Lori’s Bio:
Lori Strauss began taking a writing class in 2007 a year after her third daughter was born. She has been raising children full time since 2000. As a mother of three young daughters and the wife of a corporate real estate executive she needed a creative outlet. “I have this constant urge to express myself through writing. It continually gnaws at me. I needed direction. Finding a class was the best solution.” Every year as her children get older their schedules change and she attempts to make writing a priority. Before Lori became a homemaker she taught elementary school for a brief period. She also worked as an assistant in a variety of entertainment companies in Los Angeles. Lori has a Bachelors degree in Political Science from Loyola Marymount University. While an undergraduate student she interned in the White House during George H.W. Bush’s administration. In 1999 she earned a teaching credential from California State University, Northridge. Lori is a leader of two Girl Scout troops, and a member of a book club that has been together for several years. She is an avid reader of all sorts of subjects. She resides in the Los Angeles area with her husband and daughters.
If you haven't read Lori's entry, check it out here, then c'mon back and join us for our interview with her!
Interview by Jill Earl
WOW: First of all, Lori, thank you for taking time out of your very busy schedule to chat with us. Many congratulations for being a runner-up in our contest! How does it feel?
LORI: It is great to be recognized for my work. I am relatively new to writing and this is the first time I've shared my work outside of a writing class I have been taking on and off for the last few years.
WOW: We’re glad that you stayed with your writing class, because you did such great work in creating your story! Speaking of which, can you tell us a bit about it and what inspired you to write it?
LORI: I was with a dear friend whose husband died in a motorcycle accident and left her with three children to raise on her own. The timing of the accident coincided while we were having an impromptu playdate at another friend's house after school. There were nine kids running around in the backyard letting off steam from a long week and the other moms and I were in the kitchen laughing over an art project my daughter brought home from school. We all dispersed and a few hours later I got the call about the sudden death of my friend's husband. It happened during our visit. Since then I have been haunted by how a person's life can be changed forever while going about their usual routine.
WOW: Thank you for your willingness to share such a difficult time with us. It’s so true that we tend not to realize how quickly life can change for us, until something like what you described happens.
Let’s talk about your writing habits. Can you tell us about them?
LORI: I do my best work when I'm enrolled in a writing class and I have to turn in an assignment.
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By: Jill,
on 5/11/2010
Blog: WOW! Women on Writing Blog (The Muffin) (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Jill Earl, Fall 2009 Flash Fiction Contest, Lori Strauss, Add a tag
By: Annie,
on 5/3/2010
Blog: WOW! Women on Writing Blog (The Muffin) (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: LuAnn Schindler, Fall 2009 Flash Fiction Contest, Jacquelyn Malone, Add a tag
Jacquelyn's story, The Hair, is a must read. Head over to the contest page if you haven't had the opportunity to peruse this flash piece.
Jacquelyn: When I wrote this story, a friend of mine had just lost a child. Her sadness reminded me of my mother’s—she never got over the death of my brother. Both occurrences made me certain that the death of a child is probably the most devastating emotional experience anyone can endure. As I began to think about the story, I wondered what would happen to someone already emotionally frail. What if the person were slightly paranoid? How would the trauma of a child’s death affect such a person?
I see Ben as someone whose reaction to Eddy’s death has been severe enough to disable him, but until the story begins, he has been taking medications that keep the paranoia under control.
WOW: I'm intrigued by the questions you considered. They definitely create tension and build a strong sense of empathy with readers. Establishing tension between characters is essential in moving a storyline forward. How does paranoia affect Mabel, Ben’s wife?
Jacquelyn: As a calm, perceptive person, Mabel is Ben’s opposite. She is worried about her husband and sees signs that indicate a renewal of what was an earlier severe mental breakdown.
WOW: You do an excellent job of creating tension and extending it throughout the piece. The momentum pushes toward the climax, creating an ending that is open to interpretation. Does Ben try to end his life, as well as Mabel’s?
Jacquelyn: I’m not sure Ben is out to kill Mabel as Mabel. He is out to get whatever took his son. He sees the same type wire in her hair, which means Mabel may no longer be Mabel. Whatever evil force took Eddy may now inhabit his wife. I saw his act as rash, instantaneous, and desperate. I wasn’t thinking of him trying to kill himself, though I can see why you might think that.
