Witches, Stitches & Bitches: A Three Little Words Anthology and A Visit from Amazing Editor Shannon Page

A STITCH IN TIME... IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF THE STORY.

Exquisite revenge and knitted doppelgängers; heartbreak and happy endings; unicorns, doomed dogs, and penitent frogs; steampunk fairies, conflicted stepmothers, and baseball—you’ll find it all here. Our literary alchemists weave a spell of fascination, drawing you deeper and deeper, tale by tale, until escape is impossible. But you’ll enjoy every minute of the plunge.

These sixteen deft and delightful stories involving witches, stitches, and bitches run the gamut from darkly disturbing to just plain fun. They will each take you out of the ordinary and into the world of magic, where older, weirder, or merely other rules apply. And just when you think things are all sewn up... some bitch may have a surprise for you.

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1. How did you get started writing?

I can’t remember not writing...I grew up on a commune without TV, among very few other kids, so reading was my chief source of entertainment. Consuming stories quickly led to the desire to create stories. My earliest efforts were crayon-on-construction-paper illustrated tales (and yes, my mom still has them). I kept a journal from the age of eleven, and wrote pretty much obsessively through high school.

But my first serious attempt at writing publishable work came after I read a witch novel where the ending utterly, thoroughly, completely disappointed me. (And no, I won’t tell you what it is! It was a perfectly fine book, it just... didn’t work for me.) I thought, Oh no, that’s not how it’s done. And I set out to do better. And now, almost ten years later, I’ve got a couple dozen published short stories, a forthcoming collection, and five and a half novels on their way, from two different presses.
  

 2. What were you looking for in the WSB anthology?

I know this is not helpful, but I have to say it first: good stories.

So let me elaborate. I didn’t have any preconceived notion of what kinds of stories I was looking for. I knew we wanted to keep to the “a witch, a stitch, and a bitch” theme, but that can be interpreted in so many ways, so I left myself open to whatever struck me. I chose light, silly stories, and dark, disturbing ones. Stories for adults and YA stories. Long ones and short ones. But what they all had in common was this: they held my attention all the way through.

They entertained me. I wanted to see what happened next. They let me stop being “editor” and slip into being “reader”.

I read every single story submitted, all the way through. When I mentioned this online, several more seasoned editors gently (and kindly) laughed, saying, Oh, don’t do that, it will make you crazy; you can tell a bad story right away. And, while that was largely true, I wanted to see what people were writing. I wanted to know why stories don’t work, and understand that in detail. Which leads into the next question:


 3. As an editor, can you give some helpful hints about what not to do that will give prospective writers a better edge on getting published?

I’m going to give a couple of “don’ts” and a “do” here, because they’re equally important.

Especially for newer writers: don’t overwrite. What most of the stories that didn’t make it into the anthology had in common was way too much explaining, especially of character motivation. If your characters are fully alive and realized, their reasons for doing things will be obvious; they will arise organically from your story, in the action and the characters’ interactions. So much can be revealed in dialogue and in small, telling details. Trust your reader: we get a lot more than you might think.

Another “don’t”: some of the stories didn’t grab me because they didn’t seem to be about anything. Sure, plenty of things happened, but there was no progression—nothing the main character learned or grew from. No way in which the world changed (and I don’t necessarily mean the whole wide world). Sometimes this is called theme, but I don’t want to get all high school English on you here. But a story, even a light and silly one, has to feel important. There have to be stakes for the characters, and it all has to mean something. Otherwise, it’s just not a satisfying read.

And here’s my biggest “do”: Read. Read, read, read! Now, this might be my no-TV bias here (I still don’t have one), but I don’t see how anyone can write well if they don’t read. Read widely and broadly, and pay attention to what other authors are doing—both the ones you like and the ones you don’t. Absorb how sentences go together; see what is revealed and what is only hinted at. Listen to how language works—read aloud. (Read your own work aloud too: this is astonishingly useful.) If you can pick up how punctuation and grammar work, this is a bonus, and your editors will thank you. J But I think the only way to learn how to write an effective story is to steep yourself in many, many other stories.

 4. What are your favorite witchy books or movies?

Well, not being much of a “watcher,” I can tell you about favorite books.  

I am currently reading Mindy Klasky’s Jane Madison books, and they are an absolute kick. I really enjoyed M. K. Hobson’s Native Star and its sequels. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is lovely. Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy is astonishing—I’ve read those several times. Galen Beckett’s trilogy which starts with The Magicians and Mrs. Quent is really, really good. I love Cherie Priest’s southern gothic books, starting with Four and Twenty Blackbirds. There are so many more, but those leap to mind right away!

 5. If you could have one witchy talent what would it be?

I am tempted to say “add more hours to the day”! But, if I let go of being a grownup for a minute, I remember how much I always wanted to fly. To just lift up my arms and soar. Being the grownup I am, though, I approximate that feeling by swimming.

  

 6. What is next on your writing and editing horizon?

I’ve got a dark fantasy/horror novel, Eel River, coming out from Morrigan Books some time in the next few months.  And then the first book in my Nightcraft Quartet, The Queen and The Tower, comes out next spring—the story of a young witch in San Francisco who just wants a little more adventure in her life... but, of course, be careful what you ask for!

On the editing front, I’ll be doing another “three little words” anthology for Evil Girlfriend next spring (though we haven’t picked the words yet!). I also edit for Per Aspera Press; on my plate there I’ve currently got a YA werewolf series with an interesting twist, plus a single-title novella about a young man’s interesting relationship with his dead twin brother.

 7. Heels or flats?

Ha! I have a great collection of gorgeous heels, but, alas, I almost always wear my Keen sandals. You can tell I live in Oregon. J  

 8. Car or broomstick? (trick question...for me it's both!)

Bicycle!  

 9. Pizza or sushi?

Sushi, most definitely! Amusingly, I just had sushi for lunch today. And sashimi: even more wonderful.

 10. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

Mint chip, usually, though sometimes I’m a sucker for pistachio. Then, just to be peculiar: here in Portland we’ve got an artisanal ice cream company called Salt and Straw. They have a strawberry, balsamic vinegar and black pepper flavor that OH MY GOD you just have to try it to believe it.   

Thank you Shannon for visiting with us on the blog today! I am reading the anthology now and loving every page of it! I appreciate the writerly advice and am looking forward to submitting another story to the new lineup of anthologies for 2014. I can't wait to read your upcoming works!