I reached out to her to get a little more information about what what went into those stories and how she likes to write.
Elephant’s Bookshelf: Tell us a little bit of the background of the stories that appeared in Spring Fevers. Were these inspired by anything in particular or just products of an imaginative mind?
J. Lea Lopez: “The
Adventures of Sasquatch” began as a story I'd written a couple years ago for a
contest in a magazine that required I cut it down more than I had wanted. I didn't win the contest, and ever
since, the story has just been sitting on my computer. I thought it was a great
fit with the theme for Spring Fevers.
Plus, I was able to go back to the longer version. I polished it up and sent it
on its way. The story was partially inspired by my own size 11 extra wide feet.
Georgia's frustration with that aspect came straight from personal experience.
“The
Haricot Verts” was sparked by the simple phrase "Tell him." It's that
little subconscious voice in your head that talks to you, saying all the things
you wish you could be honest enough to say. It also turned into a fun little
exploration of the second person point of view.
EB:Do you like to experiment in your writing or are you more of a traditionalist?
JLL: I tend to keep to a more traditional form. I have certain preferences - minimal dialogue, not much focus on physical setting. Flash fiction is a fun place to experiment with things that are different, like the second person point of view in "The Haricots Verts." My novels are pretty standard form, though.
EB: The two
stories are like night and day. One is a short vignette and the other is
longer, fleshed-out story of a single mother who decides to finally put her
best foot forward. If I may be so bold, do you prefer the quickie or the
extended love story?
JLL: "Her best
foot forward." Ha! Love the pun. But ask any woman, and I think she'll
tell you there's a time and a place for both the quickie and the good
old-fashioned lovemaki--er, love story.
The
two stories really are very different. I love them both, but if you were making
me choose, I'd have to say “The Haricots Verts” is my favorite. It has all the
things I love: tension, a complex relationship, an undercurrent of sexual
tension, and a sense of urgency, all in such a little space. It just tugs at
something in me every time I read the story.
EB: Do you tend to work on multiple
projects at once or one thing at a time?
JLL: I attempt multiple projects, but usually I end up not making much progress on
any. For several weeks now, I've been stuck in the "thinking and
scheming" frame of mind for about three different projects. I have to
buckle down soon and start focusing on one first, then another, so I can
actually get something accomplished.
EB: What are you
working on?
JLL: I'm working on
an erotic short story collection as well as polishing up my first novel, Sorry's Not Enough (not erotic), both of
which will be out later this year. Sorry's
Not Enough is the story of Charlotte's struggles with family, trust, sex,
betrayal, and love. I'm also still in first draft mode with another novel, Confessions of a Non-Believer, about a
young woman thrown into emotional and spiritual turmoil after the death of her
fiance. Then, way on the back burner (see, I told you I try to do too much at
once!) is my planned erotic novel series.
EB: We're looking forward to them, Jen. And we hope you'll find something in your trunk of stories to contribute to our next anthology. Thanks so much for sharing with us Jen!
