Marian Brooks
Grandma's Dark Corner
Author of five minute flash fiction and other quirky works
WHO I am
Although I was an English Lit major at the University of Pennsylvania, I didn't attempt to produce anything creatively since high school. I worked for over 20 years as a psychotherapist (MS Villanova) and then in the pharmaceutical world as a monitor on clinical trials. Don't ask.
I am a native Philadelphian and still live there with my husband near Valley Forge Park. I have two grown children and two grandchildren.
WHY I Write
Once I retired, I opened the door in my head and discovered at least a hundred characters living in there waiting to tell their stories. As a result, I've written about seventy short stories; fifty of them have been published I'm happy to say.
WHAT I Learned
The writing process has taught me to persist, to accept rejection graciously and to embrace the right side of my brain.
FLASH FICTION
Flash Fiction is a very short piece of fictional literature (from 50 to 1500 words) containing all the elements of a complete story a protagonist, a conflict and a resolution. This forces the writer to condense, to strip away the wordy descriptions and character development common in longer works. Characters are defined by watching them do something rather than by lengthy narrative.
INSPIRATIONS
I’d like to thank my family and friends who amaze me with all of their quirky words and deeds. They are and continue to be the source of my inspiration whether they know it or not.
A SHORT FLASH: Gone Wireless
My Granddaughter, Anna, tells me that she speaks to my father every night on her toy cellular phone. This is a surprise to me because Anna is three and my father has been dead for thirty-nine years. When I ask what they talk about, she says, “It’s a secret.” She plugs her mouth with a thumb. When Anna turns her back, I pick up the little pink phone and whisper, “Dad?”
