Kathleen Sparks was drawn to flash fiction as a teenager and continues with it today.  Follow her work at Kathleen Sparks.

Don't worry so much about how you "should" write.  Just write. Kathleen Sparks

Leodegraunce: Kathleen, we'd love to learn about your background.

Kathleen Sparks: I grew up wanting to be Catwoman.  This was a serious life goal.

I have been, at various times, an art student, a bank teller, a textbook editor, a waitress, and a line cook.  I tried stripping for a night, but I wanted it to be like Rita Hayworth in Gilda, and they wanted... well, faster results.

I want the world to be more than I have a right to ask it to be.  I want to feel things more intensely than I would know how to handle.

Leodegraunce: What drew you to flash fiction and how long have you been interested in it?

Kathleen Sparks: I started as a teenager, although I didn't know the term "flash fiction" back then.  I loved the immediacy and the honesty of condensed fragments of life.  They didn't offer anywhere to hide.

Leodegraunce: What are some of your recent works?

Kathleen Sparks: I've been exploring the themes of forgiveness and letting go, and I've been indulging my nightmares. You can follow my work at Kathleen Sparks.

Leodegraunce: What are some of your writing plans for 2011?

Kathleen Sparks: I want to keep exploring the things that scare me and the things that make me cry.

Leodegraunce: What is your top writing tip for aspiring authors?

Kathleen Sparks: Don't worry so much about how you "should" write.  Just write.