Q&A with After Dinner Conversation author, Veronica Leigh
A bite-sized interview for your Sunday morning.
“Short Stories For Long Discussions…”
Mission Statement: After Dinner Conversation is an independent, nonprofit literary magazine that publishes philosophical short stories to encourage discussions with friends, family, and students.
If you are a philosopher—professor, academic, someone who studied philosophy and publishes articles or blogs about it—I would like to feature you.
For this, you would answer the five discussion questions at the end of a story of your choosing. Simply contact me to get a PDF review copy of one of our themed editions.
If you are an author of philosophical fiction and would like to be profiled in this newsletter, here’s how.
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Let me know in the comments section. (And I will do my best to find their contact info.)
—Tina
Veronica has published three short stories with ADC, "Holy Night," "Mrs. Robinson," and “In Love and War” (below):
Click the image to read the story!
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Q&A
Is there any standard publishing or writing advice that you disagree with? Or any standard advice that you feel is too often neglected?
I don’t necessarily disagree with the standard writing advice – write what you know, grow a thick skin, never give up, paper your house with rejection slips. I do think it’s good to dabble in different genres though. For over a decade I solely wrote Christian fiction and I had no success. Not to mention, I was really bad at it. Then one afternoon I tried writing a crime/mystery story and it eventually sold. It ended up being my niche. So, follow the standard advice, but at the same time I say, try different genres.
Is your process for writing philosophical fiction different from the way you approach other works?
No. I write everything in the same haphazard manner. The philosophical stories I have published – I didn’t realize they were philosophical until I finished editing. It takes me about two weeks to write a short story, and a day or two to revise. I write in the middle of my living room, with my family carrying on a conversation, the pets are misbehaving, the TV is blasting, the neighbors are fighting. Somehow the stories still come together.
How do you come up with ideas for your short stories?
Ideas, characters, and plots come to me when my mind is wandering. I can be at work, or doing household chores, or even at church – and inspiration will strike. I take the best notes I can and try to pen them down when I can.
Describe your ideal reader.
Someone who leaves a review. Reviews are love, even if they’re critical.
What is the greatest compliment you have received as a writer? The most stinging criticism?
A friend once told me that a mutual friend and aspiring author was in awe of me, for all I had written and published. Which is ironic because I’m the most awkward, insecure, and in many ways uneducated, author who ever drew breath. When I’m around other authors, I feel like a phony. In regards to criticism, I’ve received so much…Usually for every story I submit, I receive one really critical response that makes me cry.
Veronica Leigh has been published in numerous anthologies, journals, blogs, and magazines. She aspires to be the Jane Austen of her generation and she makes her home in Indiana.
Blog: veronicaleighauthor.wordpress.com
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I love the idea that any critique, if written thoughtfully, is an act of respect!
Isn't it a wonder to think how many of us feel like phonies?