When “She”, aka my owner, is pretending to write and ignoring me, I still have my dill pickle.
An Interview with Tricia La Rochelle
Since she was a little girl, award-winning author Tricia T. LaRochelle has been obsessed with tragic love stories. No beach reads for her. Bring on the grit with a double side of turmoil. She likes to feel the character’s anguish as they fight to overcome obstacles to be together. Growing up in central Vermont, she has seen her share of tragedy but remains a hopeful romantic.
Tricia entered Sun in My Heart in the 2024 Readers’ Favorite Contest for New Adult Fiction. A couple of weeks ago, she learned that Sun in My Heart had won their Bronze Medal for New Adult Fiction.
This is not where this story ends. The Readers’ Favorite also gives out over a hundred thousand dollars in prizes to the winners, which includes the award where they choose ten books out of the eight hundred-plus winners that they feel would be best suited for making into a film. (The film house they work with tells them what criteria they are looking for). Sun in My Heart was chosen as one of those ten books.
Although not chosen to go forward as a film, Sun in My Heart also won a Bronze Medal in the 2024 Global Book Awards.
Are you a pantster or a plotter? I have always been a pantser type of writer. I tend to dream up a story and then organize it in my mind. I also tend to imagine the ending first. I’m not sure why that is. And then I imagine the beginning, which I start putting down on paper. After that, I wait for the next chapter or scene to hit me until the process takes over and the story comes pouring out of me.
Describe your best writing day? My best writing day is when I get so lost in my writing, I feel as though I’ve taken a trip in my mind. My fingers work of their own volition. It is the very best a writer can ask for.
Johanna Nauraine is an Asian American writer who has been a serious student of fiction, nonfiction and poetry for decades. Her work has been published in Bright Flash Literary Review, Bristol Noir, ASP Publishing, Vol. 11, Witcraft, The Pure Slush Anthology on Loss, Vol. 9, Discretionary Love, Bar Bar, Muse Pie Press, The Stray Branch, Winter, 2024. She is a psychotherapist in private practice who lives on the shores of Lake Michigan.
“The great defect of craft-driven programs is that they ignore the writer’s inner process. Creativity, the inner process of imagination, is not discussed.” From Narrative Design by Madison Smartt Bell.
I’ve been a serious writer for most of my life and have participated in numerous writers conferences, groups and writing workshops, yet this subject – creativity and imagination – are almost never spoken of. It’s as if these are a given. Yet many writers, myself included, go through long fallow periods, where nothing moves us to sit down and confront the empty page.
I believe creativity and imagination are somewhat ephemeral. For me, the impetus to write is often sparked by experiences in nature, observations or interactions with people, awareness and exploration of my own emotional life or startling experiences that require closer examination.
Another rich source of creative and imaginative material comes from the unconscious. Many writers, write work based on memorable dreams. One of the tricks of using this resource is to get the ideas written down quickly. This enables you to capture their visceral essence.
Another source of imaginative or creative inspiration, comes from reading the work of other great writers. There have been occasions when I’ve been awake for hours after reading the work of gifted writers. Excitement about another writer’s work, frequently motivates me to engage in my own work.
I believe, the most memorable writing derives from taking risks, breaking the rules, introducing an idea, image, metaphor, thought, piece of dialogue, action or juxtaposition that is unexpected. Such writing startles the reader to reconsider their perspective of a character, their perceptions of the world or creates new insight into their own experience.
I have also been a singer, composer and musician for many years. Those of you who participate in other art forms may find, these additional creative outlets, fuel your writing. There have been times when writing words seemed fused with musical notes, sounds or phrases.
Any thoughts, fellow writers? What sparks your creativity and imagination? I’d love to hear from you!
An Editor’s Tale of Fixing a Plot Hole with Jennie Rosenblum
Jennie Rosenblum has been an independent editor for small publishers and indie authors. Since 2014, she has been happily self-employed helping authors. Over the next few months, she will be sharing guest columns here. Feel free to reach out to her at www.jenniereads.com.
As an editor, I consider myself the story’s first reader—a stand-in for the audience, tasked with spotting anything that could trip them up. Authors bring beautifully crafted worlds, characters, and plots, but even the best stories sometimes have small gaps that could shake a reader’s trust. One such moment happened recently with a manuscript I was editing.
