And the Whippoorwill Sang by Micki Peluso

Have you won or been shortlisted in any competitions? I’ve seen her work in print since then so it didn’t put her off.

I was on a course with an author who received feedback (I think from People’s Friend) but took it as an out-and-out rejection and the story stayed on her computer. Just the right thing for the wrong person and to have any feedback is a huge deal as they rarely have time. A hand-written rejection is actually a compliment as the editor took the time to write it. Micki: I was initially hurt and discouraged by rejection, but came to know that most times when one is rejected, it is because they don’t print that type of story. Micki: I was inundated with rejection slips when I submitted to magazines, but newspapers changed all that, and in 20 years I’ve never received a rejection from any of them. Morgen: Have you had any rejections? If so, how do you deal with them? Most recently I’ve written Op-Ed pieces for my daily newspaper and short stories for on-line magazines and contest, such as Skyline, Cold Coffee and the Northesian. Micki: I wrote under a pen name for one newspaper, but the rest of my work is in my own name. What have you had published to-date? Do you write under a pseudonym? Morgen: I wrote a 102-page script for the now defunct Script Frenzy and it really isn’t for me (too bitty) but gave me a respect for scriptwriters. I taught myself to write short fiction and non-fiction in every genre except script writing. Micki: I write well in first person, and enjoy writing slice of life stories, especially humour. What genre do you generally write and have you considered other genres? Morgen: I’ve often heard of writing as being a great therapy (I’ve written a story that was).

‘And The Whippoorwill Sang’, a funny, sad, poignant family memoir of love, loss and survival. I now live on Staten Island, New York and have recently published. A short story of the tragedy was accepted, which led to a writing career as a staff writer for one newspaper and freelance journalist for two others. Micki: I became a writer as a catharsis for grief, when my fourteen –year–old daughter was struck down by a drunk driver. Please tell us something about yourself, where you’re based, and how you came to be a writer. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. Today’s is with multi-genre author Micki Peluso. Welcome to the four hundred and seventy-seventh of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, biographers, agents, publishers and more.

And the Whippoorwill Sang by Micki Peluso