Today I talk to Karen Arnold about her work

 We have recently published Karen's Flash Fiction collection, Horse Dreams

 

  

 I note that we have something in common – we both grew up in the Black Country. Does anything from your childhood influence your stories?  

1.       Yes, definitely, and ways that took a long time for me to really appreciate. The Black Country is a curious, overlooked place, with strange green edges to it’s boundary (a boundary which often causes debate as to where it really begins and ends!) It was an industrial landscape when I was small, and post industrial by the time I was an adult, and that changing landscape, it’s relics and left behinds have a haunting quality. Many of the working-class people I grew up with worked hard and played hard, and that shift into the Saturday night glamour from the working week felt like a powerful ritual. There was a unique smell to the air of the Black Country which has always stayed with me, of fire and oil and heat (my father was a foundry man when I was small, and I think the smell came home on his overalls!) He was also a keen angler, so the canals that run through the landscape and the country side at the edges were as much a playground for me as the streets and edge lands of our town. But I think I also soaked up a sense of the deep age and history of the place as I grew up. Even the names of places in the town and of the town itself translate into the names of ancient queens (Ethelfleda Terrace) and Norse Gods (Woden’s Borough) Black Country people tell a good tale, with lots of urban myths (like the elephant in the mines below Dudley Zoo) Even the accent has a special magic to it for me and I will become quite irate when people ask if I am a Brummie.

 

What made you think of the title?

 The title comes from one of the stories in the collection, which was itself inspired by something from my work as a child psychotherapist. I often worked with traveller children, one of whom, a very long time ago, said in a whisper that “she wanted to tell me about the horse dreams”. The dream in the story is of course invented, but it captures that quality of magical thinking and the sense that nothing is only what it seems to be. I felt that sense of an invitation to look closer and to find a sense of enchantment in overlooked places really encapsulated the feel of the collection.

How did you come to know the form of flash fiction?

 I stumbled on it almost by accident about three years ago when I saw something on social media about something called Writers HQ. They were offering an opportunity to take part in a twenty-four days of flash advent challenge. My curiosity piqued and I read on, found out what flash fiction was, wrote twenty-four very short stories that I shared in their on line forum and I was completely hooked! I still write every week with WHQ, as well as reading and critiquing other writers' work and taking part in on line open mike sessions. It opened a door to another world for me and I never looked back. It is such an encouraging and friendly community. I went on to join the Smoke Long Fitness community as well, writing with them each week, joining writers from all over the world in an online community. It means that I write at least one new story every week and as Ray Bradbury said “it’s impossible to write 52 bad stories in a row” ( which does invite the response “ challenge accepted)

 

 What would you say are the advantages in writing in this very short form?

4.       For me, I love the creativity that is produced when there are such tight limits on the form. There has to be a whole narrative arc, whether the story is five hundred, three hundred (or even one hundred) words. Not one word is wasted and you have to get to the very heart of the story you want to tell. I have heard it described as having to arrive late and leave early, diving right into the place where your story is at bursting point. Yet even within this tight structure, there is space for lyrical, poetic language, you can create real tension, and you can be completely genre fluid. I have written flash in every genre except perhaps the western! 

 

 Do you write in any other forms?

5.       Yes, I have written longer short stories, but they have almost always grown out of a piece of flash that just needed a bit more space for the idea to grow to its full size. Over the summer I finished the first draft of a novel that has been bubbling away in my brain for several years, and I’m about to embark on the hard work of editing and filling in the unforeseen plot holes! What I have noticed though is that the experience of writing lots of flash has made me a good critical friend to myself, I’m always wanting to condense things down where I can, to give the ideas the amount of space they need rather than expanding them to fit the space available.

  

Can you tell us something about your writing routine?