The story was compelling, with a subplot about two characters who lost touch for over a decade only to reconnect. Their reunion was full of emotional layers, including a twist: despite their years apart, one had quietly kept tabs on the other, tracking their successes and struggles without their knowledge.
It was an intriguing dynamic, but by the end, one question nagged at me: How exactly had they kept up with the other all these years? The manuscript offered no clues, and readers would notice. Without context, the behavior appeared overly convenient—or, worse, a little creepy.
I flagged the issue in my notes, but it felt too important to leave it there. When I asked the author, “So one character has been keeping tabs on the other for years, right?”
“Yes,” the author said. “It’s what makes their reconnection so meaningful.”
I hesitated. “It does, but… the story doesn’t show how. Readers will wonder how they know so much about each other’s life without contact. Was it social media? Mutual friends? Events? Right now, there’s nothing to anchor that connection.”
The silence that followed told me I’d hit on something important. Finally, the author admitted, “I hadn’t thought of that. I assumed readers would just fill in the blanks.”
Ah, the dreaded blank spaces! Writers often want readers to infer things, but gaps can become distractions without the right hints. I explained that readers are naturally curious, especially about characters’ motivations. If the devotion wasn’t grounded in something believable, it could undermine the emotional payoff of their reunion.
To the author’s credit, they didn’t bristle at the critique. Instead, they got to work, and we brainstormed possible explanations. Luckily, there was already a nugget in the story to pull from. A quick flashback got readers up to speed.
When I read the revised draft, the difference was striking. Those small additions didn’t overwhelm the narrative—they enriched it. Suddenly, the actions felt like the perfect blend of loyalty and restraint, and the character’s realization of the other’s devotion carried so much more weight.
By the time the book reached beta readers, their feedback confirmed what I’d hoped. They adored it. The story was stronger, the emotional beats landed harder, and all it took was a little extra attention to those invisible threads that hold a plot together.
As editors, we don’t just fix commas and tighten sentences—we build bridges. Sometimes, those bridges turn a good story into one readers won’t forget.
Scars of the Heart wins in the category Short Stories Collections of the Literary Global Book Awards 2024 .
Since the January issue was published, I’ve admitted defeat. And own a case of careless stupidity. Yet, above all, I won’t give up. Yes, I’ve lost the first 85 handwritten pages of book 8. I’ll always remember how wonderful it was to write it while cruising up the Danube last spring, but that won’t bring it back. Consolation? I’d have had to rewrite it anyhow because of late-minute changes made to book 7, Lucky and Mrs. Nemo. Only now, I’ll rewrite it from scratch and find a safe place to keep it until it gets into my pc. For those who may not remember the reasoning behind a long-hand first draft, I can compose with more imagination using a nice fountain pen and black ink. There’s nothing cold or sterile about it, like a keyboard.
Moving on. Book 7, Lucky and Mrs. Nemo, is complete, 99% edited, and ready to send to my publisher. The publication date is probably November or December 2025.
The unofficial blurb for Lucky and Mrs. Nemo:
Pelaez is back, and Captain Nemo is a bit upset to see him, but it could also be because they have found Mrs. Nemo. The magician’s first encounter with Swango is told as they plan for the Nautilus’ journey to the Castell de Ferro in Spain, where Doctor Jurik Lazlo is hiding. Captain Nemo has been searching for him for a long time.
On Findbar, they’ve added another scientist. Dr. Martha Gluck (aka Lucky) is a character, literally and figuratively. She enjoys a lively gunfight, doesn’t faint at the sight of magic, and accepts danger as a jolly good time. She finally draws the line when she meets up with the broadsword-wielding ghost, Mrs. Spencer.
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Swango (book 6) is available everywhere. If you would like a list of past events in the previous books of the series as a reference while reading it (recommended), please visit my site to request a copy of the list. https://loukemp.com/about-the-author/
It may be pushing my luck, but I’m planning two books for a companion series to the Celwyn series. They will feature his untrustworthy brother Pelaez. But first, The Encyclopedia of Celwyn will be developed. It will contain a detailed list of all the series characters, along with descriptions, quirks, etc., and which books of the series they appear in. Also, it will contain all the events in the series books. There will be interviews with the main characters, funny or shocking stories from Celwyn et al., and much more. If you think the pouty red cat in the picture at the beginning of this issue (Celwyn’s Cats) is grumpy now, she will be even more upset at a lack of attention for the next several months. This is why cat treats were invented.
Shameless Buy Links to booksellers who carry the Celwyn series.
