Tag: Short Fiction

Interviews

Interview with Jack Stilborn

Pauline Shen

In this post, we’ll be hearing from Canadian author Jack Stilborn. Check out his bio:

Jack Stilborn lives in Ottawa, Canada, and writes fiction and short stories. The Tyranny of Good Intentions, his debut novel about love, death and a great deal of politics on a condominium board, is now available from Chicken House Press.

Photo Credit: South March Studio, Kanata, ON

He showed early promise with a comic story that made a cousin laugh so hard she threw up. He was then deflected by studies (double major in political science and English literature at the University of Saskatchewan; politics and philosophy B.A. at Oxford University; PhD. with dissertation on the thought of Alexis de Tocqueville at Western University). After that came life as a policy research analyst (Parliament), intergovernmental affairs advisor (Ontario government) and public servant (Ottawa). He also enjoys cycling, kayaking and (recently) cold water swimming; family life (Alex, Jessica, Christine and partner Linda); participating on volunteer boards and lots of reading, especially literary fiction and history.

Jack, tell us how the concept for your debut novel The Tyranny of Good Intentions came about. What helped propel you forward to finish the manuscript?

I have served on several condo boards of directors, as well as other volunteer boards. I started doing this while still working on my long-term day job as a research analyst working for Parliament (federalism and parliamentary governance issues). At a certain point, the light went on and I realized how much of national political life is captured in relations and behavior on these smaller boards. I was propelled forward because writing was a pleasure for me, perhaps an escape. Also by curiosity about how Andrew, the protagonist, would deal with challenges that are part of democratic citizenship.

The novel’s protagonist, Andrew Walmer, suddenly finds himself roped into a microcosm of our own societal landscape. What difficulties did you experience while constructing the plot? Did you have doubts while writing the draft?

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Candid Talks, Writing

How to Choose a Literary Journal …for Submitting Your Work

Pauline Shen

If you’re writing for publication, you need to know where your work will fit. After you’ve written a short story (or poem, or nonfiction piece…), you’ll need to send it somewhere. But where? Do you simply send your work to any and all journals that have an open submission call?

Or should you devote some time to reading current literary journals? It is a good idea to look for the best fit for your writing, so you ought to consider reading a selection of journals first. Now wait… there are so many literary journals out there! So, to avoid being overwhelmed I’ve developed a system to help narrow the field when you’re just starting out. It goes like this:

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Interviews

Interview with Laura Frost

Pauline Shen

In this post, we’ll be hearing from author and writing contest judge Laura Frost. Check out her author bio:

Photo credit: S.L. @2beinthemoment

Laura Frost is an award-winning author of novels and short stories, and her debut novel, Seeking Sasha, will hit bookshelves this fall. Laura has been published in numerous journals and collections, and she is a returning judge for an international short story competition. An amateur baker and former wildlife biologist from northern Canada, Laura explores the world with her family, seeking out adventure to both calm and stir her writing muse. 

Laura, you’ve been practicing creative writing since childhood but only recently began submitting work for publication consideration. What drove your decision to begin sending manuscripts out? Has getting published changed how you view your own writing?

Although I’ve dabbled in writing my whole life, completing my first novel was the turning point in my writing journey. I hadn’t written my novel with the intent to publish, but both my cousin and my husband read my draft and enjoyed it so much, they begged me to get it published so they could share it with others.

As I quickly learned, getting a book published is no easy feat. Because the publishing industry is so competitive, I decided to write short stories and submit them to literary magazines as a way to build my author portfolio and grow my audience, and I continued to write novels as I worked through the process of submissions. I have now been published in ten different magazines and collections, an accomplishment which has been an important part of my journey towards finding a publisher for my debut novel. 

Having numerous short stories published has allowed me to trust in myself more as a writer, and to not get as discouraged when rejections land in my inbox. I have learned just how subjective the publishing industry is. If one of my stories doesn’t work for a particular publisher, it doesn’t mean it’s bad, it’s just not the right fit for them. Rejections and acceptances have helped me hone my skills as a writer, and they have helped build confidence in myself while also keeping me grounded.