6.      With my on-line groups the writing is often in response to prompts, so my writing week has a shape and a rhythm dictated by that. I really enjoy seeing where my mind goes in response to a prompt and for me the cue is almost always a visual one, a response to an image or something ekphrastic. Nine times out of ten I will get the title or a single phrase and that will start the whole ball rolling. I write really quickly, trying not to get in my own way and letting my unconscious do most of the talking. I don’t edit as I go along very much, but I come back afterwards and give it the level of polishing it seems to need. There is no particular time of day when I’m happiest to write, but I do put my writing time in my diary each week so that it doesn’t get eaten up by other things. If I feel like I’m really struggling with a particular story, I either take the dog out for a walk and let the idea stew away while I’m outside or I switch from my keyboard to writing longhand with pen and paper which also seems to mysteriously shake things loose. I write pretty much in silence or with very quiet Radio 3 when I’m writing something new but like the music louder when I’m editing. I also drink a lot of coffee! Finally, when I’m writing something longer, like the novel, or editing something that feels sticky, I use the Pomodoro method to make it more bite sized and manageable.

 

    Do you have any other projects planned?

    I am working on the next draft of a novel. I’m also putting the final touches to a second collection of flash fiction as well as a novella in flash. At the time of writing, I’m putting the final touches to the arrangements for the book launch for Horse Dreams (in the library of the local university) and I’m also getting ready to take the book to Stratford Literary Festival at the beginning of November, where it will be on sale on the local Society of Authors book table. I’m aware that it might seem like a lot of plates to spin, but I came to writing later in life and I’m busy making up for lost time!

 

    You can find your copy of Horse Dreams  here.  

 

Today Michael Barrington tells us something about his writing life

 

 

  

What sort of material do you write? 

 

I write across genres but am particularly attracted to historical novels. It probably stems from my love of history as a child, influenced by a wonderful teacher. I regularly publish short stories and again, mainly fiction, some fantasy and many based on my life’s experiences. I am blessed to have enjoyed a wonderful professional life, and worked in or visited more than 70 countries

What enticed you to be a writer in the first place?  

 As a student at a boys only boarding school, we had an hour and a half every Sunday, of writing time in which we had to produce an essay. Sometimes we were given a theme or topic, but often we could choose our own. I loved this time as my imagination could soar and take me outside a very restrictive environment. I learned to dread Wednesday mornings, however, when they were returned to us and I heard those words, “Barrington, quite good work again. Come out here and read it to the class.”  I was not popular with my classmates!

 

Do you have a writing routine?  

I realized early on that I couldn’t write well without a routine. My first novel took me almost six years, and I said never again. I was working at least 50/60 hours a week as the CEO of a company, and on weekends when I intended to write, my wife usually had other things that needed attention.

 
Once I retired, I realized I did not want to play golf every day, so decided that writing would be my work. I spend at least 40 hours a week either writing, doing research or organizing my files, but always working on my craft.  If I take time off for a round of golf or a day out with my wife, I simply make up my writing time by working longer days.

 

Do you have a dedicated work space?  

 Yes, I have my den surrounded with all my stuff: two computers, external hard drives, (I learned years ago that I needed triple backup of all my writing), ipad, printers, and my stereo music set up. My books are here as I also take time every day to do some reading.

 

Do you call yourself a writer?  

For years I was embarrassed when people referred to me as a writer, even though I had already written a couple of novels and published some short stories. I felt like a fraud. Then I joined a writers' club with one hundred and sixty members and was quickly elected vice president. I had to chair meetings, organize events and my public speaking engagements increased. I was introduced and referred to as a writer, author and I decided it was true. It was my full-time work, so yes, I needed to get comfortable with the title.
I was also approached by a member who said I needed to improve my marketing materials, including my website. I had to face the reality; I was a writer!

 

How supportive are your family and friends?  

I am fortunate. My family and friends are very supportive. My wife is a professional artist, a painter, so she needs a lot of time for her work. That works out well. Most of my friends are writers. I also have a sister who lives close by; she is also a writer. We talk almost every day. My family in the UK not only buys my books, but has become quite a sales force for me.
 

Do you have any goals for the future?  

Future goals. I am currently writing a historical fiction based on the Battle of Bamber Bridge. It took place in 1943, and there was a ‘wild west’ type shootout in the village between white US military police and groups of colored soldiers. No such book currently exists.
 

