Author Insights: You recently broadened your reach into short stories, could you share that experience with us?

L. J. Bonham: Yes, it’s true. I recently agreed to write a short story for a charitable anthology. I was prodded toward it by a fellow author. I was reluctant, my last two short fiction attempts morphed beyond my control into the novellas, “The Debt” and “Wolves of Valhalla.” Once I agreed to this project, dread overwhelmed me. I feared I would end up buried in another novel with little time for the three I’m wrestling with now.

AI: So how did you get around that?

LJB: In my usual OCD way. I researched the genre, talked with other short fiction authors, and read some stories. Once I understood the structure and story arcs, my confidence increased. Blog writing also helped because I keep them as tight as possible, and set word count limits. I work better when I have a clear goal and the anthology's limits provided that.

AI: Was it difficult to get a story idea?

LJB: Yes. The anthology’s theme was a new area for me and I struggled for days with possibilities that I rejected.

AI: So how did you decide on your story’s subject?

LJB: I think a lot when I walk. I was on a foray with my dog, and as I walked back down the mountain, there it was, crystal clear as though I had written it long ago.

AI: Then what?

LJB: I hurried home, dashed into my office and emerged late that evening, rough draft in hand. It was a historical piece, of course, that centered around a fictional, American B-25 crew newly arrived in Tunisia during World War Two. The next day I read the draft and almost puked. I became obsessed with the details and dove into a marathon research project to get the historical bits right. I also infused my flying expertise in healthy doses. I know first had what it’s like to fly damaged airplanes and deal with in flight emergencies, so that comes through in the story. My stubborn drive to produce good products turned what should have been a one or two day lark into a week-long obsession, but by the end I had trimmed over five hundred words and written a darn good little story if I do say so.

AI: Any advice for other authors?

LJB: Start with your strengths, then jump into the deep end. You’ll either swim or drown, but you will learn.