Steven John talks to me about his short story collection, 'Blood and Electricity'

 

How did you come to write short stories?

I started my writing life in poetry. I'd scribbled a few for close friends since adulthood, but after attending a poetry workshop at a local night-school, I was hooked. I started winning poetry competitions and having some work published in online poetry magazines, then I discovered very short fiction, or 'microfiction', which for me is the sibling of 'prose poetry'. My prose poetry morphed into longer flash fiction, and now my writing is more classic 'short story' length. Do I see myself ever writing a full-length novel? Probably not - the short story is my natural habitat.

 

What’s behind the title? 

'Blood and Electricity' is the title of one of the short stories in my collection. I was present at the 'birth' of Punk Rock in Oxford in the 1970s and the story recounts the colours streaming from the windows of the punk music pubs as being of 'blood and electricity'. But the term 'blood and electricity' also worked as a title because it resonates as being the two 'life forces' that keep us alive. Of them biologically, the other now dominating every minute of our lives on Earth. The two life 'forces' also induce a separateness and loneliness within us - a theme of many of my short stories.

 

Do you write in other forms?

I have written a roman-a-clef in novella-in-flash form i.e. linked, short chapters of less than one thousand words each, and will be looking for a publisher in 2025. Novella-in-flash has become a popular form in recent years. Perhaps one of the most highly regarded forerunners of the form is 'The House on Mango Street' by Sandra Cisneros. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys their reading in small bite-size pieces, and a longer story - the best of both worlds!

 

Can you tell us a little about the cover?

With the help of Bridge House designers, I found an image that perfectly mirrored the title, while at the same time reminding me of the bright and flashing lights of my misspent University student days!

 

Are there writers of short stories that you admire?

Two from the past; William Trevor - a master of the English short story, and Raymond Carver - the father of the modern American short story, (some say Hemingway's inheritor). I recommend anyone interested in the craft of the modern short story to study both. Finally, the living Irish writer Kevin Barry, who brings the richness of the Irish vernacular to the short form. I find his work intoxicating.

 

What advice would you give a new writer about the short story form?

Learn how to edit, edit, edit your work. I've never written a story that didn't benefit from a lower word count!

 

Are you working on any other projects?

During 2025 I'm hoping to make headway on a collection of longer short stories, 3k words and above. I'm also enjoying the organisation and leading of creative writing workshops in my local community in Gloucestershire. I've found some amazingly gifted writers who it's been my pleasure to coach and encourage. Helping writers hone their innate talent is immensely rewarding.

 

Do you have any events planned?

We have some excellent literary and book festivals in my part of the world, including Cheltenham, Stroud, Evesham, and of course Hay-on-Wye. I will be working hard on finding some reading opportunities to promote the sales of 'Blood and Electricity'.

 

The photo above is  of me at the recent Stroud Short Stories event reading 'Blueberry Muffins', one of the stories in my collection. I am the record-holder for the number of times invited to read at this popular south-west literary event.

 

Find your copy of Steven's book here