Ciào everyone! Glad to see you’ve dropped in for this week’s featured author!

Today, you’ll have the pleasure of meeting Yance Wyatt, who you’ll find has an incredible imagination and shines in duplicity, which I know you will enjoy! If I say any more you’ll raise your fists and shout “SPOILER” at me! 

So, join us in some comfortable chairs, pop an umbrella in your drink and let’s get into the interview!

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Deborah: Hi Yance! Let’s have some fun here! First question: Do you have a large research library you pull from or do you just use the internet? Explain.

Yance: When I am researching content that might make its way into a story, I turn to the internet, whether for a synonym of a certain word or a whole historical era to serve as a backdrop.  When I am considering a literary technique that might shape the content of a story, I turn to my bookshelf to analyze how accomplished authors have executed the technique.  For example, if I am planning to use subtext, I reread Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants,” an exemplary story that revolves around a single unspoken word: abortion.

 

Deborah: The internet sure does come in handy! I’m always looking up something and talk about a great encyclopedia! Sounds like you have your process down tight there! Speaking of research, have you ever used or considered using a book of poisons for any of your stories? Explain why or why not.

Yance: A book of fish?  Pardon your French. 

 

Deborah: Oops! Sorry, I know some authors that have a book of poisons in research for their novel! French huh? Okay, your bio says you are the Director of the Writing Center at the University of Southern California, in addition to freelance creative writing, and you also teach critical and creative writing at USC!  How does it feel to mold the creative minds of today?

Yance: I don’t mold their minds; I teach them to mold their own minds.  In other words, I don’t teach them what to think; I teach them how to think for themselves by moving beyond their preconceptions and kneejerk reactions.  Though writing is indeed an art, I think this notion of molding the molder is easier to conceptualize in terms of fine art.  When working with raw clay, a novice must get his or her hands dirty, but to facilitate that sense of finesse, an instructor will often guide the student’s hands.  I know this smacks of the film Ghost (1990), a love story starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore. But I assure you my teaching pedagogy is neither ghastly nor romantic.   

On the other hand, my students teach me as much as I teach them.  In any given class, there are umpteen of them and only one of me.  So when I read their writing, I gain exposure to umpteen different perspectives.  At the end of the day, or the end of the semester, I can only hope that they learn from me a fraction (one-umpteenth, to be precise) of what I learn from them.

  

Deborah: What a great story you have made of your teaching, as well as learning! Somewhere in there, there is floating the phrase, when the master comes. As a teacher, if I were to ask to you say something brilliant, what would you say?

 Yance: Huh?   

 

Deborah: Perfect answer! Anything else wouldn’t have been as funny! Okay, time for a goofy question: How many times have you fit a conversation you’ve overheard into your story? 

Yance: I will admit to occasionally filching a friend’s one-liner if, and only if, it legitimately fits in a story.  However, I haven’t had much success incorporating entire conversations, perhaps because I never seem to have a recorder or notebook on hand when I’m having or hearing one of those hilarious or profound conversations.  And on the rare occasion I do have a recorder or notebook handy, the minute I click record or uncap the pen, the conversation instantaneously loses its spontaneity, because everyone is suddenly self-conscious.  It’s like putting a microphone in someone’s face and demanding, “Say something brilliant.”  What are they going to do?  Odds are they’re going to stutter. 

       

Deborah: In that instance, so true! I’ve found when I’m writing and remember a conversation, I as you say, tweak and tinker with it to fit. It kind-of makes it fun! On the subject of fun, I’m curious how you’ll answer this question: If you were a baseball, football or hockey puck (you pick one) and someone hit you, where would you go? 

Yance: Because it would be presumptuous to declare that were I a baseball or football or hockey puck I would sail triumphantly over the fence or through the uprights or into the goal, I think I would prefer to fall out of bounds and into the outstretched hands of a fan.  After all, that’s the real reason we go to games, isn’t it?  To be part of something bigger than us, whether an event, a crowd, or a particular team.  And what could be better than having the coveted focal point of that event fall in your lap? 

