A little more than eight years after publishing her debut story collection, Dzanc Books published another, The Veneration of Monsters, that even included a new story with a beloved character from that debut. Some time was taken by Suzanne to answer some questions.
EWN: Your short story collection, The Veneration of Monsters, was published in 2017. What story within the collection had the earliest publication history outside of being in the collection, and what was that history?
SUZANNE: The story Selfie first appeared, in 2015, in Printer’s Row, the Sunday Literary Supplement in The Chicago Tribune.
EWN: How did the publication of this particular collection come about? Were you solicited by the publisher, win a contest, agent submission, etc.?
SUZANNE: This collection was a follow-up of sorts to my debut collection, Misfits and Other Heroes, also published by Dzanc.
EWN: Where do short stories fit within your life as an author? Primary form to work with, or something you write when an idea hits, or …?
SUZANNE: Short stories are my favorite literary form to both read and write, with Shirley Jackson being my main inspiration. I have tried a dozen times to write a novel, but each time, near the middle, I feel the call of the short story pull me back.
EWN: How will you be celebrating National Short Story Month this May?
SUZANNE: I am working on a new collection, slowly.
EWN: Thank you very much for your time!
Suzanne Burns writes both fiction and poetry in Bend, Oregon (and sometimes in Paris, France). Dzanc Books published her first short story collection, Misfits and Others Heroes, and will also publish her second collection, The Veneration of Monsters. Her short fiction has most recently appeared in The Chicago Tribune.
Comments