42 Stories Anthology Presents: Jen Mierisch Interview

 Jen Mierisch won the Story of Excellence Award Winner in the Mythopoeia chapter for

THE DAY FRITZ MCROY GOT OFF HIS HIGH HORSE

Aliases in the anthology: 

Renata LeCroix (THE LADY IN BLACK WITH THE MONA LISA SMILE, Mystery chapter) and Abby St. Paris (THE HARD LESSONS HAPPENED ON THE HALF-PIPE, Sports chapter)

 

Biography

Jen Mierisch's dream job is to write Twilight Zone episodes. Until then, she's a website administrator by day and a writer of odd stories by night. Jen's stories can be found in The Arcanist, the No Sleep Podcast, and in numerous anthologies.

  

BAM: Where are you located?

Jen: Lincolnwood, Illinois.

BAM: Where’s your writing space?

Jen: Home and Library

BAM: Name some books you read recently. 

Jen: 

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

The Emerald Mile by Kevin Fedarko

Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia Manasala

Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning by Liz Cheney

^ All excellent books which I highly recommend!

  

BAM: Will check them out. What deceased or living writer do you want to meet?

Jen: I want to meet (1) Richard Peck, because I adored his books so much as a child and still reread them to this day, (2) Roald Dahl, because he seems like such a character and we share a birthday, and (3) Louis Sachar, just to tell him how much I loved the Sideways Stories books and Holes.

 

BAM: Your main distractors while writing are?

Jen: Social media, my kids, and going down rabbit holes of research!

BAM: Very common distractors these days. On editing, do you edit alone, have a friend read your work, or do you hire a professional editor? 

Jen: Mostly alone, but beta readers are the absolute best!

 

BAM: How do you handle story rejection, and celebrate acceptance? 

Jen: I am in a Facebook-based online writing group that does a weekly “Saturday Smackdown” post where we all complain about the rejections we’ve received that week. It’s incredibly cathartic and therapeutic to commiserate with other writers and realize that we’re not alone in our tons of rejections! This same group is great about celebrating acceptances also. We cheer each other on. A supportive writing community is just the best thing.

 

 BAM: "Saturday Smackdown" sounds encouraging. Could you tell me about how you organize writing in your life? 

 Jen: With a day job and two kids, I have very limited free time to write during a typical day. My writing time is after the kids go to bed, and on weekends I’ll also sneak off to the library for a couple hours to write. I’m writing this right now while away in a hotel, having just been to a friend’s wedding! It’s all about seizing what time you do have and then committing to it.

 

Jen's Website

 www.jenmierisch.com 

@jenmierisch on Threads

----

What is the 42 Stories Anthology? It started as 42 Stories Anthology Presents: Book of 42², which is a novel of 42 chapters of 42 stories in each chapter totaling 1,764 42-word stories. The stories themselves have approximately 42-character titles and roughly 42-word bios. In addition, each chapter has 42 covers and 42 Stories of Excellence Awards that were judged by 42 judges. Not only is the project a novel, but also an interview segment called 42 Stories Anthology Presents: Interviews. That’s because the point of the anthology was to publish as many writers as possible into one book of 42-word stories. The authors were limited to four acceptances, and only a few of them have that many works in the book. Thus, the novel has over 1,000 unique and extremely talented wordsmiths. Some are world-famous authors, while others are first-time published writers. In this interview segment, I hope to chat with as many of the people involved with the book as possible, so that their words can reach a maximum audience. Far too many great writers remain unknown, and this is an attempt to let the world know about 1,764 of them who are in a single anthology. So, it’ll really help if you watch, like, and share the videos and blogs.

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Until next time, remember to remember

~Bam and the 42 Stories Anthology Team

 

 

Celebrating the Life of Two Lost Friends: A 42² Blog

It's never easy to lose someone you care about, and over the past year I've lost several friends. 

Most recently, the losses were two of the staff members who helped with the 42 Stories Anthology.  

Among the Project 42² team were Karen L. Milstein (story editor and proofreader) 

 and Terry Groves (main critique partner, formatting editor, and co-proofreader). 

