Stuck - Short Story Review / Interview

Happy Weekend everyone!

How is your Saturday going so far? I have some family from Argentina over for just the day, so we have been running around for lunch and other fun endeavors. Now, the men find themselves like every Argentine, watching soccer.
A week ago I was asked by my good Twitter friend Lissette (@xLizzieBethx) to review her new forthcoming short story, STUCK. Find my review here and an interview below it:

““Stuck” by Lissette E. Manning captured me from the very beginning; spiraling me into her post-apocalyptic world. In this heart wrenching short story, we follow Annie as she leaves the safety of her home in search of means to provide for her family. As a mother myself, I felt the utter pain Annie went through leaving her children behind and the need to go out into the unknowing to ease her family’s hunger.
A few tears were shed, I will not lie. Prepare to become one with the main character as she takes you for a ride you will not soon forget. A must read!”

INTERVIEW:



1. Hi Lissette! Thank you very much for taking the time to talk to me. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Welcome, Lucy. It's a pleasure. It really is.
My real name is Nancy Medina and I write under the penname of Lissette E. Manning. I live in Waterbury, CT and have a long-haired domestic cat named Mikey who likes to bite people's ankles whenever he has the chance to. I also enjoy reading a lot, listening to music, and playing video games whenever I have the time to.

2. How did you get into writing and how long have you been doing it?

I've been writing since I was six-years-old. Would write on whatever I could find - napkins, candy wrappers, copy paper, you name it and I quite possibly would jot down whatever train of thought would grasp me at that current moment. Mind you, Mom never understood my thirst for writing and she'd throw out my stories whenever she'd find them.

3. Do you write your stories with a pre-organized plot?

Occasionally, I do, yes.
More often than not, though, I just let my muse guide me in whatever he decides to give me to write. He's an impatient little bugger and enjoys bestowing me with ideas at the most inopportune moment.

4. What was the first thing you ever wrote and how did it feel to finally finish it?

That's a tough one, since the first thing I actually wrote didn't really make sense when I was a kid. I know that I finished it, though.
First actual story that I've finished and got out there was Closure. Took me about a year to actually get it right. I remember sitting here, after receiving all the suggestions from the beta-readers/editors came in and revising the manuscript so many times. When I finally got the final version that is now on the market, it felt great and so accomplished.

5. How many stories, books, novels did you write? Anything published that we might have seen?

I'm writing constantly. I've about six different projects in the works, at the moment. Actually, make that seven, as I recently revived a story that I abandoned years ago after someone told me that it wouldn't be worth continuing if I wasn't going to use French language/mannerisms in the books.
I currently have two short stories published with a third one coming onto the market within the next few days.
The first one is called Closure, which is a romance drama that centers around a man who's left to deal with heartache after his wife walks out on him.
The second one is titled Compromise of the Soul and is a paranormal romance. This one is an introduction/prequel to a novel that I'm working on titled Haunted. It centers around vampires and immortals.

6. Do you ever suffer from ‘writer’s block’? If so, how did you get around it?

Yes, I do on occasion. To get around it, I set aside whatever I'm trying to write and work on writing something that is not related to the subject at hand. If that doesn't work, I'll sit down and read for a while to the creative juices start flowing again.

7. What made you write “Struck”?

I started writing this short story during a writing course that I was taking online taught by Jeremy C. Shipp. I'd been trying to work on an assignment and I'd had a bit of a writer's block. I remember watching a moment, not exactly sure what it was, but it cut to some commercials and I saw something with a broken road and some fire on the screen. My muse 'woke up' so to speak and next thing I know, I started writing this story.
Mind you, the original version is nothing like the finished story that you've now read. It took me quite a few tries, and countless revisions, until I was able to make it into what you see now. I also had great suggestions from my beta-readers - they know who they are, who were patient with me throughout all of the edits and revisions.

8. When I read the story I had a million different emotions running wild and I even cried. What were your feelings through it all?

As I was writing this, I felt an injustice at the pain and sorrow that she and her family have had to go through in trying to survive. When I wrote the part of the child, I actually envisioned that and felt like crying.
Although this story is a work of fiction, it's a story about survival amidst overcoming the odds that are stacked against Annie because of the circumstances, and the choices, that are not quite of her making. Well, to some extent, anyway. As what happens near the end was in fact because of her own folly. I think everyone can relate to her and her current plight.

9. Where can we find your Published stories?

Closure and Compromise of the Soul can be found on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.
Closure is also available as a printed edition.

10. Are you working on something new already?

Yes, indeed, I am. Quite a few projects, actually.
I recently pulled a novel titled One For All, And All For One out of the closet, so to speak, which centers around Louis XIV.
I also have a paranornal romance novel in the works called Haunted. Vampires and Immortals play a vital role in it. Compromise of the Soul is an introduction/prequel to this novel.
There's also a science-fiction series in the works called Tales of Velosia. The first book in this series is called The Prophecy which centers around a prophecy set in motion by the Gods in regards to a messiah who must save their world. The second book is titled Tyale and takes up from where The Prophecy ends. There's also an untitled story that I'm also working that is not exactly a part of the series, but it does center around this world that I've created. One of the characters, Marius Pendragon, is the one who tells this story.

Last but not least, I'm also working on a Young Adult novel titled Careless which tells the story of a group of girls on spring break and an accident that ensues because of their actions during one of their outings. This one, though, is on the back burner for a bit, since my muse is eager to see One For All, And All For One and Haunted finished soon.

11. What was the best piece of advice you've received in regard to your writing career?

To just write what you know. Although, I tend to get ideas for things that I literally know nothing about, but I blame my muse for that. He likes to mess with my head. A lot. I should name him, some day. But then he'd probably get way too full of himself, so his being known as just my muse is fine for now, I think.

12. Okay, to finish this off- tell us ten random things about yourself.

Hmmm . . . let me see.
* I procrastinate a lot.
* I like to write late at night and usually in the dark.
* I've an eclectic music taste.
* I'm a bit of a computer geek.
* I kind of suck at returning messages once I start writing.
* My favorite movies is The Man In The Iron Mask.
* My favorite book/series is Rhapsody by Elizabeth Haydon.
* I like acquiring video games. Literally.
* I'm a readaholic, as I've book scattered all over the house.
* I like to sleep during the day.

To Order her Story "Stuck" or any other, please visit the following link.

http://www.simplistik.org/lissetteemanning/