They’re also a great way to experiment with unusual voices or story forms without committing too much time to them. Except that’s not wholly true: short stories can be almost as time-consuming as novels during the revision process. Every word counts. There’s a huge sense of accomplishment in writing one that really works.
What are you working on next?
I honestly don’t know. I’ve been querying a novel to agents, a flintlock fantasy set in a cross between the medieval Baltic and 17th-century New France. I have some ideas floating around a character who’s a strzyga (another creature out of Polish folklore); another idea for a novel about clerical magic in 14th century Europe based on a seminar paper I wrote in grad school. We’ll see.
Finally, a question we ask all of our interviewees: We Book Smugglers have faced threats and criticisms concerning the sheer volume of books we purchase and read—hence, we have resorted to “smuggling books” home to escape scrutinizing eyes. Have you ever had to smuggle books?
I’ve certainly faced criticism sometimes for having too many books, and I’m always running out of room for them, but I haven’t had to resort to smuggling books yet.
About the Author
Michal Wojcik was born in Poland, raised in the Yukon Territory, and educated in Edmonton and Montreal. He has a Master’s degree in history from McGill University, where he studied witchcraft trials in early modern Poland. His short fiction has appeared in On Spec: The Canadian Magazine of the Fantastic and Daily Science Fiction. Follow him on his blog:
onelastsketch.wordpress.com
Book Smugglers Publishing
Book Smugglers Publishing: Fall 2014
Hunting Monsters by S.L. Huang (10/7/2014)
In Her Head, In Her Eyes by Yukimi Ogawa (10/21/2014)
Mrs. Yaga by Michal Wojcik (11/4/2014)
The Mussel Eater by Octavia Cade (11/18/2014)
The Astronomer Who Met the North Wind by Kate Hall (12/2/2014)
The Ninety-Ninth Bride by Catherine F. King (12/16/2014)
For other original & subversive fairy tales, visit:
goo.gl/XE14Wl.
Copyright Information
Mrs. Yaga
Published by Book Smugglers Publishing
Copyright © 2014 Michal Wojcik
Cover Illustration by Jacqueline Pytyck