 Terry suddenly passed away August 23, 2024. He was 65. Obituary. 

The news was devastating. In celebration of his life, I made this video dedicated to Terry. 

When learning of the tragic news, I checked up on Karen. Last I heard, she was receiving chemo. Her family contact hadn't emailed me, and previously, I thought no news was good news. Only, upon checking up on her this past weekend, I learned that Karen had succumbed to cancer on July 3, 2023. She was 68. Obituary.

Terry and Karen were core members of the project. Whenever someone was negative about Project 42², they were championing it and encouraging me to move forward and get the project done. 

Karen, along with the award-winner in the Poetic Prose chapter, gave great feedback, which was to change the name of the chapter from Poetry & Prose to Poetic Prose, because the latter is what the genre should be called. 

Then, while under chemo treatment, Karen asked if she could continue to proofread one of the final drafts of the anthology. She did get to read the finalized version. However, she was too sick to continue on with the project during the last two years. Her work on it since 2018 will not be forgotten. When you get 42 Stories Anthology Presents: Book of 42², take a look at the Parent chapter cover of a mother cat feeding her kittens. That art piece was selected because Karen loved cats. She and her husband had several.

Where Karen left off with Project 42², Terry and others picked up. In total, the anthology had four proofreaders. 

That said, when Terry got to the book, he had mentioned it looked great based on Karen's edits. He then designed the contents sections and alphabetized them by last name for each of the 42 chapters. A final touch of Terry's was suggesting that we highlight the Story of Excellence Winner's in a special box so that the story sticks out within the chapter. 

Both Karen and Terry left a mark not only in my life, but in the world with stories you can find. 

As for the anthology, Karen's  

OUR CHILDREN COME IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES, is No. 32 of the Tragedy chapter, under Karen L. Milstein. 

Terry has three works in the book:

A FAIR DAY’S FARE ON THE WAY TO THE AFFAIR, which is No. 21 in the Thriller/Suspense chapter, under Grumpy Old Man

THE SECRETS WE KEEP AND THE DAMAGE THEY DO, which is No. 38 in the Humor chapter, under Grandpa Tiger

THE COLDEST DAY EVER EXPERIENCED IN AUGUST, which is No. 15 in the Humor chapter, under Terry Groves

The three are well-told stories, but the last one under his real name is the best in my opinion because so much happens in 42 words, and there's a solid ending. 

They have more writing that immortalizes them, and I highly recommend that if you want to know about these wonderful human beings, read what they left behind.

Karen's books are on Amazon here. Her favorite of the stories was one with a dragon named Fergus. She wrote Sky Clad Radine, Sky Clad Jalma, Sky Clad Rydul, and the one mentioned, Fergus and the Princess.

Everything Terry-related is on his Linked Tree here. His works available are 

Down the Tiger's Throat, Quest for Gold, Cruising Along, and The Summer of Grumps.

When you appreciate someone in your life, let them know while they're around. My friends who are now gone knew they were appreciated. They appreciated me, too, and it leaves me both sad they're gone, and stronger for knowing such extraordinary people.

Remember, to remember

~Bam

42² Interview: Nicole Ortiz

 Nicole Ortiz, Runner Up Award Winner of the Sports chapter for 

A TOUR OF THE CITY STREETS FROM MY SADDLE       

 Biography

Nicole Ortiz is an editor and writer based in New York’s Hudson Valley. She currently works as a healthcare editor for Morning Brew, and has been published in outlets including Adweek, Marketing Dive, Rewire.org, Greatist, and had a short fiction piece published in literary journal Pigeon Pages. 

 

BAM: Where are you located?

Nicole: Kerhonkson, NY, USA
BAM: Where’s your writing space?
Nicole: Home

 

BAM: Could you tell me some songs that you like?

Nicole: Local Natives, San Fermin, Kishi Bashi, As Tall As Lions, Coheed and Cambria, Milo Greene, The Starting Line, The Hush Sound

 

BAM: I'll check them all out. What are some movies/shows you like?

