Hello again, and welcome to another writer interview on Fiction Friday.
This week, I present Tiffany Avery. Like me, she’s in her second semester of Seton Hill’s MFA in Writing Popular Fiction program. And, as usual, I’ll let the interviewee do the talking.
-What book and/or experience made you want to be a writer?
My third grade teacher "punished" us one day and told us to finish a story prompt. It helped me get away from her bullying ways.
-What genre(s) do you write? If more than one, what’s your favorite?
I like Fantasy the most, but I always try to make the fantastical elements somewhat logical or science based. I also use a lot of religious elements. In the case of my thesis, it's the Dead Sea Scrolls and a lot of my own experiences with religion.
-What project are you working on now?
I have my thesis, of course. It's called The Prophet's Chosen. I have a former drug addict and criminal trying to become a minister. (I call them Elders.) He finds out that he's the heir to my version of the Dead Sea Scrolls, but he doesn't think he's worthy of them, so he spends most of the novel running away from his fate.
A recent dream spawned a project that refuses to leave me alone. It's about faeries and other fantastical beings.
-Spoilers?
This is from the thesis novel, The Prophet's Chosen
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Eli rolled to a defensive position and looked around. He’d fallen through what he mistook as a bizarre aquarium filled with quicksilver. It still looked that way, only it was a few feet above the floor. Eli hadn’t remembered the drop, but as he watched, the shape his body left when he passed through it filled in and went back to its lazy movement. He felt peace flow into his mind and body while he stood up and looked around some more. The walls were painted the same shade of violet he’d seen in other temples to Naima. The smell of jasmine was the same. Being here felt familiar, like he stood in the sanctuary or chapel, but on a much smaller scale. The room looked to be eight feet in height and width and dim sunlight shone into the room from two narrow windows about the length and width of his forearm. Everything in the room was bizarrely familiar; he realized when he saw the furniture. A wooden writing desk and chair was to his left, so that meant an altar was to his right. He looked to his right for confirmation and got it.
I’ve been here before. How though? Did I come here with Elder Kingston? No. That doesn’t make sense. That temple is 2500 miles away from here. This can’t be the same place. Eli didn’t see anything of interest on the writing desk, so he took a step toward the altar and heard someone singing. It seemed to be coming from the portrait above the altar. The voice was male, tenor, and sang just loud enough for Eli to recognize the hymn. The children's choir sang it sometimes. He caught himself humming along until he really listened to the lyrics. Eli's eyes widened. The singer had changed the words.
She loves my banana.
I love licking her mango
And her fully ripe melons.
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-For other aspiring writers, any tips?
Write every day. Get a routine. Try your best to stick with it. Start small. One page. 250 words. You'd be surprised at how fast one page a day can add up.
-What’s your favorite book/genre to read?
I like to laugh and I like to think. I've been reading a lot of Steampunk lately, but I'm also reading a space opera, and a fantasy horror.
-What’s your favorite thing you’ve ever written?
I wrote a flash fiction story about a woman who gets her first kiss. It got published in my undergrad's literary magazine.
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