Shannon Layne’s two microfiction stories, “Blue” (100 words), and “Sugar High” (93 words), will appear in the third issue of The Centifictionist (Vol. 2, Issue 1, Spring/Summer 2021). Shannon graciously answered a few brief questions for us. Read the interview below.
1. What inspired the stories “Blue” and “Sugar High”?
“Blue” was inspired by the literal color blue of the hydrangeas that grow in my backyard. They’re vibrant and vivid and they bloom according to how they were designed; I wanted to draw a parallel between that and a girl coming out to her parents about a girl she loves. Two perfect blooms, one flower and one human, two exquisite designs.
“Sugar High” was inspired by the actual morning after I met the woman who is now my wife. I was working at our college cafeteria at the time and I really did open in the bakery department the morning after we met, and I remember the feeling that my entire life had already shifted on its axis even as I was going through the motions of my everyday life, frosting cakes like it was just another shift. I think I was already in love with her even then.
2. What inspires you and your writing?
I’m not sure, honestly. I write because I can’t help it; I’ve been scrawling stories on restaurant placemats and napkins and Post-Its since I can remember.
3. What keeps you going when experiencing times of misery and despair?
My wife, my family, and books.
4. What advice do you have for microfiction writers?
Just write. That’s it. Keep doing it.
5. Is there anything else that you would like people to know about you and/or your writing?
Nope. I think I’ll just let the words speak for themselves.
Shannon Layne (she/her) is from Humboldt County, CA, and holds a B.A. degree in English Literature from UC Davis. Her fiction can be found in literary journals The Bookends Review, The Kreaxxxion Journal, Flash Frog, and is upcoming in The Bitchin’ Kitsch. She lives in Northern California with her wife. You can find her on Twitter (@shannonlaynee) and Instagram (@shannonlayneee).
The Centifictionist 
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