Image Credits:-
Many thanks to Wendy H Jones for supplying author and book cover pictures. Some images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. Some images directly from Pixabay.
It is lovely to welcome Wendy H Jones back to Chandler’s Ford Today with news of her latest publication. It is another departure from Wendy’s usual line of work too. This time, Wendy has a short story in Deadly Traditions, which is a crime and Christmas anthology.
Wendy has written children’s books (Bertie The Buffalo), Young Adult (The Fergus and Flora Mysteries), non-fiction (of which Creativity Matters, in which I have a chapter on flash fiction, is only one of many of Wendy’s non-fiction books), and adult crime (The DI Shona McKenzie series).
Do see Wendy’s online shop on her website for more details.
But all of these have one thing in common, other than being by the same author, which is they are full length fiction for their type. Short story writing is different territory.
So over to Wendy then to tell us more about how this came about.
Welcome back to Chandler’s Ford Today, Wendy.
1. How did you discover Deadly Traditions was being put together and what made you decide to submit a short story for it?
I am a member of Sisters in Crime an American organisation which has a chapter in the UK and Europe called Once Upon a Crime. They said an anthology was open for contributions and as I love Christmas and Cozy Mysteries it was right up my street. I sent in a story and was accepted, which I am delighted about.
2. Can you share the blurb for Deadly Traditions and details of where people can get a copy?
Blurb:–
Celebrate the holidays with mistletoe, mayhem, and murder. Join your favorite authors as they cozy up by the fire with twelve festive short mysteries that feature treasured holiday traditions. Serve up a slice of fatal fruitcake and deck the halls with danger, because the holiday season has never been so much fun. This original collection is available for a limited time only, so grab your copy today.
Includes:-
A Pickle in a Pear Tree by Erin Scoggins
Mistletoe and Murder by Dianne Ascroft
O Deadly Night by Estelle Richards
Larceny and Gingerbread Lattes by Justine Maxwell
…and more!
It can be found on Amazon.
3. How did you find writing short stories compared with writing full length fiction? What were the joys and challenges?
Short stories are a different beast from long form fiction. I know every word counts in full length fiction, but this is doubly the case when it comes to short stories. Clues and red herrings are less liberally sprinkled and every one of them must work to earn their place in the story. Building up character needs to happen swiftly with one word or phrase used to give the reader a sense of who they are.
4. Million dollar question: favourite kind of writing? Short story or full length fiction? Are you hoping to write more short fiction? Have you written any other short fiction?
I enjoy writing both and I am loving writing shorter fiction as the sense of accomplishment comes more quickly. All writers will know the joy of typing “the end”. I have been published in other anthologies and I am looking at building my portfolio of shorter form fiction.
5. Festive writing, of any kind, has its own challenges. I often write festive flash pieces. How did you find combining the challenges of writing a short crime story (usually serious) yet still make it topical to Christmas (which often has a lighter touch to it in terms of mood)?
As this was expected to be a cozy mystery it fitted with the lighter touch beautifully. As I have a cozy mystery series already – Cass Claymore Investigates – I was already familiar with writing cozy mysteries. It does make a welcome change from the gritty crime thrillers in my DI Shona McKenzie Mysteries. I had already written a Christmas Book – Killer’s Curse – which is darker crime fiction, so this cozy fits beautifully with it.
6. Do you find it easier to have a theme to write to as opposed to an open, pick your own theme type of thing? One blessing with anthologies, which I love, is they have a set theme, a framework if you like to give you a starting point.
Yes, I love having a theme. The likelihood of me writing for a romance anthology is close to zero but I would pitch to any crime, cozy or horror based anthologies.
7. Are you planning any launch activities for the book? If so, do plug the details.
The launch of this book did not go ahead due to personal issues for the main people compiling it. However, I am planning to launch DI Shona McKenzie Mysteries Book 8 – Killer’s Curse – later in December. My readers are delighted.
8. Outlining – are you a fan? If so, how did you find outlining a short story to be compared with outlining a novel?
I’m a planster so a mixture of plotter and pantster. I do have a rough outline but I allow the characters to take over and change the plot if they want to. They usually want to.
9. Now my writing journey to date has taken me to places I didn’t expect though my “foundations” will always be flash fiction and blogging. For you those foundations are crime writing and non-fiction work (especially marketing). What has cropped up on your writing journey to date that wasn’t expected by you? And can you share anything about things on the horizon for you in 2023?
I am always open to anything although I’m not sure fantasy or science fiction would be my thing. However, I never say never. At the moment I am currently writing the first in a historical fiction series based on the life of a Naval Surgeon named Thomas Graham. Writing historical fiction is definitely a different beast but I am loving it.
10. Are there any other anthologies or competitions you are hoping to have work in? Can you share three tips on how people can best prepare their work for submission for a publisher/competition? What have you found most useful to know here?
At the moment I am actively looking at submitting to anthologies which suit my genre. My three tips are:
- Make sure you read the criteria carefully.
- Make your work original. Think outside the box.
- Polish your submission, polish it again, and yet again.
Allison: Totally agree with Wendy here. I find using spider diagrams/flowcharts can help me work out ideas for a set theme. In writing those down, I find it sparks off other ideas and those are where you will find something that is outside of the box. Give yourself time for this process.
11. Obviously novels take longer to plan and to write but short stories (and flash) still need writers to allow enough time to craft them properly. How did you find that aspect of things? Did you find the fact it wouldn’t take so long as for a novel something odd or welcome or a bit of both?
Whilst it doesn’t take as long as a novel, you still need time to make sure the story meets all the rules of the genre and is a story that people will enjoy and think about long after it is finished. Often, I will overwrite the story and then cut the words back. This pruning helps the story to be better in the end. I enjoy the process of both, although I think writing short stories can be more stressful in some ways as every single point you write about needs to earn its place in the story.
Conclusion
Many thanks, Wendy, for joining us at Chandler’s Ford Today. Short story (and indeed flash fiction) writing is an interesting challenge. Often short stories and the like can be a great way for readers to try out work by an author new to them before going on to try their longer works. Having work published in an anthology can be a great way to get started as a published writer. I know. It has been my route in!
I also think short stories are a great way to entice people into reading at all – the brevity of the form can take away the argument there’s no time to read. All writers want readers! From a book buying point of view, I also find anthologies make for great presents. There are bound to be stories the person you’re buying for will like. From my viewpoint as author/reader, I love anthologies. I discover authors new to me this way.
Related Posts:-
Read interviews with Chandler’s Ford writer Allison Symes: Part 1 and Part 2.
Read blog posts by Allison Symes published on Chandler’s Ford Today.
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