Reader Meet Author: Molly Gaudry

The word prolific can on occasion be subjective, but when a writer is driven by factors both internal and external there is no denying the fact that their work will be widely published. Molly Gaudry does not only pour words on to the page that entertain, convey, and engage, but she is also driven to share her work in every way possible. As you will see, Molly has had 31 pieces published this year (through June), and I don't believe that includes the interviews she is so skilled at. She is also the co-editor of Twelve Stories and Willows Wept Review. As we await the arrival of her new novella from ML Press, I felt it was the perfect time to ask Molly a few questions.

Orange Alert (OA): We Take Me Apart is coming soon from ML Press. What can you us about your new novella?
Molly Gaudry (MG): We Take Me Apart recasts principal objects from Snow White, Cinderella, The Princess and the Pea, Thumbelina, Hansel and Gretel, Sleeping Beauty, and Rumpelstiltzkin; the narrative that emerges details an old blind woman's youth, her lover's abuses, and her mother's failures. It is the story of their combined unhappily ever afters. For more about the genesis of the novella, please refer to this commentary I provided Rose Hunter, over at the journal, YB.

OA: Do you feel novellas are becoming more popular?
MG: I don't know; they've always been around--this much we know from John Madera's massive novella project. Writers' favorite novellas listed there span all the way back to Giovanni Bocaccio's The Decameron. As for current-day popularity, I'm tempted to say that maybe novellas, or very short novels, or very long short stories, are being written and published by writers and presses that are becoming, perhaps, more popular, especially within the indie lit community.

OA: Speaking of ML Press, you seem be in "competition" with JA Tyler (interview here) for on-line publications. How did that start, and do you think anyone can top his publishing prowess?
MG: Oh man, that competition is so over. I mean, I still keep track, but, well, here, the numbers do a better job of explaining than I can.

January 2009: Gaudry 9, Tyler 12.
February 2009: Gaudry 15, Tyler 24.
I don't have a record for March (?) (!).
April 2009: Gaudry 26, Tyler 54.
May 2009: Gaudry 27, Tyler 67.
June 2009: Gaudry 31, Tyler 80.

I haven't even been submitting! You know what's even funnier? Hong Kong-based Cha: An Asian Literary Journal keeps tabs on J. A. Tyler's publications. Where's the love, Cha?

Anyway, it all started with the best of intentions: inspired by J. A.'s many publications in 2008, I challenged him to a battle for 2009, all in good fun. And although I have nowhere near the numbers he does, I'm quite happy with my accomplishments. (And in the spirit of the thing, I'll declare here that now that the novella is in its final editing stages, I'm ready to make one hell of a comeback.)

OA: How are things at Twelve Stories? What is your role there and where do you see the journal going?
MG: Since the inaugural issue went live in November 2008, Blythe Winslow and I have accepted nine stories for Issue 2. In March 2009, we received notice that an anonymous board member / contributing editor had selected Jennifer Levin's "The Day You Were Sad" for inclusion in Pushcart Prize XXXIV. No word yet regarding the status of that nomination, but we were honored. As for our next issue, we're nothing but optimistic that readers will continue to come back for more (thanks, in large part, to the fantastic work in Issue 1).

OA: You've been doing a series of interviews for Keyhole. Do you find talking with other writers on that level gives you more insight into your own work? How did you get involved with Peter and Keyhole?
MG: Peter took a story of mine that I knew would be very difficult to place--a single spaced, four-page single sentence that spans 80 years and has two first-person narrators. When he took it for Keyhole, I knew I'd found a keeper. I later sent him a note saying I'd be happy to volunteer reading services, and I began doing so not long after. As for the interviews, I wouldn't say that I get any particular insight into my own work, but it is certainly rewarding to be able to discuss the work of writers I admire, on their own terms. Among others, Anthony Doerr, Richard Garcia, Thomas Glave, and (soon to appear) Lydia Millet have all been wonderful with their time and generosity.

OA: What's next for Molly Gaudry?
MG: Good question. I really don't know. I haven't been writing much and every time I try I end up with crap. I think this is largely due to not having an idea, a "what is this really about?" that can carry the story through to its conclusion. Despite not having this, which is sort of essential for me, I've been thinking a lot about how to create a text in which the absence of people, a text void of characters, can convey human loneliness. At this point, it's an issue of narration. But I keep looking to the paintings of John Register for inspiration. Wasteland Hotel kills me, every time.

Bonus Questions:
OA: If you could sit down to coffee with anyone (alive or dead) who would it be?
MG: The mother of my (unknown, presumably dead) biological mother.

OA: What type of music do you enjoy and who are a few of your favorites?
MG: I've been listening to a lot of Dirty Three lately. Before that, the Album Leaf. And before that, Cat Power. I tend to go through phases, and I seem always to be behind the times.

For more information on Molly Gaudry please visit her website.