In the new year, I will be working on a nonfiction book. A colleague who has been doing research for the past twenty-five years, is only interested in making short videos. He is giving me all of his research concerning recovered German dog tags from World War II. That will be exciting but quite challenging.

 

Which writers have inspired you?  
 

By the time I was eighteen, I had read all of Dickens, Jane Austen, and many of the classics — all staple, boarding school ‘food. As a schoolboy, it was the angry young men whose writings I devoured; Kingsley Amis, John Braine, and John Osborne.  I loved Edna O’Brien, for her command of vocabulary, language, and expression. She became my muse. I spent ten years in Africa and discovered an unknown treasure trove of writers, all of whom have in some way affected my writing; Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Nadine Gordimer, and Flora Nwapa.
 

I am fortunate to read in both French and Spanish, and I can remember the first time I read Antonio Machado and the poetry of Pablo Neruda. More recently, I have enjoyed works by Mario Vargas Llosa. In French, I found Claude Simon’s writing intriguing, but it was Nathalie Sarraute who shocked me with her ‘anti-novel style’ and focus on interior monologues. 

 
 

Michael Barrington, an award winning, English author has produced 13 books, mainly historical and literary fiction. Four Mile House and No Distance Between Us are his recent novels.  Take a Priest Like You is a memoir. He has published more than 60 short stories and blogs on his website: www.mbwriter.net.

I Challenge You . . . to Call Yourself a Writer

 

 

Easy definition: if you write you are a writer.

 

But do other people take you seriously and do you even take yourself seriously?

 

Sometimes if you say 'I am a writer' you get one of two reactions:

 'Are you rich or famous?' Give over.  If I were famous you'd have heard of me and you clearly haven't.  If I were rich would I be here?

'I've a novel inside me.'  Really? So why haven't you written it?

Some may think you have to be already published to call yourself a writer. One of my creative writing group members told me today about a script he'd had rejected sixteen times. Keep going. You've got at least another forty-two to go. But I would still say he was a writer.  

 

But think of rejections as invitations to rewrite.

 

Some people who are published think they can't call themselves a writer because they're not earning enough money through it. But are they doing other writerly things that are earning money. And even if they have another day job that may be a means to an end; it pays the bills until the writing gains momentum.

These tricks may help:

·     Get a dedicated writing space and if you can, make it sacrosanct.  It took a while but I did manage to train my husband and my father not to disturb me if the study door was firmly shut; if it was a little ajar it was okay to come in – as long as they knocked first. Home too small for a dedicated room? Still find a dedicated space – one particular corner of the kitchen table, the dressing table, the dining table that otherwise is only used on Sundays or when you have guests.

·     Turn up at the keyboard or notebook. Don't wait for inspiration.  

·     See it as a business – you can even let the taxman know what you’re spending.

·     Get informed – read a writers' magazine, join a few forums, find out about your genre, read your genre.

·     Get out to literature events. Find out what other writers are up to.

·     Network

·     Write, write, write, read, read, read  

Today I talk to Maxine Flam, whose story collection, 'Miller and Kelby', we have just published.

 

Why did you decide to set the stories in the 1970s?

I grew up in the 1960s and 70s. I loved the TV shows, the automobiles, and everything about it. I have always enjoyed writing retro stories. My first book was set during the Vietnam War. It was a love story. But I found that the kind of romance novel I wrote wasn’t a big seller. My story wasn’t a bodice ripper or erotica. I wrote a short story that took place during WWII. My father was in the Army and won the Silver Star among other medals. I wondered what it would be like to be on the other side: a German but with the resistance. It was published but it took me over 300 times to find a home for it. I am attempting to turn that story into a novella or novel and pitch it to you. I think it’s part of history that many people would like to forget and that is wrong. But back to the 1970s. Today, TV is very graphic. Showing autopsies, body parts all over the place, rapes. The 1970s didn’t have the forensics they have now with DNA so detectives had to work harder to solve a crime. Use their brains. Kind of like Columbo. In fact, at my first author signing, someone asked me if the book was like a Columbo and I hadn’t thought of it because there are two detectives but I gave it some more thought. Yes, you could compare Miller and Kelby to Columbo because both have to use their brains to solve the crimes.