Nicole: “Mean Girls,” “She’s the Man,” “Past Lives,” “Titanic,” “Children of Men,” “Encanto” Shows: “Parks and Recreation,” “The Office,” “Schitt’s Creek,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Breaking Bad,” “Fleabag,” “Pen15”

 

BAM: Breaking Bad was one of the best. I used to call it the baldy show because 99% of the case had shaved heads. It's okay because so do I. Anyway, what are some of your favorite books?

Nicole: “Neverwhere,” “Fates and Furies,” “Boy, Snow, Bird,” “Pachinko,” “Y: The Last Man,” “Americanah,” “A Thousand Splendid Suns” // David Sedaris, Neil Gaiman, Roxane Gay, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

 

BAM: Great titles and authors you named. What are some books you read recently?  

Nicole: I recently blew through the entire “A Court of Thorns and Roses” and “Fourth Wing” series. I also recently read “The Nightingale,” “Yellowface,” and “Lessons in Chemistry,” which I enjoyed. Currently reading “Maame” and “The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store,” and will probably take on the “Throne of Glass” series soon.

 

BAM: Sarah J. Maas is a fun writer. Let’s get into your writing, though. Tell me about the first story that you ever wrote.

Nicole: The first story I wrote was not published, but it was a memorable experience from my first-ever college creative writing class. I wrote a story called “Monster,” which was from the perspective of a young girl in an abusive household. It was impactful to share with my class because, until that point, a lot of the stories had been pretty lighthearted and silly. It made for in-depth conversation and changed the tone of class for that day.

 

 

BAM: Monster sounds like a gripping story. Your other successes show it at least led you to more. Could you tell me about your writing goals?
Nicole: I’d like to write a children’s book, possibly turned into a series. I’ve also brainstormed a book of short stories and maybe one day a novel. But for the short term, I’m trying to get into a regular writing cycle again to at least write a few times a week again and revise some existing short pieces I have that I got notes on.

 

BAM: Thank you. Readers will surely enjoy your story in the anthology and others works. To close, please tell everyone where they can find you on social media.

Nicole: 

Instagram, X, and Threads @neco_ornot

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicoleelizabethortiz/ 

Website: https://nicoleisortiz.com/  

 

 

 

42 Stories Anthology Presents: M. Huw Evans Interview

 

M. Huw Evans, Special Guest Judge of the Dystopia/Utopia chapter

 

Biography:

M. “Huw” Evans writes and edits in Seattle. He attended Clarion West, Kij Johnson’s novel workshop, and UW’s editing program. Huw co-edited the anthology Pocket Workshop and co-published Ex Marginalia. He’s working with three others to start a new small press: Homeward.

Video Interview

BAM: Where are you?

Huw: Seattle, Washington, USA

 

BAM: Where’s your writing space?

Huw: My cozy little study at home—though when I’m really into a project, I can write anywhere (so long as I’ve got my earbuds in).

 

 

BAM: Could you tell me about your target audience?

Huw: Last year, I wrote a novel for my kids—I realized that I had a very limited window in which to write a kid’s book for my kids while they were still kids. It was the most fun I’ve ever had writing, and I think that had a lot to do with knowing exactly who my audience was. Going forward, I want to try this with other writings—choosing a very specific audience and keeping those readers close in my head whenever I’m writing.
Also, always in my head when I’m writing are the voices of two of my Clarion West instructors, Connie Willis and Stephen Graham Jones, so I guess I’m always writing to them a bit, too.

 

 

BAM: Is there something you passionately want the human race to stop doing that might subtly appear in your writing?

Huw: So many things. Today, the one that comes to mind is cutting down the trees in cities in order to squeeze in more big, ugly modern houses.

 

 BAM: While writing, do you play music, or watch shows/movies?

Huw: I never watch shows or movies while writing—I’m too easily distracted—but I do listen to music. It has to be either music that I know so well that it goes in one ear and out the other without involving the conscious part of my brain too much or music that is kind of monotonous in some way. It could be repetitive electronic music, impressionist piano, renaissance choral or lute music. Sometimes I just put my earbuds in with no sound at all, and this helps me focus (it also lets my family know that I’m trying to work).

 

BAM: What deceased or living writer do you want to meet?

