Sonia Greenfield’s short story, “In the Library With a Candlestick” appeared in our Summer ’15 Issue and are available to read here.
Tell us a little about “In the Library With a Candlestick.”
I like to write stories that rely on momentum, as if the whole thing must be expressed in one breath. That’s what was driving this piece. Plus, I was a child of the 70s who was well-acquainted with the game. I loved each of the tiny weapons that came with “Clue.” Additionally, I read Agatha Christie novels as an adolescent. I suppose each of these came together to shape this story. I guess I like murder. I mean in literature.
What was the most difficult part of writing this piece?
Finding a way to link all the characters through chance and purposeful interaction without making it feel too forced. The intention was to show how we can part and come together again. And how traumatic events can affect the paths we take.
Recommend a book for us which was published within the last decade.
Ack! I wish I were home staring at my bookshelf, but I’m in a city far away from my bookshelf. With that said, I will recommend “Autobiography of Red” by Anne Carson. I learned from her that if one can’t write fiction traditionally, one can make a story in a novel way, no pun intended. I love what she does with form, and her imagination seems limitless.
If you could have a drink with any living author, who would it be?
Mary Ruefle. I like the way she thinks. I also feel confident that she has a fine sense of humor. And we all know drinking is more fun when accompanied by wicked cackling.
What are you working on now? What’s next?
I’m editing, again, a finished collection of prose poems about the complications of motherhood, and I’m working on a third collection of poetry. I suppose one day, too, I will have a collection of flash fiction completed, but it will take a long time.
Our thanks to Sonia for taking the time to answer a few questions and share her work. Read “In the Library With a Candlestick” here: www.sequestrum.org/in-the-library-with-a-candlestick.
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