Rogue's Angels Present: Running Wild by Various Authors

Please welcome the author of Running Wild.

The authors will be awarding three individual prizes, a $10, a $25 and a $50 Amazon or B/N GC to three randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour.

Running Wild Anthology of Stories: Volume 1

By Various Authors:  Sarah Smith Ducksworth, Elaine Crauder, Luanne Smith, Keith R. Fentonmiller, Lisa Montagne, Ann Stolinsky, A.J. O’Connell, Aimee LaBrie, Kristan Campbell, Jack Hillman, Bill Scruggs, Joshua Hedges and Gary Zenker

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry (narrative)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

INTERVIEW: 

What or who inspired you to start writing? 

As soon as I could read, I wanted to be a writer, so by the time I was 6 or 7 years old it was in my consciousness—probably earlier. I don’t know what or who sparked this. It was just always there. Granted, when I was 7, I didn’t know exactly how writers generated material—it seemed some kind of magic trick—but I knew what they did, and I wanted to do that, too. So, even though I didn’t have much confidence that I knew what I was doing, I started keeping journals in about 3rd grade, and one of the first stories I wrote was in 6th grade for a school assignment. I think that I still have it. The story featured a character called the  “anti-Claus,” who was Santa Claus’ evil twin. Even though I can’t really pinpoint a starting point for my writing, I can tell you who my early influences were. They were C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, and so my story about the anti-Claus was very “Hobbity.” Also, Madeleine L’Engle was a key influence, and my mother read me James Michener novels while I clipped her toenails. Oh, and Harriet the Spy. I went around as Harriet for my entire 5th grade year. Doesn’t every little girl? Yes, I was a little bit of a weirdo. Goes with the territory, I suppose? That’s my excuse, anyway.

What elements are necessary components for this genre? 

The genre of my story “Jumpsuit” in the Running Wild anthology is narrative short fiction, so there was nothing very specific required beyond the usual short story components of plot, a short time frame, character development, etc. It’s not like YA or sci-fi that require particular elements. If “Jumpsuit” comes close to anything else besides a short story, it is the personal narrative essay format. I love the essay format as a container. It is tidy. One of the reasons for shaping real life into a sculpture of fiction is to tidy it up a bit, I think. Writing helps us to make sense of things—George Orwell believed that. “Jumpsuit” is one in a series of short stories that I am currently working on that all have the same central character. Each story will stand alone, just like essays do. I really admire the structure of Annie Dillard’s An American Childhood. Each chapter can stand alone as a singular story. This is my goal, but there will be some binding themes and threads, and recurring characters that run through all of them that will create an overall portrait of a life in its early stages. 

 How did you come up with your idea for your novel?

This series of stories stem from my childhood experiences growing up in Southern California, but I want to deal with childhood in a realistic way. As much as I love my Harry Potter, Narnia, and Miss Peregrine, I am fascinated by the many brutal slaps of childhood that cannot be escaped through magic—though a fine escape it is. Instead, a child in the real world must face a succession of weird, f’d up things without a magic wand or the ability to be invisible. For me, and for most people I’m willing to bet, childhood wasn’t all ice cream cones and puppy dogs (mine peed on my shoe every day for a month and then ran away). No matter what other people might think, I always think that I am trying to write humor. The ultimate coping mechanism, I suppose, is taking a turd and polishing it into fine giggle snort. To me, the best reads make a person laugh, but also cry a little, too. I read somewhere that reading fiction helps one to be more empathetic. So why not try to hit all the notes on the way down? In the end, though, I do want people to read these stories and think, “Me, too, sister, me too!”

What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio? 

I consider Champagne to be one of the most important discoveries of humankind. Oh, and I belong to a hat trick club. Yes, doing tricks with hats.

As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?

I have ideas for several projects, but my next goal is to finish the series of stories that I mentioned previously. The working title is K-12: The Diary of a Latchkey Kid. It will start with the central character in pre-school, and end with her a little bit past the 12th grade. I hope to be finished with a healthy first pass at it in a year. I have already written about a quarter of it.