 

Deborah: Great answer! You took it and flew with it! Just like I knew you would! I know we’ll have fun with this next question. As a kid, I’m sure you’ve gotten into things, as we all have. Tell us something you remember well.

Yance: Rather than telling you an embarrassing childhood story, allow me to read you one verbatim.  Last summer I took a trip to my hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, and with my sister and mother as fellow archeologists, excavated a treasure trove of memorabilia including such priceless fossils as homemade ornaments, hand-turkeys, and the first short story I ever wrote entitled “Water McMonster” (keep in mind that I was eating a lot of Happy Meals at the time). 

It was a cold night.  The wind was blowing through the trees.  The Water McMonster came out.  I hate him.  Do you?  The water was gleaming.  I was not scared of him.  It was fun.  You cannot beat me up Water McMonster.  You cannot beat me up.  Because if you do, I will do it to you.  I will not let you.  The End. 

In hindsight, I think this story is still one of my best, in terms of concision and brand recognition. 

 

Deborah: Yes, thanks to your Happy Meals you came up with a great story! The writer in you sure came out at a young age! Great imagination! From that revelation, how do you think Alvin, Theodore, and Simon first met Dave?

Yance: At a party.  They were listening to old LPs at 78 rpm. 

 

Deborah: Did you get that from the internet? You definitely know a lot to know that! You sly thing! Here’s a philosophical question for you now. I relish the mystery of these answers! What do you feel about quantum mechanical theories involving cats in boxes or rather sharp razors?

Yance: I have an allergy to cats and an aversion to sharp objects, so I wouldn’t make much of a theoretical physicist, nor a veterinarian for that matter.  Though I cannot be in the same room (a big box) with them, I do admire them from afar.  Unlike dogs, a species that is dependant and dense in an endearing way, all cats are independent and all cats are street-smart.  Come to think of it, all cats are essentially New Yorkers.  

  

Deborah: You didn’t let me down! Unusual classification, as New Yorkers, but that accurately works for me, knowing the species! Okay, no veterinarian questions! Well, except for this one, when a bird is sitting on an electrical power line, why does it keep one foot raised?

Yance: Sobriety test.  

 

Deborah: I wasn’t expecting that answer, but now that you answered it, it makes a lot of sense! Too funny! This is another old question, but you inspire me to ask it. In working with An Honest Lie, what was the most exciting part and what was the most frustrating part?

Yance: The most frustrating and rewarding part of the publication process was revising my story.  After it was accepted for publication, the editor sent me copious notes on how the story could be recast to evoke more emotion.  So I started “killing my darlings,” as William Faulkner would say, meanwhile suffering through the five stages of grief. 

1) Denial: “The story doesn’t need to be revised.” 

2) Anger: “The story needs to be revised.  You should’ve written it better the first time, Yance!”

3) Bargaining: “If I omit this, maybe the editor will let me keep that.”

4) Depression: “What’s the point in writing anything down if I’m just going to die one day?”

5) Acceptance: “Huh.  The story is better than it was before I revised it.  Thank you, editor.”      

 

Deborah: You make your writers anguish pretty funny! And I know for certain that ME appreciates all of your hard work! Talking about anguish of writing, you have received the 2009 Silver Brad Award for your full-length feature film screenplay and nominated for The Pushcart Prize, Best of the Small Presses, 2010 for one of your stories. Which one is the most cherished to you and why?

Yance: Despite winning the Silver Brad Award and receiving a sleek unisex trophy bearing a conspicuous resemblance to Oscar, merely being nominated for the Pushcart Prize means more to me for two reasons: because literature is my first love, and because “Legal Tender” was my first short story—other than “Water McMonster”.

 

Deborah: Wow! Then the anguish of waiting for the envelope to be opened! Let me ask you this, what was instrumental in your becoming a writer?

Yance: My answer to this question might as well be the acknowledgment section of a book, because I wouldn’t have become a writer without the support of many benevolent individuals.  First and foremost, I was raised by a couple of super-parents, both of whom worked tirelessly to provide me and my sister with opportunities.  If not for this emotionally stable and financially secure foundation, I wouldn’t have had the courage or wherewithal to pursue writing as a profession—a profession less lucrative yet more fulfilling than most. 

