This month we featured Valkyrie's short story, Penguin. It's a story about a chance meeting... and of course, the inspiration for the title, Penguin, plays a big part in the story. Check out my interview with Valkyrie, and then leave your thoughts on the story below! She will be available "live" to reply to comments, answer questions, etc... from 8-10 PM, Eastern Time.

Single people often have more time to write. Are you single?
Yes, although I do a lot of volunteer work for my profession and have a full-time job, so sometimes it can be hard to find the time and energy to write.

What are you wearing (and no fibbing!)?
A purple t-shirt and blue jeans.

Did you like to write in school?
I’ve always loved writing. I hated homework, but liked writing assignments, especially if it was creative writing. One of my characters in my current story The Hollow Hills – Josh – first appeared in a story I wrote for my ninth grade English class.

What brought you to GA?
I was a big fan of Rob Colton’s on Literotica. I found a link to GA on his profile and followed it here. It was exciting to see other writers here that I enjoyed reading on Lit – like Sasha Distan and Reddirtwriter. I found everyone here to be so welcoming and helpful. Comicfan’s prompts inspired me to start writing. I honestly don’t think I would have if it wasn’t for the supportive and helpful nature of GA members.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
Like I mentioned above, I am very active in organizations supporting my profession. I sit on three different boards of directors – President of one, Past President of another, and I am also a director on our state board. It takes a lot of my time and thank goodness I am at the end of my service for most of them! I like watching TV and I also enjoy traveling. I have an extensive collection of model horses and show them; although I’ve been doing that quite a bit less than I have in the past.

Is there a writer you would consider a mentor or had influence on your writing?
Cole Matthews has taught me so much through his beta reading for me. He doesn’t hesitate to let me know when I’ve screwed up and where I need to make improvements. Louis (LJH) and Lisa have helped me make my writing technically stronger through their editing. Joann414 helped me tremendously when I first joined to learn the ins and outs of the site. She also beta read Penguin for me and helped make it a better story.

Do you have any writing rituals?
Not really. I’m extremely sensitive to noise, so I tend to need it quiet in order to focus on writing. I also have attention issues and am easily distracted by shiny things. Hey look…the cat just yawned!

If you could give advice to yourself when you first started writing, what would it be?
To let the writing ‘flow’ and worry about the technical aspect later. I tend to write a few paragraphs, then go back and make revisions. I’ve spent a lot of time doing technical writing, so getting in the mindset to write fiction can be difficult at times. I’m constantly learning and (I hope) evolving as a writer.

Did something inspire you to write Penguin as a longer story than a flash prompt response?
I thought the note that Daniel sent Penguin was so sweet and I really wanted to know what happened after Sean read it. So I suppose my inspiration was curiosity.

Did the characters or the plot come to you first when you viewed the prompt?
The characters. I envisioned a man jogging in the park and encountering something you don’t see every day. I figured a man walking with a cat perched on his shoulder would fit the bill. I didn’t really plot this story out at all. I let the characters lead the story.

How long did it take you to write this story?
About two months.

What was your favorite part of Penguin?
Hmmm… that’s a tough one. I like when Robbie brought Timmy to Sean’s and Penguin gave him a tour of the apartment. I can just picture the two cats wandering around together and imagine the ‘conversation’ between them. My other favorite part would be toward the end of the story, so I don’t want to say any spoilers for those who haven’t read the story yet.

Can you share a little of your current work with us?
I’m currently writing a story called The Hollow Hills. It’s set on a horse farm in Vermont and centers around Galen and Joshua. Galen moves to New England after breaking up with his boyfriend and meets Josh. This isn’t a ‘fall instantly in love and live happily ever after’ story. There is lots of angst, tragedy, turmoil, and two flawed individuals trying their best to navigate through it all. Will they get their happy ending? That remains to be seen…
I’m also working on a piece for the summer antho, which will feature a face familiar to readers of my Max and Elliot stories. Slytherin gets credit for the idea, though, since I never would have told Pete’s story otherwise.

Thanks for the interesting interview replies, Valkyrie! Okay readers, share your thoughts!!