Do you belong to a critique group? If so how does this help or hinder your writing?

No, I do not belong to a critique group. I would love to be in a critique group, if a) I had the time, and b) it was the right one. If a group is not a good fit, it can be counter-productive. However, I do have a few trusted writer friends who look at my work; I consider them to be very valuable. For a while, Los Angeles poet Laurel Ann Bogan was my writing coach. She was wonderful: honest, specific, but very encouraging. My advice is to be open to any and all input. It’s the only real way to grow. Some advice may not pass the bullshit test, but most of the time it is helpful. Nobody likes a defensive asshat, so I try not to be one, or to be around any. I also have a group of friends in LA who get together a few times a year to perform our poetry for one another, and sometimes there is even an audience. My friend Linda gets a small venue, like a coffee shop, to give us some space, or we use her backyard. There are a lot of snacks and some booze involved. I like to think of these gathering as being in the tradition of the 19th-century poetry salon. It may not be The Moth, but it’s ours. I’m a big believer in not waiting around for opportunity to come to you; you need to make it for yourself.

When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?  

Running Wild editor Lisa Kastner asked me to submit several pieces for this anthology that she knew I had up my sleeve. I have also asked her for advice on future projects to pursue. Having someone to encourage you is very nice, and if you find such a person, value that rare relationship.

What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)

In my time, I’ve received some spectacularly bad advice about a wide range of issues, including my mother advising me to get married as an 18-year-old virgin and being told that cutting white can sugar out of my diet couldn’t possibly make any difference to my health. So, I know bad advice. Probably the worst advice that I ever received about writing was when I was still a teenager.  A well-meaning person took me to an older gentleman’s office whom I remember as being introduced to me as a person in publishing. His advice was that product placement was key. I could mention Coke or Kleenex by name in my work and then seek sponsorship from those companies. What that had to do with getting published, I have no idea. The best advice I’ve ever received? Keep writing, and cut out as many unnecessary words as possible. 

Do you outline your books or just start writing?

I am a big believer in outlining for all kinds of writing situations, not just writing fiction. I think of writing as a craft, like a sculptor or a painter who is creating shapes out of nothing. Sculptors and painters usually do studies; they make plans for executing the work. If I’m honest, my writing ideas come to me whole. I can see the point of it, and the major plot points almost all at once in a sort of flash. Creating an outline based on these insights gives me a road map for the days that I simply need to sit down and crank something out. I’ve always had a day job (or two), so I need a lot of structure to support my writing process. That doesn’t mean that the writing doesn’t take on a life of its own once I get stuck in, but the overall ideas are usually predetermined. Writing poetry is a looser process for me than narrative fiction or essay writing; however, ideas for poems also usually come to me whole as well. After the initial flash, the devil, as the say, is in the details.

How do you maintain your creativity?

I get quite grumpy if I don’t get to engage in creative activities for a while. While I think of writing ideas almost every day, I don’t always get to write. Sometimes drawing will help relieve the pressure of needing to be creative, and so does my involvement in dance. So, the ideas are definitely there, but finding the time to write is a different matter. One time I told my writing students that I don’t have enough time to keep notes of all of my ideas because there are a lot of them, most of which either escape me or get jotted down somewhere but come to nothing. When I said that I get ideas almost everyday, they replied with, “You do?” To which I countered, “You don’t?” In unison, they all chimed back with “No!” This was something that I hadn’t previously realized. Of course! Not everyone is the same. Duh.

Who is your favorite character in the book. Can you tell us why?

My mother always shows up in all of my writing. She died a long time ago now, but she still seems to be peeking around the corner at me. I share my writing in public readings now and then. My mother has been dead for almost 20 years, but people who never met her come up to me and say, “Oh, I just love your mother,” as if she’s in the next room or something. She was always more popular than me, and she still is. Good job at becoming immortal after all, Momma. Good job.