 

Deborah: Nah. That sounded more like a thank-you speech after receiving an Oscar for a foreign film! With your sense of humor I have to ask this funny question, have you ever participated in a Sumo match?

Yance: No.  But I have participated in several eating contests, which seems comparable or relevant or something.  Plus, in my teens, I frequented all-you-can-eat buffets only to monopolize the crab legs.  In my mid-twenties, I suddenly developed a severe allergy to shellfish, and I can’t help but consider this karmic retribution.       

 

Deborah: It certainly sounds like karmic retribution to me! Speaking of which, are there any authors, besides yourself, that you enjoy reading and do you have the time to read?

Yance: With the breakneck pace of life these days, no one has time to read.  But I try to make time.  What I read depends on my mood.  More specifically, there is usually a negative correlation between my mood and the book’s tone.  When I spent a summer volunteering in a South African orphanage, I counterbalanced the somber setting with the circular humor of Joseph Heller.  When all is well in America, I feel safe enough to read heavier works, like those of John Steinbeck, who is my all-time favorite author. 

 

Deborah: Now that’s pretty profound. And those two are great classic writers! Talking of profound and books, what other works do you have coming up?

Yance: I recently wrote “Burning the Banana Tree,” a short film to be shot on location in eastern Uganda.  Whereas previous blockbusters such as Hotel Rwanda (2004) and The Last King of Scotland (2006) have been set in the throes of African genocide, our team wants to pick up where they left off, bringing awareness to the largely undocumented aftermath of these atrocities, a bittersweet period of restoration and revival. To learn more about the project, please visit: http://www.burningthebananatree.com/

 

Yance, it’s been a lot of fun sitting here and talking with you! I know our readers could visualize a twinkle coming up in your eyes before your answers! And I’m sure everyone has enjoyed your duplicity, as have I!

Readers, don’t forget Yance’s story, “The Dognapper” will be in An Honest Lie, Volume 3: Justifiable Hypocrisy, scheduled for release this fall.

Journey back next week to find out who our next author will be! Au revoir!

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Yance Wyatt lives and works in Los Angeles, California, where he is the Director of the Writing Center at the University of Southern California. In addition to freelance creative writing, Yance also teaches critical and creative writing at USC. His published works include “The Shark’s Gut”, published in ZYZZYVA: West Coast Writers & Artistis, Volume 88; “The Ninth Life” published in THEMA: Many Plots/One Premise, Volume 23; “Piss and Vinegar” published in Burnt Bridge: Stories that Don’t Apologize, Volume 1; and “Legal Tender” published in Blue Moon Literary & Art Review, Volume 6. Yance’s story “Legal Tender” was nominated for The Pushcart Prize, Best of the Small Presses, 2010. You can learn more about this award at http://www.pushcartprize.com/. Yance was also the winner of the 2009 Silver Brad Award for his full-length feature film screenplay entitled, “Eminent Domain.” You can learn more about this award by visiting http://moviescriptcontest.com/winnerscircle.html.

We are happy to welcome Joshua J. Mark, AKA Josh, as our featured author interview this week!

Josh has had an unusual childhood inspired by his parents who motivated his life and career as a teacher and accomplished writer. You will find some of his answers provocative, while others show his fun side of life. No, he’s not a stuffy professor.  He’s more like Indiana Jones without all the dramatic adventure! I know all our readers will enjoy Josh’s interview!  Get your favorite drink, sit back and enjoy!      

So, let’s welcome and get to know Josh J. Mark!

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Deborah: Josh, you have an extremely accomplished bio.  I see you’ve written on Ancient Philosophy and Ancient History, and have advanced degrees in English and Philosophy. How did this interest come about?