Huw: Hard to narrow it down to one. I’ve been super lucky to have met many of the living writers whom I most admire. I regret never having met Ursula Le Guin, so she’s definitely on my list of deceased authors to meet. 

 

Also, H. G. Wells, Jane Austen, and Victor Hugo. For living authors … hmmm … maybe Viet Thanh Nguyen, China Mieville, Susanna Clarke, Philip Pullman … there are a lot.

 BAM: What inspires you to write?

Huw: More than anything, it’s other books that inspire me to start writing. I’ll go long periods without writing, and usually what pulls me back in is reading some really wonderful passage in a novel—or maybe it’s a poem or even a quote someone posted online—but usually it’s a novel. Sometimes it’s an idea or a metaphor that strikes something in me and gets me thinking in new ways. When a piece of writing really moves me or changes the way that I see the world or understand other people, that makes me want to write—makes me want to have that same kind of effect on others. And then the thing that keeps me writing once I’ve gotten going is the stream of new things that emerge—the things I had never expected or intended but which find their way out of my brain onto the page. I don’t plan ahead very much when I write—at least not for first drafts—but even when I do try to plan out scenes or progressions of events, I almost always end up surprising myself. I’ll be writing what I’d expected to be a straightforward scene for getting characters from point A to point B while communicating important story information (and hopefully keeping the reader entertained), and then, suddenly, I’ll find that there’s a deep philosophical conversation going on between the lines, and it’s real-world stuff that I’ve been stewing over but that I hadn’t seen as connected in any way to the work-in-progress, and it makes the scene so much more interesting than I’d ever have imagined it could be. That’s what keeps me going—the surprises. There aren’t enough surprises in life; I treasure them when they show up.

 

BAM: If you ever get writer's block, how do you overcome it?

HUW: I’ve heard lots of different definitions of writer’s block. For me, the most useful one is inability to write the thing that I want to be writing at the time that I want to be writing it—despite having ideal conditions for writing. I’ve had this happen. I’m not a very disciplined writer, and I don’t set myself hard deadlines (and outside of academic settings, I’ve never written to anyone else’s deadlines), so when I can’t manage to write the thing I want to be writing, I just accept that something in me isn’t really ready to write it yet—no matter how much I might want to—and so I either write something completely different (a poem, an essay, a journal entry, a few paragraphs of foodie porn) or I stop writing and do something else altogether (play music, make art, walk in nature, play games with kids). Also, having kids is just a fantastic resource for writers in general—if I’m stuck because I can’t see my way through a plot problem or can’t understand a character’s motivations, I’ll often tell my kids about the scenario (sometimes in an age-appropriate diluted form) and let them pick it apart. They’re really great at helping me see why something’s not working, and often that’s enough to get me unstuck. Overall, though, for me, maybe the most useful thing is to tell myself that every phase of a writing project—including the “stuck” times—are part of my brain’s process, and that in order to write my best work, I need to accept and embrace the signals my brain’s giving me: if the way is blocked, find another way … or just wait for the block to melt.

 

Huw’s Social media:
Website 

Blue Sky 

Instagram

42 Stories Anthology Presents: Interview with Caitlin Cacciatore

 

Special Guest Judge of 

the Outer Space Chapter

 

Video Version

Biography

Caitlin Cacciatore won first prize in Bacopa Literary Review 2020 for the poem “Sacrament,” was long-listed for the international erbacce-prize in 2021, 2022, and 2023, and was nominated for 2024's 'Best of the Net' Anthology with the poem "Still Life with Roses."

 

BAM: Where are you currently located?

Caitlin: Arverne by the Sea, New York City

 

BAM: Where’s your writing space?

Caitlin: My living room desk, surrounded by my wax seals (I keep an extensive correspondence with various pen pals, literary and otherwise), washi tape, my sticker collection, and no less than five open books at any given time.

 

BAM: Do you have a writer circle?