BLURB:

This gripping collection of stories - fiction, nonfiction, and narrative poem - will make your imagination run wild! Featuring stories by Sarah Smith Ducksworth, Elaine Crauder, Luanne Smith, Keith R. Fentonmiller, Lisa Montagne, Ann Stolinsky, A.J. O’Connell, Aimee LaBrie, Kristan Campbell, Jack Hillman, Bill Scruggs, Joshua Hedges, Gary Zenker. You will travel alternative planets, run away away like teens in search of adventure, solve a murderous mystery, come to grips with your fears, and much more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT:

“I have fallen for an old man. Gray-white hair and wrinkled folds, drooping skin, eyes yellowed as parchment, his lips have almost disappeared from his face. He isn’t rich. He doesn’t have genius to pass along to me. He smokes, drinks, snores, walks too slowly from a bad knee, laughs with a crackle of sound harsh as a rasp of sandpaper on brick.” From Luanne Smith’s “Me and My Old Man”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

https://www.facebook.com/runningwildpress/

Elaine Crauder’s fiction is also in Cooweescoowee, The Boston Literary Magazine, The Eastern Iowa Review , and Penumbra. Another story received the Westmoreland Short Story Award. Eleven of her short stories have been finalists or semi-finalists in contests, including finalists in the Tobias Wolff and Mark Twain House contests. ”The Price Of A Pony,” under the title”Christmas the Hard Way,” was a semi-finalist for both Ruminate Magazine’s  short story prize and for the Salem College Center for Women Writers Reynolds Price short fiction award.

Richard D. “Ky” Owen is a lawyer with Goodwin & Goodwin, LLP, in Charleston, West Virginia. He earned a B.A. in journalism from Michigan State University in 1981 and a J.D. from Hamline University in 1984. Coming from a family of writers, he considers himself a “writer by birth.” He is the author of

None Call Me Dad and he blogs about parenting and Michigan State sports on his website, www.nonecallmedad.com.

Keith R. Fentonmiller is a consumer protection attorney for the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C. Before graduating from the University of Michigan Law School, he toured with a professional comedy troupe, writing and performing sketch comedy at colleges in the Mid-Atlantic States. His Pushcart-nominated short story was recently published in the Stonecoast Review. His debut novel, Kasper Mützenmacher’s Cursed Hat, will be published March 20, 2017 by Curiosity Quills Press.

Based in Southern California, Dr. Lisa Montagne currently divides her time between writing poetry and prose, teaching writing to (mostly) willing college students, and overseeing educational technology projects and support at Fullerton College. She is also a Swing, Blues, and Argentine Tango dancer, host, DJ, and instructor. She likes to drink Champagne in as many places as she can, including Europe; to read poetry aloud to anybody who will listen; to cook for anybody who is willing to sit down long enough to enjoy her food; to dabble in drawing, painting, and photography; and to read anything plopped in front of her, ranging from D.H. Lawrence to Vogue magazine. She also likes to watch television and movies, and to imagine how much better she would have produced them herself. She lived in Las Vegas at one time, so she likes to tell people that she was a stripper there. She was really just a graduate student and high school teacher, but it’s more fun to let people wonder. Although rumored to be a direct descendent of Oompa Loompas, Lisa is actually the offspring of a college professor and a circus dwarf. You can find some more of her writing at archive405.com and lisamontagne.com, and see evidence of her adventures @lisamlore on Instagram.

Ann Stolinsky is a Pennsylvania-based word and game expert. She is the founder and owner of Gontza Games, an independent board and card game company, and three of her games are currently in the marketplace:

“MINDFIELD, The Game of United States Military Trivia”; “Pass the Grogger!”; and “Christmas Cards.”

Check out her website at www.gontzagames.com. She is also a partner in Gemini Wordsmiths, a full-service copyediting and content creating company. Visit www.geminiwordsmiths.com for more information and testimonials. Ann reviews books for Amazing Stories Magazine, an online sci-fi magazine which can be found at www.amazingstoriesmag.com, and is an Assistant Editor for Red Sun Magazine, www.redsunmagazine.com. Her most recent publishing credit is a poem in the Fall 2015 issue of Space and Time Magazine. She is a graduate of the Bram Stoker award-winning author Jonathan Maberry’s short story writing class.

