Short Fiction

"I think that the incomplete memory, or the memory of an experience not fathomed, provides the strongest impetus to imagine, invent, mold, create . . ."

~Josip Novakavich, Criss-Crossed with Stories

Prophetically, I hold a book of Mother Goose rhymes in my first baby portrait. Reading became one of my passions early on. Though I intuit a previous incarnation as a poet, and began writing poetry at age ten in this life, I couldnt imagine ever writing fiction. I thought I lacked the imagination and discipline to master the craft.

After reading literally thousands of picture books to my four kids - they demanded stacks of stories, not just a single story at bedtime - I was bitten by the fiction muse. I began crafting children's stories after the birth of my third child, then tentatively eased into scribbling literary stories for adult readers. I crashed and burned early on until I educated myself about the craft and joined a crit group. Many of my ideas come from my dreams, and I took my first baby steps by crafting stories based on themes in my dream journal.

I'm a voracious reader, consuming on average 50-75 books per year. Before I started writing fiction, I limited myself to reading nonfiction with an occasional fiction "cherry on top," because I rationalized about the importance of real issues. I told myself "entertainment" was frivolous, as though literature had no merit . . . now I know better. We can understand more about human strengths and frailties through vicariously experiencing the trials and tribulations of fiction characters. It's more fun to learn hard lessons the easy way!

I've not had the pleasure of publishing a picture book, but do have a children's story published online, and two others published in national test assessment guides. Four of my literary short stories are published on web sites, and one of these reprinted in a literary journal. I completed three more last summer, two of which were published in Fall 2008. Off-key won a New Short Fiction award on JerryJazzMusician.com (I'm the first writer to win the award twice) and The Upstairs Room is included in the anthology Subtle Edens (Elastic Press, 2008), recently shortlisted as 2008 Best Anthology by the British Fantasy Society.

I'm currently enrolled in the postgraduate creative writing program at Aberystwyth University in Wales. A

slow writer, I tend to complete pieces either one at a time or in cautious duets and triplets, working on them for weeks or months or even years rather than writing in the continual barrage that more prolific and intense storytellers do (I envy their busy minds). With

some luck and the muses' blessing, I'll soon have a full short story collection!