Caitlin: I have been fortunate to have many mentors and literary friends who uplift me when times are tumultuous, critique my work when I ask, and provide advice and pass along their wisdom if ever I find myself at a crossroads. The constellation of writers I surround myself with includes authors in all stages of their careers and at all levels of success, from those who are just beginning to make a name for themselves to people who are internationally recognized for their efforts in the literary world. We share a thirst for excellence, a deep and enduring love of the English language, and a wish to leave our mark upon the literary canon. All the writers I keep company with are shining jewels, guiding lights by which I might set my compass. Whenever I think of them, I am overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude for everyone who believed in me, even when I didn’t quite believe in myself.

 

BAM: You mentioned individuals who are recognized for their effort. Well, who do you write to when you picture your reader, or who is your target audience?

Caitlin: I picture my target audience as anyone who is lonely or bereaved, heartbroken and in need of a way by which to feel truly seen. I suppose that in some ways, I am still writing for the lonely little girl inside of myself. I picture my reader curled around my book with a steaming cup of tea, coffee, hot chocolate, or apple cider, with the wind howling outside, a blizzard rolling in from the mountains, but she is safe and warm and secure. Perhaps she has a dog or a cat nestled in the space between her legs, and another in her lap. I picture someone who will take great comfort from my words – who will be so engaged in my story that the wind will cease, and the snow will stop and when she looks up from my book, the storm will have passed.

  

BAM: Very poetic. Tell me, what’s the best way to write?

Caitlin: The best – although far from the only – way to write is passionately. Write like your life depends on it, or better yet, write like your legacy rides upon it. Write when you’re not supposed to be writing. (Please do not attempt this advice in a vehicle or vessel you are commanding.) Write as if you’re the only one in the entire universe who can tell this story – because chances are that no one else in the world can tell your story in the vibrant detail it deserves. No matter when or why or what or even how much you write, remember that your words hold weight: the power of creation is a heady one to wield, so channel your writing – all that fire, all that fury – into something that makes you feel alive.

 

BAM: I can relate. So, Caitlin, when did you realize you liked writing?

Caitlin: The moment I fully understood the magic and the alchemy of putting words together on a page to form sentences, paragraphs, and entire stories that were more than the sum of their individual parts, I was hooked. Words fascinate me; they always have. I am entranced by the way they come together and by their ability to tease apart the deeper meaning of life. I wrote my first book at the age of 3 or 4, dictated to my wonderful mom and diligently bound by her. We still have it.

 

BAM: Sounds like you have a wonderful and supportive mother. Speaking of inspiration, what inspires you to write?

Caitlin: Writing is central to my identity. At heart, I’m a poet. At the bottom of the hour, at the end of the day, I know I can turn to the keyboard and find solace. I write because I have so many stories to tell, so many I fear that some of them will go untold.

 

BAM: What do you mean?

Caitlin: For me, writing is an act of seeking – I am always in search of great and lasting truths to tell in my poetry: messages that are vital and speak to the human condition today, tomorrow, and – if we are so fortunate – a thousand years from now. What is central to our humanity has not changed since the rise of literature and the beginning of the written record. There are universal truths about what it means to be human. I often take ancient themes and motifs off the shelf and dust them off for generations to come. I recognize how difficult it is to walk the line between being fresh, new and innovative – and also pay homage to the literary and cultural heritages of the world. My work draws heavily upon themes of classical antiquity.

 

BAM: What else?

Caitlin: I take great pleasure in finding precise words, a pithy turn of phrase, a beautiful new metaphor, an unexpected motif. I write to be surprised – I’m a discovery writer, after all. 

 

BAM: Could you tell me more about that discovery?

Caitlin: Ultimately, I write as an act of rebellion – for all of my foremothers who grew up in a world where women’s education and literacy were limited. My ancestors were mostly self-educated. I come from a long line of brave, brilliant women. In Italian, they call us strega. I write for the same reason my great-great-grandmother ran a black market for medicine in fascist Italy, and for the same reason her husband wore a yarmulke in solidarity with the Jewish population during WWII.

 

BAM: Very brave.

Caitlin: I also write for my grandmother – who had all the best stories and who was a skilled orator both in English and Italian yet lacked the education to write them all down.

  

BAM: I'd love to read some of that work. On that note, tell me about your writing goals.

