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For anyone who has ever thought the grass might just be greener… WOW! is very happy to share with you Stacey Tarpley’s Fall 2011 Flash Fiction entry Molting. Let’s just say that for our main character it was “just one of those days.” This one will make you smile!

Writing fiction from the time she learned to spell, Stacey Tarpley is a professional story-teller. Her full-time career as a zoo and aquarium designer takes her around the world, meeting amazing, inspiring people and encountering unbelievable experiences. In her free time, she has completed two fiction manuscripts and continuously challenges herself with flash fiction writing.

Stacey has published several professional papers, speaks at national and international conferences, mentors new designers at her firm, and maintains a one-of-a-kind blog, http://www.designingzoos.com/. She looks forward to one day being a full-time, fully-paid author living on a farm filled with happy, cuddly critters.

WOW: Hi Stacey, congratulations on placing in WOW!’s Fall 2011 Flash Fiction Contest! I thoroughly enjoyed Molting and felt you gave it the perfect, albeit sad, ending.

Stacey: Oh thank you! I think it’s a reflection of how life seems to go. At least for me! Happiness is far too often balanced with a healthy dose of sorrow. But, really, the story was just a poke at irony.

WOW: Yes, the irony is the element that makes this story universally appealing.

I have to admit that while reading your bio and viewing your beautiful blog I felt a pang of, “why didn’t I go that direction?” You have this amazing job that includes travel, a creative outlet via habitat design, and the knowledge that you are doing your part to improve life’s experience for our fellow furry and finned friends. Yet, you look forward to settling down to write. How do you balance these two loves?

Stacey: It’s a challenge. My career is one that is wholly encompassing. When I’m in the middle of a project, it really can take up all my time and energy. And the same is true with writing. I get totally wrapped up in the story. That’s why I’ve embraced the flash fiction genre. I can sit down for an hour and let my mind go, but that’s all I need. I’m not going back to the story to analyze the next moment or delving into character development. I write and it’s done. I can explore a whim and walk away.

WOW: In your work as a zoo and aquarium designer you need to be able to experience a space from the viewpoint and needs of the creature it will house. I see this talent expressed in Molting as we experience the same scene from two different view points, that of the birder and that of the duck. In what other ways does your work compliment your writing?

Stacey: Generally, I think it’s very helpful being enveloped in a creative endeavor all the time. My job is a wonderful mix of right and left brain thought—much of zoo and aquarium design is pure logic. Find the best solution to meet the need

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