Professor Lazzo’s Stupendous Flea Circus by Jennifer Falkner The professor rolls up his sleeve. It’s flecked here and there with gravy, with mud, possibly with blood, difficult to tell against the coarse weave and the ancient stains. He lowers his…
BackStory: Five Questions with Michele Finn Johnson
BackStory: Five Questions with Michele Finn Johnson Author of Santo Spirito, 1577 What inspired you to write this piece? Lord only knows (ha!) what I was researching initially, but I came across a 1547 map that demarked Venice’s prostitution zones…
Santo Spirito, 1577
Santo Spirito, 1577 by Michele Finn Johnson My parents consign my eldest sister, Paola, to Venice’s Santo Spirito convent. There is no dowry for Paola and so her duty is our salvation. When they took her away, Paola’s nails dragged…
BackStory: Five Questions with K.B. Carle
BackStory: Five Questions with K.B. Carle Author of Tyn What inspired you to write this piece? Tyn, formally known as Solomon, is a character who’s always had a strong presence in my mind, knowing his strong connection to nature and…
Tyn
Tyn by K.B. Carle Tyn, a man the color of the coals that collected under his mama’s good cooking pot before turning to ash when the fire got to them, digs his hands deep into the earth, letting every bit…
BackStory: Five Questions with Sophie van Llewyn
BackStory: Five Questions with Sophie van Llewyn Author of Phoenixes Who are your favourite historical fiction writers (flash or otherwise) and why? That would be Maurice Druon. His saga The Accursed Kings is still one of my favourites. I read…
Phoenixes
Phoenixes by Sophie van Llewyn London, 1941 Mother’s pinkie draws away from the teacup, reaching towards our glorious past. The footmen have been drafted, the maids soldier on in factories, but the afternoon tea is holy in our house. A…
BackStory: Five Questions with Lee Hamblin
BackStory: Five Questions with Lee Hamblin
Author of Red Eye
Red Eye
Red Eye by Lee Hamblin Sunday evening. First time in New York; first time in Brooklyn. Johnny P has a bit of blow and some weed he needs to dispose of on account he doesn’t indulge during the week. Would…
BackStory: An Interview with Peter Jordan
BackStory: Five Questions with Peter Jordan Author of Gutshot What do you like most about writing flash fiction? The suggestion: the bits left out, or not mentioned. If there’s a second story running under the surface that’s merely alluded to…