The first story in her anthology, the award winning Flash Mob (In A Patchwork of Stories), chilling and left me with the feeling, whoa, wow, that was not what I was expecting! It stayed with me a long time. I'm not surprised it was a second place winner in the Fire to Fly short story contest.
Let's meet this remarkable writer. Kaye George is a short story writer and novelist who has been nominated for three Agatha awards and has been a finalist for the Silver Falchion. She is the author of four mystery series: the Imogene Duckworthy humorous Texas series, the Cressa Carraway musical mystery series, the Fat Cat cozy series (coming in 2014), and The People of the Wind Neanderthal series.
Her short stories can be found in her collection, A Patchwork of Stories as well as in several anthologies, various online and print
magazines. She reviews for Suspense Magazine and writes for several newsletters and blogs. Kaye lives in Knoxville, TN.If you've been following my summer blog you now know the drill. Time for some questions, Kaye! What is your all-time favorite short story and why?
Anything by O. Henry. I can't pick a favorite, but would someday like to write one as good as his worst.
What is the most difficult part of writing short fiction for you, Kaye?
Finding the time! I sandwich them in between working on novels, which is where the money, such as it is, is.
What piece of advice would you give to a prospective short story writer?
Read a ton of them. Write a few. Read another ton. Keep writing for several years. Then you'll be there, if this is what you really want to do.
Which of your short stories should we read first and why?
I don't think it matters at all, but be prepared. My shorts are all over the place. Some are light and fluffy, some are dark. One is a diet spoof, one is a Chicago cop story. There are even some dark fantasy/ horror singles for sale online. I've never settled down into one set kind of story. The ideas pop up like afternoon thunderstorms and I feel I have to capture them before they evaporate.
Kaye's website
Kaye's Amazon page
Kaye's short stories can be found here
A free audio story can be found here
Good to meet you, Kaye. And very cool "patchwork" cover for your patchwork of stories.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Norah! I'm proud of that cover, which I did myself from a photo I took. That quilt was handmade for my first child by a dear friend. When I was casting about for something to tie my stories together as a collection, I spied the quilt and decided that they were as patchwork as the quilt.
ReplyDeleteHi Linda/Kaye,
ReplyDeleteI have that book, and love it that the stories are varied since I also write all over the place. Flash Mob is one of my favorite stories, too. Looking forward to reading more of your shorts.
Thanks, Bobbi! When I get the time (???), I plan to put out another collection.
DeleteHi Kaye. I just downloaded your collection of short stories and am looking forward to reading them. Since I recently started writing, I find it helps to see what other people do with the medium. This blog has added a lot of interesting writers to my list.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy them, Teresa--thanks!
DeleteThis blog is wonderful. I am learning so much about short story writers. Kaye, I really like the patchwork cover art. I love that you wrote your stories are all over the place. You are not alone.
ReplyDeleteThat's good, JM. Writers do feel alone a lot. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks all for commenting. It has been so fun gathering and interviewing all of these authors! Thanks Kaye!
ReplyDeleteYou're entirely welcome and I thank you for hosting me!
ReplyDelete