WOW: The
By: Margo Dill,
on 4/20/2010
Blog: WOW! Women on Writing Blog (The Muffin) (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Margo L. Dill, Fall 2009 Flash Fiction Contest, Catherine Jones, Add a tag
The Muffin is happy to interview Catherine E. Jones who had a winning flash fiction story, "Peace Still and Blue" in the Fall 2009 WOW! contest. Here's a little information about Catherine: She has been creating stories ever since the first time she put pen to paper, and in 2005 made the cover of Downstate Stories with her short story, "Witches Wand." She lives in a small house made colorful and noisy by three awesome children and the love of her life. She makes her living as a firefighter/EMT and feels truly blessed not only to be employed in her chosen field but to have enough time left over to pursue her writing career. Currently, she is polishing her first novel and harboring high hopes!
WOW: Catherine, thanks for talking with The Muffin readers today about your writing and flash fiction contest win. What gave you the idea for your winning story, "Peace Still and Blue?"
Catherine: The idea for "Still and Blue" actually came about after a call I had been on; and while the characters are wholly fictional, the bare bones of the story were based in fact. Mostly, what we do in the
WOW: It is easy to see why that kind of scene would stay with you. I like how you said it nagged at the back of your mind until it turned into a story. I think many writers have similar experiences with story ideas. What are the themes you wanted to explore in this story?
Catherine: The most obvious theme in my story was, of course, one of death and sorrow; but I like to think that I salvaged it a little b
By: MP,
on 4/6/2010
Blog: WOW! Women on Writing Blog (The Muffin) (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Runner up, Flash Fiction Contest, Fall 2009 Flash Fiction Contest, Martha Katzeff, Science Fiction, speculative fiction, Add a tag
Martha Katzeff is very excited to have her first submission to a WOW! contest be among the top ten finalists. She has been writing for several years and takes classes at the Gotham Writers’ Workshop. She wrote an essay for Masters Cycling called “My Clown Bike” about her hot pink bicycle and recently had a piece of flash fiction titled “The Farm” published in 365 Tomorrows. Martha swims competitively with a Masters Swim team and wrote an essay about being a slow competitor called “Life in the Slow Lane” for the USMS website. She is married with two grown children, lives in the Bronx and likes to knit, read and travel.
interviewed by Marcia Peterson
WOW: Congratulations on placing as one of the Runners Up in our Fall 2009 Flash Fiction contest! What inspired you to enter the contest?
Martha: I have a good friend who is also a relatively new writer and we're both always looking for contests to test our skills and storytelling abilities. I like the challenge of competing against other writers in a contest. It levels the playing field.
WOW: Could you tell us a little about your story and what encouraged the idea behind “Get a Fresh Killed Chicken?"
Martha: I initially entered a contest open only to Bronx writers and I wrote a memoir about shopping with my grandmother and mother. When I didn't win that contest, I re-wrote the story as fiction, throwing in a little bit of a speculative fiction/ghost story twist to it.
WOW: Great idea to play around with the story—it worked out well for you. Since you've taken several writing classes, we'd love to know which ones have been your favorites and why?
Martha: My favorite writing classes have been through Gotham Writers' Workshops. I started with Science Fiction I and moved to Science Fiction II which I've taken a few times (online). The instructor for most of the classes has been Michaela Roessener—the author of several wonderful science fiction/fantasy novels. She's very encouraging and loved the idea that one of her homework assignments morphed into this prize winning story!
Science Fiction (or speculative fiction as it's called now) allows me to express my outrageous opinons through fiction in a way that mainstream fiction does not. In sci fi, there are unlimited worlds and experiences to write about.
WOW: It's always interesting to learn about other people's writing routines. Could you tell us when and where you usually write? Do you have favorite tools or habits that get you going?
Martha: I'll probably get into trouble for this, but I do most of my writing at work. Whether for better or worse, I have a low stress job with lots of down time. (I will absolutely not divulge where I work!) Sometimes I write on Sunday while my husband is watching some sporting event. I like the distraction—it helps me think. I wish I did have favorite tools or habits that get me going. I'd write more. That's why I like taking classes—it’s good impetus to keep going.