Josh: My mother was very interested in Greek philosophy and mythology. People think I’m joking when I say my mother read me Plato as bedtime stories when I was young but I’m not. When I landed in an Introduction to Philosophy class in college my freshman year, and the Professor said we’d be working with Plato, I honestly thought `Why are we reading children’s literature?’ My father had a deep interest in the past. He was constantly commenting on how world events in the present mirrored those in the past. Both of them were very religious but, also, quite free in their thoughts and very curious about other people and other beliefs. We’d go on vacation and, instead of hanging out on beaches we’d be exploring ancient ruins and going to museums. My younger brother, Jason, and I, used to play Thermopylae and the Alamo in the ruins of forts from Bermuda to Virginia. This is a legacy my daughter now has to suffer with. Each time we’ve visited Puerto Rico we’ve spent more time at El Morro than at the beach or cafes and the same goes for every other place we’ve been.

 

Deborah: What a wonderful experience you have had in your life, as well as the impact your parents’ interests had on you! You certainly had an interesting childhood! Speaking of situations, I’ve got to ask a strange question here. Would you, or have you ever volunteered to be pepper sprayed?

Josh: No, I have not. It doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun and, as those who know me will attest, I’m very much interested in having fun.

 

Deborah: You’re right, it wouldn’t be fun.  At least I didn’t ask about tasering! This is a question of opinion, but it’s always an interesting Q&A for me. In the development of your voice as a writer, who or what has been instrumental for you?

Josh: My wife, Betsy, has been the most instrumental to my development as a writer and as a human being. I didn’t have a `voice’ at all until I met her. I think too many young writers think they have to write `literature’ instead of just telling a good story and trying to tell it well. When I first started writing, Betsy was the one I could always count on to call me on being `literary’ instead of being honest in my writing. She completely gave me my voice. She still does.

 

Deborah: It sounds like she’s your muse as well, keeping you in check!  How lucky for you! On the unlucky side, let’s pretend you are on a dessert island. What five things would you take with you?

Josh: I’d take along, first, a boat stocked with plenty of cold beer, steak, sour cream, cheddar cheese and Doritos. I could live off that for some time. If the boat thing is off limits then I’d take along the same things I travel with in my car in case I’m stuck somewhere: Shakespeare’s works (Hamlet and Macbeth if I can’t take all of them) a carton of cigarettes, my writing pads and pens, a flashlight with extra batteries and a bottle of Seagram’s 7.

 

Deborah: Sounds (laughing) like you have this one well planned to make it a great time! Noticed the writing pads and pens in the list, so you can keep working! What fascinating stories are you working on?

Josh: I have a Young Adult novel, The Ghost of Calton Hill, which I’m presently marketing. The novel narrates the adventures of 17-year old Rebecca Pender, recently arrived in Edinburgh from New York due to her father’s job, as she tries to discover the identity of a ghost who haunts her room. The ghost has given her three chances to find out who he is or, Rumplestiltskin-like, he gets to claim from her the prize of his choice. I also have completed a book on Mesopotamian Religion and text on Ancient Greek Philosophy from the earliest philosopher, Thales, through the Neo-Platonic mathematician Hypatia.

 

Deborah: Your story sounds intriguing! Your description of the text and completed work makes me want to sit in on your class!  Since I used the word ‘work’, what was Paul Revere’s real occupation?

Josh: Well, early on, he was an engraver and/or silversmith but he’s famous for being the winning contestant on an early reality show which had something to do with riding, yelling and reaching the goal before the British team. Beyond that, I cannot say.

 

Deborah: That’s right! You wouldn’t believe the amount of people that did not know that! Here’s another philosophical question for you. What have been your most exhilarating and provoking parts in working with An Honest Lie?

Josh: The whole thing was exciting. I loved working with ME Johnson on the editing process and her suggestions definitely improved the story. There was no frustrating part though, if I were to point to anything, it would be deciding on a title for the story. I don’t know how many different titles I went through before I finally hit on the one which worked.

 

Deborah: She is great to work with and I know she appreciates your wonderful kindness! (I’m looking at her from my desk and she’s acting like she doesn’t hear me.) I overheard a discussion that citizens now need two ID’s for voting, and one of those can be a concealed weapon permit. How do you feel about using your concealed weapon permit as identification?

Josh: It’s fantastically absurd! I love it. It goes completely along with the whole Through the Looking Glass world we live in today. The more they tell me things make sense, the less sense things make.