You show the point of view of the perpetrator. How would you like readers to react to that? 

I was kind of interested in motives. Why does a person do what they do? Why do they kill? Were they a good person and suddenly something happened that turned them bad or were they mentally ill. Were they a victim of a bad homelife? I want the readers to find some pathos with the murderer if there is any to find. If they are psychopathic or sociopathic then no, there is no redemption but some of my murderers were victim of circumstances that you or I could have had happen to us.

Do you have a favourite story in this volume or among the other stories you have written about Miller and Kelby?

I have a three of favorite stories. Two in this book and one that has been published with CaféLit. In this book, I like 'The Alphabet Murders' and 'The Prostitute Murders' and the one on CaféLit is Murders in the Hospital Morgue. The Alphabet Murders was a prostitute taking revenge on her Johns for the way she was treated. 'The Prostitute Murders' was an unknown assailant killing prostitutes and their Johns for some unknown reason. The story on CaféLit was 'Murders in the Hospital Morgue'. This one is special because I was hospitalized last year and was treated so poorly by one of the nurses that all I could do was think about how I wanted to kill her if given the chance. A good friend encouraged me to write the story and submit it to CaféLit. That goes back to what I said earlier about being a good person but having something happen that pushes you over the edge and then you turn into a murderer. Would I have done it if given the chance? I’ll never know because it never happened. I believe for me, no, but that little voice inside me said she needed to pay for being a mean, rotten person. Writing a letter to the hospital wasn’t enough but had she done to another person what she did to me, well, let’s say one day she might not be around. But it did give me enormous satisfaction killing her in my story. Her and the nurse’s aide.

Tell us a little about your writing routine.

I wish I had a routine to talk about. I write when I can. I have a pad and pen that I keep near me to write down ideas. I lie in bed for about an hour before I go to sleep trying to work out plot lines. I’ve gotten up at odd hours of the night to write down possible story lines and then the next day trying to work them out.

What other sort of material do you write?

As I mentioned historical fiction. I like to write darker short stories but not horror. I’ve written a western script. Had a bit of romance in it. I love the western genre but have not pursued it because that’s another genre nobody seems to want. I am in some fan groups from a British TV show from the 70s, The Professionals so I’ve written fan fiction. It’s just for fun. I wrote a short story about a woman having to commit her mother to a psychiatric floor and the hardship they both endured. That was based on a true story. I committed my mother six times before was I forced to put her into a nursing home. I was told a writer should write what they know. I certainly did.

Do you have a favourite crime writer?

I actually don’t have one as strange as that sounds.

Why do you think people enjoy reading crime stories?

The people I have talked to seem to like murders. Many people only want to read true crime and have asked me if my book is true crime, which it isn’t. They seem to want to see if the person is going to get away with it. What is the perfect crime?

Are you working on a project at the moment?

I’m actually working on the WWII albeit slowly. I am working on the sequel to my first fan fiction. And of course, I am constantly trying to think up new adventures for Miller and Kelby. I must keep my hard-working detectives solving crimes. And I have some short stories that have never been picked up that when I have spare time, I look for places to pitch them to.

Do you have any events planned?

Yes, I will be at The Last Bookstore, Studio City, California on Sunday, October 26 from 2-4. The Open Book, Northridge, California on Saturday November 8 from 12-3 and Camarillo Library, Camarillo, California on November 22 from 2-3.

See Maxine's web sit at: 

www.maxine-flam.com

 

 

 

Find a copy of her book here   

 

Today Patrica Striar Rohner talks to me about her novel 2, Poppins Lane - one of our Feisty Women books

 

1. Poppins Lane includes some difficult topics. How was that for you personally?

 Writing about child sexual abuse was challenging for me in a few ways. First, I had to contend with some personal issues, which made the topic sensitive. I didn't want to expose anyone, so I was careful. Second, it was challenging to discuss the stories I had heard over the years as a licensed clinical social worker. I wanted to accurately express the anguish and pain these people had to live with their whole lives. It was essential to do it right.

