Author Archives: Bite-sized Fiction

Today, Bite-Sized Fiction talks to Adult, Young Adult, Adventure, Speculative Fiction author Sharron Riddle from her home in Virginia, where she lives with her husband and dog, Dr. Watson, who made an appearance during our recording. We talk about how writers lie, writing while working full time, the importance of editing, and how to findContinue reading “The Riddle of Writing”

All my guests here at BSF have been short fiction writers in addition to novelists. As I wrote in an earlier post, “short stories are lovely journeys that will get you home in time for supper.”  Today, I talk to a short fiction writer with serious street cred. He’s a five-time Pushcart Prize nominee, NarrativeContinue reading “Robert McGuill: A Man of Letters”

Happy New Year! Sorry for the long holiday hiatus, but we’re back at Bite-sized Fiction. This week we’re talking to novelist Robert Ford, the prolific author of Samson and Denial, Free Ride Angie, Bloodlegum and Lolliknives, The Compound, No Lipstick in Avalon, Burner, Rattlesnake Kisses (with John Boden), and his collection of short stories, TheContinue reading “Goal Worthy: Robert Ford”

I apologize for not blogging for the past couple of weeks. We were right in the middle of some insightful interviews with successful authors. That’s going to continue, but I’ve launched a collection of short stories from my Ruxton Springs cycle, and it’s been occupying my time so for the time being let’s take aContinue reading “It’s Been Awhile”

There comes the point in life where you appreciate the craftsmen—the cabinet maker with wood or the potter with a lump of mud. In my field, it’s the storyteller. A great example of this workman-like approach to writing is Gene O’Neill, who I had the pleasure of visiting this week via Zoom. Gene is theContinue reading “A Visit With Gene O’Neill”

This week the Bite-sized Fiction Blog is talking to science fiction author Tony Peak from his home near the New River in southwest Virginia. Peak is the author of twenty short works of fiction, a novella, Beethoven’s Tenth, and eight published novels including the Audible Original, Signal, and the Eden Trilogy released this past summer by Aethon Books andContinue reading “A Conversation with Science Fiction Author Tony Peak”

Writer’s block. Some writers say it’s a myth. I disagree. Of course, I also write advertising copy and video scripts. When you’re up against a deadline, and you’re tasked with 85-words about that new Ford F-150 truck or telling audiences why a gift card from the local spa makes a great gift, the fear gripsContinue reading “The Cure for Writer’s Block”

Short fiction is the perfect way to start writing and reading. You can travel to another planet, explore the West, fall in love, and defeat an army of zombies during your lunch break or a sleepy afternoon. Nothing motivates like a sense of accomplishment. Lose five pounds, and it’s easier to lose the next five.Continue reading “Journeys Over Tea: The Case for Short Fiction”

Like all stories, jokes have an arc, and understanding the arc to a joke is the key to understanding how to write a humorous story.  I’m going to use Norm MacDonald’s “Moth Joke” as a model here for the perfect joke, so watch the video and then come back. Have you stopped laughing? No? We’llContinue reading “How to Write a Joke”