she gets locked in a mundane cycle of depression in her city apartment. She moves to the outskirts of Tokyo, into the tiny apartment above a bookshop owned by her eccentric uncle. Previously a non-reader, she becomes engrossed in the second-hand books as she organizes them and begins selling them alongside her uncle. Over the course of the few months she spends living above the Morisaki Bookshop, she learns about herself, love, and gains a new perspective on the importance of consistent, healthy relationships. Lately, I’ve been reading sweet, human-centered stories from Japanese and Korean authors, both as a way to gain insight into another culture and to read something different from my usual rotation of spooky, spicy, and non-fiction.

WOW: Those stories are very popular, and now I have to put Days at the Morisaki Bookshop on my list! I have also been wanting to check out Jesse Q. Sutanto, who's been writing in a variety of genres. Bianca, thank you again for being here today and please keep us posted on your publication news!

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Interview with Hallie Marbet, Runner Up in the WOW! Q1 2026 Creative Nonfiction Contest

 

Hallie Marbet has been writing voraciously for five years, creating both fictional and non-fictional work. In addition to her shorter pieces, she’s written three children’s books: The Fire-sneezing Dragon, Changing Charlie and Chalk Doors, along with three novels: Final Dawn, Fog and Happy Sad Lands. She draws inspiration from tapping into memories of a rocky childhood and meaningful observation of everyday life. Her birthplace, Plum Island, Massachusetts, has always held her heart, but it never stopped her from living in more places than many. Currently, she resides with her family in Bracciano, Italy, teaching English as a second language to all ages. When she’s not writing or working, she’s either swimming, spending time with family or somewhere lost in translation. 

 ----------Interview by Renee Roberson 

WOW: Welcome, Hallie, and congratulations on placing with your beautiful and introspective essay, Losing Leaves. What first gave you the idea for this piece? 

Hallie: Memories of the Frank Church Wilderness have been bouncing around my brain for years. As you can see, there were a lot of sensory exploits and I dug deep to put them into words. I was twenty-one, just starting adulthood, but I knew that this experience would be character defining, mind-altering, and all encompassing. And it was. I started writing about it five years ago. It began as a much larger piece, with more specific experiences. But for WOW I honed in on crucial points. I'm currently working on a memoir for future publication. 

WOW: It certainly does sound like a life-changing experience and I'm so glad to hear it is also part of a larger body of work. What is your favorite line from the essay? 

Hallie: 'The echo of hooves on stone claps off the trees, frightening the birds again.' I like how the hendecasyllable sounds in the first clause of the sentence and how it changes after the comma, highlighting just how scared the birds were, how scared I was when that moose was standing in front of me. 

WOW: Thank you for picking that one out for us--I know how hard it is to highlight a favorite part of our own writing! As a children's book author, what do you enjoy most about writing for that specific audience? 

Hallie: It's easier to have more fun with the writing when the characters are animals. But it can also be more challenging since children are hard critics, the first critics. They know what they like. And if you can please a child with your words, that is success. 

WOW: So true! Who are some of the writers that inspire your own work?

Hallie: I love the depth and rawness of Charles Bukowski's writing. I read John Grisham like water. Stephanie Meyer has an amazing ability to get inside the head of the protagonist, and subsequently, the reader. And Stephen King is the king for me. I enjoy Agatha Christie's timeless writing. Pat Barker is a captivating author. And of course, John Steinbeck and Hermann Hesse are wonderful to read as well.

WOW: Bracciano, Italy looks like a magical place to reside! How is it different from your birthplace of Massachusetts? 

Hallie: These two places couldn't be more different. Bracciano, a bustling town, full of life and activity, is seated along the banks of Lake Bracciano. Thin streets snake throughout the small city, with cars screaming along them. Sidewalks are full of people at all hours of the day, except for lunch time, when shops close for a few hours. It's a great place for people watching and being seen. Plum Island, Massachusetts, however, was a very quiet place, surrounded by nothing but nature and water. The salt marsh was my backyard, where I would get lost for hours. And it may have been there, where my imagination learned to flourish.

WOW: I imagine it was! Your writing is a great example of how we can turn our experiences with nature and travel into compelling essays. Thank you for joining us again today. 

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When Nostalgia Shapes Our Stories

Photo by Jacek Jan Skorupski/Pexels

There are a lot of things I wish I could go back and do differently in high school and college. I’m betting I’m not alone in those feelings. I may or may not be trying to work out some of those regrets in my latest manuscript, a time loop story set in the mid-1990s. 

While I know a book set in this time period will appeal to women my age, I can’t help but think it might reach a wider audience. The story highlights female friendships as well as mother/daughter relationships. Perhaps readers my daughter’s age (early 20s) might want to learn more about the time period where we had to drop off film to be developed before we could peruse pictures from a party! 

Nostalgia is defined as “a bittersweet, longing for the past,” and is often triggered by various scents, sounds, or memories. This longing for a simpler time before social media and technology controlled our lives has been influencing the books I select to read lately, too. Throw in some fun pop culture references, a time period in the last 60 or 70 years, and I’m sold. 

I’ve just finished the novel Meet the Newmans by Jennifer Niven. (Her novel, All the Bright Places, remains one of my most treasured young adult reads). Niven was inspired by watching reruns of the long-running sitcom Ozzie and Harriet, which featured the real-life Nelson family. Knowing the fictional family in Meet the Newmans was based on a television sitcom from the 1950s and 60s intrigued me immediately. I love reading behind-the-scenes stories about the entertainment industry. 

When patriarch of the family, Del Newman, is hospitalized and put into a medically-induced coma after a car accident, his wife Dinah must take over the reins of the television show and their family. The reader soon realizes Dinah has never been involved in the family’s finances and her two sons and husband all have secrets they are keeping from one another. Woven throughout the fun nostalgia of Hollywood are the very real issues that were still limiting women from equal rights in the workplace, the choice to choose her own contraception, financial freedom, and more. Reviewers have compared the book to Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. 

One way authors can successfully use nostalgia in their work is through a dual timeline. This was the case with another novel I recently read by Sarah McKoy, Whatever Happened to Lori Lovely? The novel was inspired by the real-life story of actress Dolores Hart, an actress who co-starred with Elvis Presley. Hart abruptly left Hollywood in the late 1960s to become a Benedictine nun. The book follows the story of Lu, who is working on her history thesis for college in 1990. Desperate to complete the project, she pitches the idea of writing an oral history of her aunt’s life. Lori Lovely was a Hollywood starlet who retreated from fame in 1969 to join a convent. Lu makes the trip to visit her and try to uncover the mystery that led to her aunt making such a momentous life choice. 

On my pile of advanced reader copies is a novel titled American Fantasy by Emma Straub. The story features middle-aged woman in the midst of divorce who takes a cruise featuring a 90’s boy band with her sister. As someone who grew up dancing and singing to the music of the New Kids on the Block, I’m ready to dive deep into the nostalgia of my own youth with this one. 

Not only can nostalgia reflect the past, but it can also help us bridge the dialogue between generations, and explore the human condition. In my current work-in-progress, I jotted down the following statement when trying to narrow down the central theme: 

As much as you would like to change things in the past, you can only change the path of your future. 

Do you enjoy writing and reading stories that remind you of years past? What have been some of your favorite books featuring nostalgia? 

Renee Roberson is an award-winning writer and host/creator of the true crime podcast, Missing in the Carolinas.

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