 

Deborah: My first thought to this was: talk about getting to use your second amendment rights! Speaking of making sense, what’s the most difficult part of a story you’ve ever written, and what made it difficult?

Josh: The most difficult part of a story – any story – is the conclusion. The end-line is what the reader takes away and so that final sentence has to really sing and completely connect with that reader. I sometimes finish a first draft and the end line just sings itself out completely and it’s done but that is rare. Usually I have to work and work at the conclusion until it does what I want it to do. Plato wrote, “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader” and I think that emotional punch has to be in the last line. Whether a writer wants someone to laugh, cry or sit and stare into space pondering the meaning of their existence, it’s all in that last line. So, for me, every story I’ve ever written has been difficult in getting that end line just right; except, of course, when the writing gods are smiling down and I just happen to hit upon it on the first go.

 

Deborah: So very true! I wish more writers applied this thought to their work! It’s time for a whacky question now. Why did the moron throw the butter out of the window?

Josh: I understand the `to see butter fly’ answer but the actual reason is simply that the butter was whispering state secrets and just had to be shut down quick. The so-called `moron’ was, in reality, a higher up in the CIA who was only masquerading as a moron. The fact he is now known simply as `the moron’ shows his commitment to the cause. Following his noble example, I’ve had to consign many a butter to that same fate. All too often, sadly. It’s well known that butter can’t be trusted. I think the Patriot Act has a provision about this, actually, which mandates the throwing of suspect butter from windows and, of course, the higher the window the better.

 

Deborah: Great answer! It’s fun to find the writer’s humor in such a simple question. I know a few writer’s who would take this to serious! Thinking about inconsistencies here, how many times have you watched and found inconsistencies that you know could not have happened as it was portrayed in a movie?  Would you give us an example?

Josh: Well, my wife and daughter would tell you that I say this all the time. I either say, “That could NEVER happen like that!” or, if we’re watching a history piece, “That’s not how it happened” and so, as I’m sure you can guess, I’m not a lot of fun to watch movies with. I can’t give you a recent example but I can certainly cite season two of the HBO series “ROME” where they completely ruined the illusion of historicity in the piece by having Brutus murdered in the same way Caesar was. That was just absurd.  

 

Deborah: Ah ha! Another one guilty as charged! Me too! I think finding these inconsistencies comes from the writer in us, which leads me to this quote, Thomas B. Macaulay wrote essays on history. From his essay, Mackintosh’s History of the Revolution, he said, “He had a wonderful talent for packing thought close, and rendering it portable.”  What are your thoughts on this?

Josh: I think that’s a great line. “Packing thought close” is something I’m more and more interested in. I think Flash Fiction is wonderful in this regard. I recently wrote a story in one hundred words and it was such a challenge but so much fun to do. I think I’d like to do more flash fiction now.

 

Deborah: How interesting! I asked you this question and you so easily related to it with experience! Another off the wall question: Are you a gum chewing man?  And if so, has it ever lost its flavor on the bedpost over night?

Josh: No, gum chewing was always too much effort for me. I remember Big Red was supposed to have some `long lasting flavor’ when it first came out but, even way back then, I couldn’t muster up the energy to chew it long enough to substantiate the claim. That song, in fact, was always really mysterious to me because I couldn’t understand why one would leave their gum on the bed post overnight. For me, gum lasted less than a minute; after that it was just work.

 

Deborah: How funny! LOL! On the serious side, what was your brainwave for writing “Civil Serpents”?

Josh: Some years ago I worked for the county and I had a great Supervisor.  It was winter in New York and, one day, while we were doing inventory, my supervisor complained about the number of people calling in and slacking off. She said, “Too many people get a paycheck for work they spend more time getting out of than getting done.” She had a great work ethic. She’d drive through any kind of snow storm to get to work because, simply, it was her job to do so. The night after that conversation the skies poured snow and, the next day, I called in because I couldn’t get out of my driveway. She answered and I felt bad knowing she’d made the effort to get to work through the snow when I hadn’t. Her line about people spending more time avoiding work than doing it merged with a story my brother had told me about a slave-driving boss and I wrote the story that same morning.

