SmokeLong Quarterly

Have you always lived in the Richmond area? Do you feel it influences your writing at all?

I was born in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and moved to the Richmond area after graduate school. I’d say that much of my fiction shows hints of Southern culture and a rural upbringing.

What effect, if any, does your background in Counseling have on your writing?

I’d say I am more willing to delve dark subjects because of my background. Also, most of my work is character-driven and I’m sure that is due in part to my focus on the mind and emotions.

How do you feel about Flash versus other literary forms?

I prefer poetry to any literary form, but I also enjoy fiction, both short as in Flash and longer works. I have a completed novel and hope to begin querying agents soon. I haven’t tried my hand at screenplays, but hope to.

What writers move you?

Too many to list really and my tastes are so eclectic. But in terms of moving me, nothing compares to poetry, especially poetry by women—Sharon Olds, Sylvia Plath, Rita Dove, Carolyn Forche, Mary Oliver, Jane Kenyon, Adrienne Rich, Cathryn Hankla, Lisa Russ Spaar, and on and on…

Why do you write?

I can’t imagine not writing.