2. What sort of research did you have to do for the book?   

Some of you may be surprised by how social norms have changed regarding child sexual abuse over time. In Roman and Greek times sex with minors if not the norm, certainly wasn’t frowned upon… particularly with slaves. Emperor Tiberius had some especially horrible practices with children at his estate on Capri. It's important to consider that cultural norms in earlier periods were different. Children were married much younger, and often to older husbands. If the bride was underage, they may wait to consummate things once the girl was sexually able. We today consider a sexual act with a 13 year old as horrific, but it didn't have the same negative connotation then. They didn't necessarily consider it as sexual predation.

 It was the Statute of Westminster the First 1275 (3 Edw 1) during the reign of Edward I that set the legal consent age at 12. Still, historians found records that adults in elite households in 15th- and 16th-century Europe  sometimes treated young children as sexual playthings. According to a diary kept by the royal physician, members of the French royal court fondled Louis XIII (the future King of France) and ladies in waiting played sexual games with him.

 

Additionally, I learned a lot about the types of people who abuse children through my professional work and discussions with colleagues. Letters, diaries, memos, court records, depositions, and lawsuits provided information. Many victims have written memoirs. Here is the take-a-way. THERE IS NO TYPE! Also, sexual abusers are usually someone the victim knows.

 

3. How long did it take you to write it?

 I am a storyteller who writes fiction. It took me over a year to finish this book. Every morning, I wrote for a few hours, and whenever I had a thought, idea, or new revelation, I would jot it down. I had two editors before submitting this work to the publisher. I wanted to craft a fictional story supported by extensive research so it would feel real and believable. I focused on family and community, and my novel follows this family for 35 years. Making the characters believable took a lot of time.

 

4. What can you tell us about the cover?

I took my first art lesson in 7th grade when I was 12 years old and have painted ever since. In Newburyport, Massachusetts, I saw a pink Victorian house on the corner of High and State Streets and wondered who lived there. We called it the "Pepto-Bismol" House because it was the exact pink color. Often, I would drive past this beautiful house. I decided that secrets could be hidden in a house like that; no one would suspect it. I wanted the cover to look pleasing, as if a perfectly normal family lived there, without hinting that anything was wrong. The idea was to make it look like nothing bad was happening in this pretty pink house, but eventually, the secrets revealed themselves. The cover is my oil painting.

 

5. Do you have a favorite character in the story?

My favorite character in the novel is Susan. She is the narrator of the book, the person who tells the story of what happened to her. She has to deal with the aftermath of the abuse, the torment of not speaking, the urges to do it herself. I think she is a gutsy and strong person, and I admire her courage.

 

The other favorite character was Lily, the mother. She took a bit of a beating in the story, having her husband leave her for the proverbial younger woman after devoting her life to helping the doctor. However, she was a resilient woman who partnered with Penny Long, went into business traveling Europe, and became rich and famous. I loved her spirit and her spunk. A modern woman right in my heart!

 

6. Can you tell us a little about your writing process

When I start to write a story, I do it every day. When I'm away from my desk and have a thought, I jot it down in my iPhone. I'm always thinking about the subject. Always reading newspapers, searching for books, exploring other ways to find information, the information I need.  It's like having a baby; when I write a book, I’m developing my story, creating dialogue, and until it’s finished, I keep it close. I try to make it perfect but of course it never is and it’s almost impossible for me to say I’m done. At least one of the stories I’ve written had to go in the fridge for a while as I sorted things out in my mind.

 

7. Do you have any other projects planned? 

I am already working on my next book. It is about a woman who grows up in a small town and makes choices that backfire on her. Still ironing out the plot. 

 

8. Do you have any events planned?

My book launch is scheduled for December 2, 2025, at the Broken Sound Club in Boca Raton, Florida 33496. I anticipate about 75 attendees. Developing dates now for other events in South Florida and Massachusetts. Stay tuned!

 

My Website:

https://www.patriciarohner.com/

 

Meet me on You-tube:

 

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/66CHtBLoyyY

 

Find a copy of the book here