WOW: Too bad you can’t tell us where you work! I agree that taking writing classes is a great way to force yourself
Posted on 3/30/2010
Blog: WOW! Women on Writing Blog (The Muffin) (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: LuAnn Schindler, Fall 2009 Flash Fiction Contest, Stacy Post, Twist in the Sky, Add a tag
By: Margo Dill,
on 3/15/2010
Blog: WOW! Women on Writing Blog (The Muffin) (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Margo L. Dill, James Tipton, Fall 2009 Flash Fiction Contest, Add a tag
You might recognize James Tipton since this is the THIRD time he has placed in the WOW! flash fiction contests. You'll want to make sure and read his third place winner, "Getting to the Bottom of the Girl in the
Blue-Jean Cut-Offs."
Here's some information about James in case you haven't met him before:
James Tipton lives in the tropical mountains of central Mexico where he writes short poems and short fiction. He is also a columnist for and Associate Editor of El Ojo del Lago and El Ojo del Mar, monthly magazines published in Mexico for the English-speaking community. He is also book review editor for Mexico Connect, the largest online source for “all things Mexico”. He has published more than 1,000 short stories, poems, articles, and reviews in North American magazines, including Esquire, The Nation, Christian Science Monitor, American Literary Review, and Field.
His book of poems Letters from a Stranger (with a Foreword by Isabel Allende) won the Colorado Book Award in 1999.
His most recent collections of short poetry are published in bilingual (Spanish and English) editions: Washing Dishes in the Ancient Village/Lavando platos en el antiguo pueblo and All the Horses of Heaven/Todos los Caballos del Paraíso. He is currently completing a collection of short stories set in Mexico, Three Tamales for the Señor.
Washing Dishes in the Ancient Village is available through Bread & Butter Press/1150 S. Glencoe/Denver, CO 80246, $10.95 plus $3.00 shipping & handling. All the Horses of Heaven is available through www.themetpress.com, $12.95 plus $4.00 shipping & handling.
By: MP,
on 3/2/2010
Blog: WOW! Women on Writing Blog (The Muffin) (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: first place winner, Fall 2009 Flash Fiction Contest, Leigha Butler, Add a tag
Leigha Butler teaches and writes in New York's beautiful Hudson Valley region. Her stories and non-fiction are inspired by the landscapes and waterways she has encountered—from the Long Island Sound to the Yellow River to the forested kids-only diving holes of her childhood. She teaches Writing and Environmental Literature as an adjunct professor at two colleges in the region. She earned her masters degree in Literature & Environment from the University of Nevada, Reno where class was often conducted on a hiking trail or over a potluck supper. In order to polish several stories and essays that sit, dusty, on her hard drive, she plans to attend Chatham University's Nature Writing MFA program in the fall. When she's not agonizing over a sentence, she's likely reading, kayaking, doing her sun salutations or catching up on the worst of reality TV (one has to be versed in the culture of her students, after all).
You can find her work at: http://www.everydayfiction.com/riding-in-circles-for-love-by-leigha-butler/ and http://gloomcupboard.com/2010/01/03/prose-113/. Or submit a story to her community-writing blog: http://talesfromthedomicile.blogspot.com/.
Interview by Marcia Peterson
WOW: Leigha, congratulations on your first place win! How do you feel?
Leigha: Thanks. I feel wonderful! I was so impressed by the second and third-place stories; I’m honored that "Kayana's Secret" was chosen to be in their company.
WOW: Could you tell us a little about your story and what encouraged the idea behind “Kayana’s Secret"? I’m guessing it may have been inspired by a place from your childhood.
Leigha: When I was little, my brothers and I loved to jump off of this particular pier into the Long Island Sound. My mother trusted me to determine whether tide was high enough to make our jumps safe, the scary implication being that my brothers’ lives were in my hands. The responsibility weighed heavily, but it marked my transition into adulthood and adventure for me.
In the story, Kayana experiences a similar rite of passage, made possible by her older sister. Devil’s Hole and Neversink Crag from the story combine several of these diving pools from my childhood. I still find my way to these kinds of jumping spots every summer. There is something so intriguing about how dangerous these places are, and yet how – again and again – they draw so many curious kids.
WOW: You switch between third person and second person narrative modes in the story in a very effective manner. It’s an interesting choice—and a hard one to pull off successfully. What made you decide to approach the story this way?
Leigha: I have written and re-written this story so many times, from so many different points of view! There’s a special kind of immediacy a writer can achieve, I find, with the second person point of view. Then again, as a reader, I get annoyed with the second person sustained. In the end, my decision to mix it up was the result of lots of experimentation and lots
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