 

Deborah: It’s funny how you can talk about a situation, and then it happens to you! However, your merging two stories together was great! What is the best joke ever played on you?

Josh: I haven’t had many played on me. The best would probably be shortly after my daughter was born. I was working for the County Clerk and I was told I’d have to spend this one week doing filing work in the small library room up on the second floor. Since I usually worked alone in the basement at my own pace I wasn’t too happy about being booted upstairs with other humans. I really wanted to make this into a big deal and stamp my feet and refuse to go but I liked the people I worked with so I just kept my mouth shut.  It turned out my co-workers had set up a baby shower for me upstairs and there was no filing work.  It was really sweet. I was very glad I’d kept my whining and complaining inside my head.

 

Deborah: That’s a great surprise for you!  Yes, it was fortunate you kept it to yourself! Does your life at times ever feel like the movie, ‘See No Evil, Hear No Evil’? 

Josh: My life’s more like a combination of `Groundhog Day’ and `Donnie Darko’.

 

We thank you for your time and energy with the interview!  It’s enjoyable to see into the life of an author and where they and their writings come from or are about.  I know our readers have enjoyed your insights, as have I! Josh, it’s been a pleasure! Do not forget Josh’s story, “Civil Serpents”, will be in An Honest Lie, Volume 3: Justifiable Hypocrisy, scheduled to be on sale this fall. Be sure to check back next week for a new exciting interview!

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 Joshua J. Mark is a freelance writer who has lived in Greece and Germany,and presently lives in upstate New York, USA, with his family. His published works include `The Artifice of Eternity’ through Diddle Dog, `Hemingway’s Birthday’ through Espresso Fiction and `The Cottage’ through Writer’s Journal, as well as other stories through print and on-line. Mark is also a site moderator for and has been published in Ancient History Encyclopedia, where he writes primarily on Mesopotamia, Greece and Egypt; Suite 101, writing on Ancient Philosophy and Ancient History; and inspirational non-fiction through Angels on the Earth and Pure Inspirational Thoughts.com. His poem `The Hamster’ appears in Asinine Poetry and he is also a songwriter registered with BMI. Mark holds advanced degrees in both English and Philosophy. He is a part-time teacher of philosophy and writing at Marist College where he is a recipient of the Faculty of the Year Award.

Hi! Here we are, back again!  This week, Sally York, a free-lance creative writer in her own right, joins us for an interesting conversation – what makes her tick and what clocks her tock!

A true professional, Sally is the recipient of several awards from the Michigan Press Association and the Society of Professional Journalists. She is also the recipient of Midwest Literary Magazine’s “Distinction Award” for her story “Under the Dome.”

A well-crafted author, Sally brings an absolute gem to An Honest Lie’s anthology with her intriguing story, “Rolex Ruby”.  I can’t tell you more about her story now, but I can tell you more about Sally herself. She has a lot of interesting things to tell us! Join me now, for a lively conversation with this week’s featured author.

Readers, meet Sally York!

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Deborah: Hi Sally! Thanks for joining us, and for sharing your experience and creativity with our readers. Tell me, why did you decide to submit your work to An Honest Lie?

Sally: I came across your anthology series in Duotrope’s Digest (a wonderful resource for writers, by the way), and the name “An Honest Lie” got my attention. You see, I once started (but never finished) a novel called “Buy-A-Lie,” in which a former lawyer sells lies out of a storefront in a small town, governed only by two rules. First, the lie can’t be malicious. Second rule: cash up front. It was inspired, I suppose, by my longtime fascination with the moral ambiguity of lies. They can be hurtful, yes, but they can also be kind, even an expression of love. Anyway, perusing “An Honest Lie’s” page in Duotrope I realized I had a short story that fit, at least loosely, your theme of justifiable hypocrisy. I sent it in and am very glad I did, since you accepted it!

Deborah: Thanks, Sally! We’re glad you submitted it too! And that’s no little white lie! LOLOL! I think there are many kinds of ambiguous lies. Take commercial ads, Friday’s opening of Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star, for example. Do think the Bucky Larson movies could replace the popular vampire movies that are showing now?

