Hey hi howdy-ho, pardners! It’s Wednesday, and you know what that means. Yup – it’s WRITER Wednesday. Wahoowa!
Today I’m delighted to have fellow Flash Friday competitor Joshua Bertetta here to visit. Josh writes some amazing flash (I know, because when I was serving as judge, I picked one of his pieces to win! Bwah ha ha!), and is an all-around friendly and fascinating guy (how many people do you know who hold a doctorate in Mythological Studies? And why didn’t *I* pursue that in grad school?)
He’d love to hear from you in the comments, so spread the writerly love, will you?
Also: authors, I have some openings coming up for future Writer Wednesdays, starting in October. Please email me if you’d like to take part!
What inspires you to write?
Ooh, this is a tough one. I have a very broad base of interests as demonstrated on my blog. We’ve probably all heard the adage “Every picture is worth a thousand words.” Can’t we reverse it too, and say every word is worth a thousand pictures? Images (visibility not required), ideas, words, they all inspire me in one way or another. As long as something moves me in one direction or another–that is all the inspiration I need to write at least something.
Name one interesting thing you learned in researching/writing your last book.
My WIP is a biography about the first person to ever be arrested for selling steroids. I learned there is a lot more to issues surrounding steroids than the media has presented over the past 30 or so years. In particular, I learned anabolic steroids developed in the 1950s America essentially as a Cold War weapon employed in the international sporting arena.
[ML: Holy cow, really? I need to read this book.]
Name two things people don’t know about you.
That depends on the who. As far as the flash community goes, I’d say most don’t know I am three-plus years sober and that I have an autistic son.
What one piece of advice do you wish you’d had when first starting out?
Join on-line flash fiction communities. They are a great way to meet other fantastic writers and hone your own craft by playing with genre, style, voice, etc.
[ML: I absolutely agree. Flash Friday was my first public venture into writing–and the first time I received acclaim from people other than my friends and family for fiction I’d written. I owe a lot to those confidence-boosting mentions.]
What’s Josh Up To?
I don’t have any publications to speak of, but I would invite readers to stop by my blog at joshbertetta.wordpress.com, where in addition to my flash fiction stories, I have excerpts from my first novel (for which I’m seeking publication) and essays on mythology, religion, spirituality, psychology, culture and society. A good sampling of all my little interests and inspirations.
Bio:
Josh Bertetta holds a Ph.D in Mythological Studies and teaches in the Religious Studies department at a small private university in central Texas. He is an aspiring author and a father of three boys. He loves to cook and garden.
Thanks so much for popping in, Josh! Can’t wait to feature you again when your novel is available!
Lizzie T. Leaf books have heat, but humor comes into play too.