Caitlin: I’m working on editing a climate fiction novel about the world’s last library, set 250 years in a future very much informed by the book bannings of today. My goal is to be a successful novelist – to move people with my stories and make a living writing.

 

BAM: Really? How so?

Caitlin: I break my more short-term writing goals into weekly units. I set ambitious goals, so I don’t always meet word-count or page-count goals – but I’ve still beaten my annual word-count total three years in a row.

 

BAM: What are you up to now?

Caitlin: My current writing projects include compiling, rearranging, and editing various chapbooks – one on romantic themes, one addressing ecological themes; another relatively obscure one about obols. I am trying to find an agent for my poetry and have recently started sending out queries. I’ve gotten into songwriting and am collaborating with a friend who is a brilliant, award-winning pianist to put music to our first single.

 

BAM: Wow. And as for your current goals?

Caitlin: My loftier goals include becoming a Poet Laureate, whether of my state or of the nation – and when I am older, perhaps joining those vaulted ranks of Nobel Prize Winners in Literature.

 

BAM: Thank you. 

 

Caitlin's Social Media

Author Website 

Poetry:

“Cli-Fi” 

“Still Life with Roses” 

“The Archer,” “The Names of Love," and “Sweet Summertime” https://www.samjokomagazine.com/the-archer

“Blizzard” 

“Transit” 

“Latin Roots” 

Articles:

“The Needs of the Few: Queering the Canon” 

“The Case Against Fast Fashion: My Rebel Wardrobe” 

 

Interviews

 

42 Stories Anthology Presents: Cathy MacKenzie Interview

 

Cathy MacKenzie of MacKenzie Publishing:

Publisher of the 42 Stories Anthology

 

Biography

Cathy has written two novels, Wolves Don’t Knock and Mister Wolfe, along with poetry and short story collections. She writes all genres but invariably veers toward the dark—so much so, her late mother asked, “Can’t you write anything happy?” (She can!) 

 

Cathy is honoured to be editing and publishing Bertram’s project, the 42 Stories Anthology Presents: Book of 42². Publication is scheduled for November 2024. It’s an amazing, massive 8x10 book at 550 pages. Watch for it on Amazon and other retailers.

 

 

BAM: Nice bio. Where are you located, Cathy?

Cathy: West Porters Lake (Halifax), Nova Scotia, Canada

 

BAM: As someone who has read Wolves Don't Knock, I take it Nova Scotia is freezing. Where’s your writer space? Hopefully, somewhere warm.

Cathy: Home office desk.

 

BAM: What’s your writer drink of choice, coffee or tea or something else?

Cathy: Diet Coke at breakfast and white wine at four o’clock. (Always four o’clock somewhere, right?). Water in between.

 

BAM: How do you relax?

Cathy: Relaxation, for me, is sitting at the computer with a glass(es) of wine in the afternoons/evenings while I write. I hope I’m not turning into one of those now-famous alcoholic writers who dies an early death, ha! Though, I’d be happy to have their world-wide fame!

 

BAM: The secret is to put into the world what you want. Writers such as Rhonda Byrne say you’ll get what you tell yourself and believe inside, good or bad. Anyway, it’s fine to indulge sometimes. I, too, have my vice, which is a stout. Any, unless it’s Guinness. Actually, I liked that one when I was in Liverpool. The ones made in Japan are awful. Sorry, huge segue. Speaking of, I probably know your answer, considering that you’ve told me his name. Tell me, though, for readers, as an icebreaker, what’s/who's the best animal on earth?

Cathy: The best animal on earth is Moses, the Maltipoo. He’s the sweetest dog ever—and I don’t even like dogs! He was two on August 24, 2024, and we've had him since he was two months old. My first and last dog. I have a book in the works titled Moses and Me about my experiences with him.

 

BAM: What a great sounding story. Please remember to send me the book to beta-read when it’s done. On your writing, what got you into the craft?