Sally: Let’s say a quick prayer that Bucky Larson doesn’t replace the popularity of anything, not even those inane vampire movies!

Deborah: Isn’t that the truth! Only a mother could love that hair cut and those front teeth! Thinking of movies and books, let’s say you were book, who would you want to buy you?

Sally: Someone with a twisted sense of humor and pitifully low standards.

Deborah: That’s funny!  You are too modest!  Your humor is as fresh and sharp as your story, “Rolex Ruby”. You know, people often say art is a metaphor for life. How do you feel this applies to your own craft?

Sally: It’s probably truer to say that life is a metaphor for art.

Deborah: I like that! That’s a nice turn around!  Speaking of “around”, do you live close to your family and would you tell us about them?

Sally: I’m divorced and childless, so I still think of my parents and sister (and her prodigious son, on whom all our hopes are pinned, poor little guy), as my family. They all live in Florida now, while I — after decades of ping-ponging around the country — wound up living in the Michigan town we’re all from. I miss them, even though my sister and mother are Tea Partying evangelical Christians, and my father and I most strenuously are not. We’re split down the middle, just like the rest of America! But blood is thicker than politics and religion, I have found. Consoling me in my family’s absence are my two cats, brothers from the same litter, who look like Oreo cookies and smell just like dark chocolate.

Deborah: Yum about the cats! (Do they give you chocolate cravings???) You’re lucky to have the understanding about blood versus politics and religion.  It’s a tough one for many families. Okay, let me give you a less weighty question. This one is so light, it floated right up to the ceiling. Grab that string there, and pull it down. Yes, okay, it says, “do you secretly play marbles and why?”

Sally: I don’t want to say too much about this. Some marble-head might try to steal my steelies.

Deborah: I hate it when that happens. But you’re probably safe. You didn’t say when you play or where, and I won’t tell! LOL! You do have a great sense of humor, Sally! Say, I was reading your bio earlier, and I noticed you have multiple short stories published, plus awards! This speaks volumes on your abilities. Would you tell me what inspired you to be a writer?

Sally: I guess I was inspired first to be a reader. When I was a kid, I could spend hours upon hours submerging myself into these marvelous worlds dreamed up by my favorite writers, worlds that seemed more complete and real to me than the “real” one I lived in. As I got older, I felt an urge to create my own fictional worlds, but there never seemed to be time. I was too busy hitchhiking across the country, chasing after men, singing in rock bands, going to college, getting married, etc., to write much. It wasn’t until the period of unemployment I just referred to that I finally sat down and put pen to paper (not literally; I’m a big fan of word processors). It was like a dam bursting, with all of my experiences and flights of imagination rushing out. In three months, I wrote 33 short stories. Then — sadly, in a way — I got another job. I still write most weekends, but it’s not quite the same.

Deborah: Sounds like you have lived life! I can picture you at a Paris bistro, perfectly coiffed, fashionably dressed, intrigue written all over your face as you sip your cognac and scan the customers. There’s a story there. You can see it in their eyes, can’t you! So the phrase, you have to live life before you write about it does work in your case! Okay, hold on to your arm rest. This next question takes you to the ends of time and back. What was the pivotal moment in the development of your voice as a writer?

Sally: In my (albeit limited) experience, every short story or novel or poem has its own voice, determined by the particular demands of the tale you’re trying to tell. Sometimes I have to write several pages before I manage to feel my way into the “right” voice for a specific piece.

Deborah: Your experience doesn’t sound “limited” to me, or, your ability to find the “right” voice for each story. In fact, that sounds like very sensible advice. Here’s a quirky question, is there any special way you organize the books on your bookshelf?

Sally: I’m ashamed to say there’s no organization at all. It can take 30 minutes or longer to put my hands on a book I’m hunting for. It could be just about anywhere: on a shelf, in a drawer, under my bed or on the floor next to my bathtub.

Deborah: Don’t worry about that, Sally! I like to keep books handy too, some here, some there. So many of us are the same way!  Actually, to be honest, it sounded like you were describing my house! Since we are talking about finding books, do you have anything interesting in the works you might want our readers to know about?

