Episode 156: Flash Fiction Magic Contest Winners

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Today, Fable and the Verbivore are delighted to be joined by author and creator of the #FlashFictionMagic short story prompts Emily Barnett, as we interview the three winners from the 2022 Flash Fiction Magic writing contest!

The winners are:

In these conversations, each author reads their story aloud and we dig into what we loved about them.

As we talk with Amber about her short story “Keep the Faith”, we discuss the visceral language she uses, to establish the underlying deep emotions and trauma of the piece. Also the way she weaves the happiness of the past with the anguish of the present allows the suspense of the story to build with everything hinging on a character’s choice - who he’s going to be in this moment.

In our chat with Andrea about her short story “Crimson Fields”, we mention how the use of red imagery sprinkled throughout helps to establish the feeling of danger in the piece and how the steady upping of the stakes made this story feel full of desperation and immediacy. Her descriptions also feel so in-the-body of the main character Cleo, as if we’re directly feeling what she is.

During our conversation with Kevin about his short story “Starflowers”, how the opening paragraph grounds the reader in the scene while also using those same details to establish the characters emotional state. We also discuss the visual images of fire and water that help transition smoothly between the present and the past as well as the masterful planting of seeds throughout that then pay off when everything comes together at the end.

We also talk with each author about their process for writing their short story, how their story compares with their typical work, and what they’re working on and connecting with in their writing lives.

We hope you enjoy this episode! It was such a gift to be a part of these conversations and to hear each author share their stories with their own voices!

Keep reading, writing, and putting your voice out there!

Into the woods,

Fable & The Verbivore

Notes:

You can read all of the story submissions to the 2022 Flash Fiction Magic contest at: https://fableandtheverbivore.com/ffm

  • Amber Kirkpatrick is a heart-centered and character-driven author. Her debut YA fantasy novel under the working title of “Project Aquila” is undergoing edits and anticipated to be released in Spring ‘23. She’s also working on a novel under the working title “Project X”, a sci-fi romance with flavors pulled from X-Men, Breaking Dawn, and Order of the Phoenix - and lots of coffee. She also has a short story in the Twenty Hills Publishing Valentine’s Day Anthology, due out in February ‘23. Amber’s personal website is https://www.amberkirkpatrick.com/ and her insta is @amber.kirkpatrick.writer

  • Andrea Renae is a lyrical YA Fantasy author who is working on drafting her first novel - an upper YA high fantasy that focuses on bringing light to the darkness and grapples with issues of fear, anxiety, depression, grief, and guilt. After not being able to find a quality copy, she edited and is selling cleaned-up copies of the public domain book Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss here. Her rattlesnake short story piece that we mention can be found here. Andrea’s personal website is https://andrearenaewrites.blogspot.com/  and her insta is @a.renae.writes .

  • Kevin King is a YA Fantasy author whose debut novel Song of the Adoël was released in February of this year. Song of the Adoël is “a YA Fantasy Adventure about a young man who suffers a hereditary curse, a rash prince seeking revenge, beautiful illusions, and dark family secrets.” He’s also in the process of developing and writing a prequel book within this world. Kevin’s personal website is http://kevinkingauthor.com/  and his insta is @kevinkingauthor .

Books and Movies Mentioned:

Music from: https://filmmusic.io
‘Friendly day’ by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
Licence: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

interviewBethany Stedman