North of the Paranaiba, Flash Fiction, Issue 60, Fall 2022

Paul Iasevoli holds a master’s degree in Latin American Literature. His writing has

appeared in Cathexis, High Shelf Press, City.River.Tree, and Deep South Magazine,

where he won honorable mention in their 2019 Race in Place competition for his short

story “Forced into Freedom.” His other work includes the 2018 novella Winter Blossoms

published by Beaten Track Publishing.

Find out more at pauliasevoliwords.com, and on Twitter @IasevoliPaul.

Get to know Paul

Birthdate?

In the merry month of May.

When did you start writing?

When I first held a crayon in my hand.

When and what and where did you first get published?

I published my first poem in my hometown newspaper when I was in third grade. My first paid publication was in the now defunct online magazine City.River.Tree.

Why do you write?

Stories and characters come to me in flashes—as if already formed, and I rush to write them down before they’re lost like dreams at midnight.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy?

My fiction is conjured from my fantasies. So I would say that every fiction I write is Fantasy.

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story?

Favorite contemporary author: Lauren Groff. All-time favorite story: The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula Le Guin

What are you trying to say with your fiction?

I don’t think I’m trying to say anything, but I think my characters are trying to tell me something. More often than not, my stories involve a boy at the brink of manhood—it’s that adolescent moment of realization that creates the arc in almost everything I write.

If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say?

“He lived without breaking any of the rules or dragging anyone else down along the way.”

Do you blog?

No.

Carnival of Stone, Flash Fiction, December 1, 2011

Jaelithe Ingold was named after a character in Andre Norton's Witch World series, so it's no great surprise that she loves speculative fiction. She used to prepare fossils for display at the Carnegie Museum and is now a retail manager. Her work has most recently appeared in Abyss & Apex, Shock Totem and Fantastique Unfettered.

Get to know Jaelithe...

When did you start writing? I always wrote as a kid, but got away from it during college. It wasn't until a few years ago that I got serious enough about it to finish a novel. In-between novels, I took up short stories and found them really addictive.

When and what and where did you first get published? A 100-word Jack and Jill piece called "The Prize" to Necrotic Tissue. It was also my first submission ever.

What themes do you like to write about? I like grey characters. People who appear innocent with an underlying darkness. People who have noble reasons for doing the wrong thing. And if I can squeeze in a fairy tale or mythological reference, I'm even happier.

What books and/or stories have most resonated with you as an author? Why? How do these stories and their characters find expression in your work? Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, both of which I've read hundreds of times. I love the cleverness of the language and the imaginative characters. There's also something quite dark beneath the innocent surface of the stories.

Forever Elusive, Poetry, Issue 59, summer 2022

Bio

Pedro Iniguez is a speculative fiction writer and painter.

His work has appeared in Nightmare Magazine, Helios Quarterly, Star*Line, Space and Time Magazine, and Tiny Nightmares, among others.

He can be found online at Pedroiniguezauthor.com

Birthdate?

October 17, 1986

When did you start writing?

I started writing when I was in 3rd grade and picked it up full-steam again when I turned 20. Been doing it ever since.

When and what and where did you first get published?

My first publication was a drabble called "Dracosaurus Reborn," in a chapbook called The Drabbler back in 2009.

Why do you write?

I write because it allows me to channel my creativity. I have a lot of things going on in my head and this is one way to sort things out, make sense of things, and create something entertaining from it.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy?

Science Fiction is a great way to take our hopes and fears of tomorrow and reinterpret them through the speculative prism. Plus, it makes for some great entertainment.

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story?

This is a hard one but Ray Bradbury would have to be my favorite author. His poetic prose and wonderful ideas really get the imagination going. I can't say I have a favorite story but 1984, Fahrenheit 451, and I am Legend are among my favorite novels.

What are you trying to say with your fiction?

I try to say a lot of things. Sometimes, the stories or poems are calls to action, other times warnings. Though, a call to appeal to reason and empathy is something found throughout my work.

If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say?

I haven't thought about this too much just yet so I'll get back to you on this one...perhaps way down the road.

Do you blog?

Not at the moment, no. I do have a website I try to keep updated regularly: Pedroiniguezauthor.com.