Sally: Right now I’m trying to write a novel that imagines a time traveler talking the poet Sylvia Plath out of killing herself — in part by showing her how celebrated her work was about to become. Of course, by forgoing her suicide, Plath gives up the posthumous fame it guaranteed. Without revealing too much plot, she (reluctantly) becomes a performance poet in San Francisco, quickly developing a cult following and incurring the disdain and envy of the Beat poets, not to mention attracting a stalker. She also has some fun, including an intense affair with Beat figure Neal Cassady (though her time-travel rescuer warns: “Don’t get too attached, Syl. In 1968, that man is going to wander into the desert, and he’s never coming out.”) But before Plath can really start a new life, she must deal with Ted Hughes, the estranged husband whose treachery nearly did her to death. I have a title, “Saving Sylvia Plath,” but I’m still struggling to find the right voice.

Deborah: Now that’s going to be a great story!  I can see what you say about finding the voice of the story. You know, Sally, you have such a good sense of humor that I just have to ask another odd question. For what reason do your, or anyone else’s pets hold you in contempt?

Sally: Animals love me. It’s people (mostly political conservatives) who hold me in contempt.

Deborah: Spoken like a true animal lover and politically aware citizen! It’s hard to imagine anyone holding you in contempt. I’d better get back to some serious questions now. Tell me, Sally, what was the most exciting part of working on An Honest Lie, and what was the most frustrating part?

Sally: The most exciting part was having my story accepted. There’s been no most frustrating part yet: Your talented senior editor, ME Johnson, has been a joy to work with.

Deborah: Yes, ME is a jewel! I can see her digging her toe in the sand while trying not to blush! I really like asking this question for its answer. What is the meaning of life, the universe, and nature?

Sally: The universe must find the human penchant for searching out the meaning of life very amusing.

Deborah: Interesting concept. Here’s another concept, Oscar Wilde once said, “I was working on the proof of one of my poems one morning. I took out a comma. In the afternoon I put it back.” In your opinion, is there an inner meaning here?

Sally: Yes: Editing is a form of self-torture designed to teach you that you are incapable of achieving perfection.

Deborah: (ME is howling in laughter.) I do love that answer!  Well done! Let’s spin that question wheel once again. Sally, if someone were to write a story about you, what would the title be?

Sally: “In Over Her Head”

Deborah: Since you write for a living, here is another quote for you. Bernard Shaw once said, “You must not suppose, because I am a man of letters, that I never tried to earn an honest living.” As a published writer, what is your opinion of this statement?

Sally: I would turn that quote on its head. I would say, “You must not suppose, because I earn an honest living, that I have never tried to be a woman of letters.”

Deborah: Nice turn around! With your experience, it fits well! Final question: Have you ever been mad enough at someone that you might have wanted to serve them dog food burgers?

Sally: What, and waste a perfectly good dog food burger?

Sally, you have us all in stitches! Let me say that it’s been a pleasure talking with you! I know all of our readers will enjoy your quick sense of humor, and maybe learn a few gems of wisdom from you, too!

Don’t forget that Sally’s story, “Rolex Ruby”, will be in An Honest Lie, Volume 3: Justifiable Hypocrisy, scheduled for release this fall. See you next week!

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Sally York lives and works in Michigan, where she is a free-lance creative writer and a newspaper reporter for The Argus-Press. Her published works include the short stories “Stevie the Supersalesman,” selected for Best of Foliate Oak Online 2011; “Under the Dome,” included in Winter Canons, a print anthology by Midwest Literary Magazine; and “The Funeral March,” featured in Skive Magazine’s print collection. Her stories also appear in Every Day Fiction, Untoward Magazine, Molotov Cocktail, Pulp Metal Magazine, and Cleveland Review, among others. Sally has received awards from the Michigan Press Association and the Society of Professional Journalists for various feature and news articles. She is also the recipient of Midwest Literary Magazine’s “Distinction Award” for her story “Under the Dome.” You can view Sally’s award at http://midwestliterarymagazine.com/awards/.