Tell us how your book idea for Seeking Sasha came about. Did you have doubts while working on the draft? Laura, what helped propel you forward to finish the manuscript?

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Interviews

Interview with T.L. Tomljanovic

Pauline Shen

In this post, we’re hearing from T.L. Tomljanovic, freelance writer and communications specialist located in British Columbia, and member of the Federation of BC Writers. We’ll hear about T.L. Tomljanovic’s writing journey, recent publications, and some advice for new writers on ways to branch out and become part of the larger writing community.

You have a background as a freelance communications consultant, and then you got into writing fiction more recently. How long have you been writing overall and what made you decide to explore fiction?

I’ve been writing professionally for about 20 years. My first paid gig was for a Calgary publisher where I worked as a photo researcher. Outside my usual nine to five, I researched and wrote children’s non-fiction books to spec meaning I had a very clear set of guidelines—word count, reading level, chapter headings, etc. I always wanted to write fiction—I was and still am a voracious reader—but my fear of failure paralyzed. It took the bigger fear of the pandemic lockdown in 2020 to spur me into action. I wrote a story about a goat hunter and Carousel Magazine published it.

Your fictional stories span multiple genres—literary, science fiction, horror, and so on. What inspires your stories and what are your go-to strategies to ensure that you can approach your work-in-progress with enthusiasm?

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Story Reviews

Point of no return. Commentary on Brigid Swanick’s “Little White Lies”

Pauline Shen

What happens when you lean-in to heartache? When you take the bitterness and wrap it around yourself like a cloak? When you harness sadness as a means to grab attention from others rather than explore within for true fulfilment? Brigid Swanick’s “Little White Lies” examines the process and outcome of a character who chooses just that. “Their questions and concerns, their desire to help me,” says our narrator-protagonist, “their intense focus entirely on me made me obsessed, made me visible in a world that was otherwise indifferent.”

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Interviews

Interview with Anne Wilkins

Pauline Shen

In this post, we’ll be hearing from the delightful Anne Wilkins, contest-winning writer of science fiction and horror, based out of New Zealand. Anne shares her experience with writing contests, anthologies, and persisting past letters of decline. Anne also opens up on the personal side of balancing writing with life events, family, and career decisions.

Anne, you’ve got heaps of writing achievements! Multiple contest awards, several runner-up spots and honorable mentions, and an ever-growing list of publications. How long have you been writing and what made you decide to enter competitions?

Oh wow, that’s so kind of you to say because I still very much feel like a beginner. I was that kid that loved creative writing in school, from primary right through to high school, but by the time I got to university there was no time for it. All I ended up doing at university was essays, most of them very boring (Land Law — I’m looking at you). Then fast forward to a career where I was a family lawyer, and I was kind of writing stories, but true ones, in affidavit form.

When I had children, I think I finally had the time and the head space to write creatively again. Most of my beginning stories were written for my children, stories about cats, fairies, witches. I realised how much I missed that creative side of my life — the joy you get from coming up with an idea, and transforming it into a story for someone to read.

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Story Reviews

Withheld. Commentary on Lisa Ferranti’s “The Eulogy Competition”

Pauline Shen

Meet our narrator, “I’m the youngest, nicknamed Flaky Suzy.” She’s one of three siblings and has just lost her mother. Someone’s got to write the eulogy. “Three days before her funeral,” we learn, “in an uncharacteristic act of democracy, Dad tells the three of us to decide who will deliver the eulogy.” And so, here we have the portrait of a family, each member with his or her own disposition and traits, and to each a unique set of memories surrounding mom’s life that intersect with family dynamics. Suzy’s narration, however, includes not just her unique take, but a hidden strand of events.

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Story Reviews

Rawr. Commentary on Alison Wassell’s “A Stupid Rubber Dinosaur”

Pauline Shen

It can all change in the blink of an eye. Or, in this case, with a toy “dinosaur in the middle of the road.” But what changes as the narrator in Alison Wassell’s “A Stupid Rubber Dinosaur” illustrates the story is a matter of perspective. And this narrator tugs the reader into both the incident and the outcome by head and heart.

Continue reading “Rawr. Commentary on Alison Wassell’s “A Stupid Rubber Dinosaur”” →