Cathy: I wrote a lot of poetry and short fiction in my teen years (doesn’t everyone?). In fact, one of my teachers told me I should keep it up and be a writer; the career aptitude test in high school suggested a career as a librarian. When I married and started a family, writing went by the wayside until my first two granddaughters, Taylor and Abby, were born three weeks apart in 2007. Then, despairing of ever being a grandmother, I was so overwhelmed by their births (and the later births of my other three grandchildren) that I wrote each of them a long poem that I framed and gave to their parents. After that, I continued to write poetry and delved back into short fiction with a vengeance. The rest, as they say (such a cliché), is history!

 

BAM: So it’s been an on and off again passion for you to tell stories, but it took a while for you to get the words down due to life obligations. Makes sense. Is anyone in your family a writer?

Cathy: No one in my family is a writer. In fact, I don’t believe any of my relatives take me seriously as a writer, nor do they read any of my books. Granddaughter Taylor started my first novel, as did my daughter and daughter-in-law (even my husband!), but I don’t believe any of them finished it. That must say how boring the book is, ha ha, though (not to sound egotistical) I’m pretty proud of that accomplishment, along with writing a second novel.

 

BAM: The thing is that it’s family members who are the ones usually egotistical. I won’t say who it is, but one of my family members made a comment that they were afraid to read my writing because I probably made them into a villain. "Actually," I told them, "I model heroes of my stories after them," because this person has inspired me throughout my life. Since finding this out, they now read every work of mine they can get their hands on. Shows what they knew before, right? My meaning, Cathy, is people are in their heads. And besides, some individuals just don’t read. That’s why audiobooks are a wonderful resource if you can’t get a film version of your book made. Considering that stories were originally spoken, including one of the greatest stories of all time, Beowulf, it’s fantastic that people are returning to their ancestral roots and listening to stories again. That reminds me, while we’re on the topic, let’s get an audio version of the anthology going, and your novels while we’re at it. Before we do that, let’s continue with the next question. Could you tell me about your story outline process?

Cathy: I don’t outline. I “write into the dark,” without a plot in mind, not knowing what my characters are going to do or how the story will end. I’m what they call a “panster,” which makes me think of the word “prankster,” which in turn, weirdly makes me feel as if I’m a fraud as it pertains to my writing and publishing endeavours. I don’t always feel validated as a writer.

 

BAM: Earlier I alluded to the book, The Secret, but really think you might benefit from reading it if you haven’t already. Before you go out and get it, let’s talk about your early works. You had mentioned writing when you were younger. What was the first story you ever wrote about, and was it published?

Cathy: The first story I wrote as an adult was published in Woman magazine, a Canadian magazine, in spring 2000. (I don’t believe the magazine is in existence any longer.) I remember at the time thinking it was a brand new magazine, but now that I look at the issue (yes, I still have it!), I see it’s a “relaunch issue with a new design and format.” Even the editor writes, “No, this is not a brand new magazine, although to some of you it likely is.” The magazine was around for three and a half years at that time.

 

BAM: Yeah? I also got my start from a magazine called Chill after a blog of mine hit over 10,000 readers on myspace.com back in the early 2000s. The magazine only launched 6 or 7 issues. Didn’t know we had that in common. Tell me more about the publication.

Cathy: I wrote an article about a friend who had started a small home business in graphic design. This was when I was living on Prince Edward Island, Canada’s smallest province. I had only submitted the article to this magazine, so when it was accepted, I was beyond happy (thought I was destined to win the Nobel Prize in Literature!). Alas, no pay for this acceptance. I’m still waiting for fame, along with the accompanying “fortune.”

 

BAM: Yeah?

Cathy: Now that I think back, I had started an online writing course around that time, which I guess, spurred me on to write and submit that story. Course cost me around $700; regretfully, I did not complete it, and it’s another regret that it took me seven years to get back into writing.

 

BAM: There's still time to try again. Also, the book I mentioned is probably available to listen to for free on YouTube. Self-help books have the power to create amazing changes for their readers. Enough about someone else’s book, please tell your readers where they can find you on social media.

 

Cathy:

Email, Blog/website, Facebook , Facebook “Writing Wicket” author page, “Granny MacKenzie’s Children’s Books” Facebook page. Amazon.com Author Page 

Twitter/X @GrannyMacKenzie, LinkedIn