Lisa Montagne is a former correspondent for the Philadelphia Theatre Review and Features Editor for the Picolata Review, her short stories have appeared in magazines and journals such as StraightJackets Magazine and HESA Inprint. In 2007 Kastner was featured in the Fresh Lines @ Fresh Nine, a public reading hosted by Gross McCleaf Art Gallery. She founded Running Wild Writers and is the former president of Pennwriters, Inc. (www.pennwriters.com). She received her MFA in Creative Writing from Fairfield University, her MBA from Pennsylvania State and her BS from Drexel University (She’s definitely full of it). Her novel THE KEEPER OF LOST THINGS was shortlisted in the fiction category of the William Faulkner Words and Wisdom Award and her memoir BREATHE was a semi-finalist in the nonfiction category of the same award. Born and raised in Camden, New Jersey she migrated to Philadelphia in her twenties and eventually transported to Los Angeles, California with her partner-in-crime and ever-talented husband. They nurture two felonious felines who anxiously engage in little sparks of anarchy.

Aimee LaBrie works as a communications director at Rutgers University. She earned her MFA in fiction from Penn State, and her MLA from University of Pennsylvania. Her short story collection, Wonderful Girl, was awarded the Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Fiction and published by the University of North Texas Press in 2007. Her second collection of stories, A Good Thing, placed as a finalist in the BOA Short Fiction Contest. Her short stories have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and published in Pleiades, Minnesota Review, Iron Horse Literary Review, Permafrost, and other literary journals. In 2012, she won first place in Zoetrope’s All-Story Fiction contest. You can read her blog at www.butcallmebetsy.blogspot.com.

Kristan Campbell is a short story writer born in Washington, D.C. but has only visited her grandmother there during some of the summers of her childhood. She’s more familiar with Philadelphia, New York City, and Paris than her native city and aims to weave her experiences in those places into tales based on places and people that are out of the ordinary. She studied Journalism at Temple University (what seemed like a practical approach to writing at the time) and Comparative Literature at Hunter College (which seemed like a fun idea at the time) before accepting that she should have been an English major all along. Kristan completed her B.A. in English at Temple University in 2010 and an MFA in Fiction at Fairfield

University in 2016. She’s currently attempting to eke out a living doing freelance editing with the help of her cat, Fishy, who manages her desktop printer with enthusiasm.

Bill Ed Scruggs spent his younger years meeting the Southern mountain countryside and exploring the people, taking time out as needed for work in various occupations. He lives (temporarily) in Connecticut and has one child, a psychiatrist. Presently he is reconstructing his memories and imaginings in a series of novels and short stories (Facebook page Foothills Fiction - Bill Ed Scruggs) Warrensburg is a fictional photo of a country village in the illumination of fireflies.

Joshua Hedges is a debut Science Fiction writer from Pittsburgh, PA. He graduated from The University of Pittsburgh with a degree in Computer Science. When he’s not writing stories or code, he ventures outdoors with his wife and three-year-old son to hunt dragons in the forest.

Gary Zenker is a marketing professional whose days are filled with creating business and marketing plans, and writing ad copy and media content. By night, he applies his imagination to flash fiction tales that cross genre and focus on revealing various facets of human nature. He is the author of Meetup Leader, a book on running successful groups; is editor and publisher of 19 books in the rock & roll Archives series; and co-author of Says Seth, a humorous collection written with his then six-year-old son. His work has earned a dozen marketing awards and placed in four writers’ contests, including a first place recognition from Oxford University Press. He founded and continues to lead two writers groups in southeastern PA, assisting others to develop their skills and achieve their writing goals. www.zenkermarketing.com

ONLY THE E-BOOK IS $0.99 DURING THE TOUR

Amazon eBook: https://www.amazon.com/Running-Wild-Anthology-Stories-1-ebook/dp/B06VTMDRNN

Amazon-print - https://www.amazon.com/Running-Wild-Anthology-Stories-1/dp/0997778822/ref=sr_1_1

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

The authors will be awarding three individual prizes, a $10, a $25 and a $50 Amazon or B/N GC to three randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f2260