Writer Spotlight: Rachel Ashcraft
Welcome to the 28th installment of Writer Spotlight. This week’s focus is Rachel Ashcraft. I’ve reviewed 14 of Ashcraft’s pieces, eight of them individually on InkFoundry’s “Get WYSR” feed. (In case you didn’t know, InkFoundry is a wonderful and free resource that aggregates short fiction and poetry pieces!)
Recurring Themes:
Animal / Furry Fiction
Hope in the Next Generation
Lake Michigan!
Water Symbolized as Healing / Positive
Learning to Trust After Betrayal / Building Trust
Atmospheric Horror
Day One - Aug 27
“Hold Your Horses Close” | WYSR Review
A horse on a racetrack remembers freedom.
“A Cat of Constant Sorrow” | WYSR Review
Charlie is on the run after a failed con and can’t seem to catch a break.
The Pairing: (Spoilers)
These two stories are both animal fiction! And both mention Lake Michigan in passing. :)
Individually:
“Hold Your Horses Close” This flash was powerful and emotive, with themes of being in two places both emotionally and physically, and the sense of feeling young again.
“A Cat of Constant Sorrow” This story is from the POV of a cat in the world of cats who can talk and wear clothes. There are themes of old trauma from Charlie being declawed and also the sense of not being able to get back on his feet.
Day Two - Aug 28
3. “A Ghost Sits on the Edge of Lake Michigan” | WYSR Review
Two people wish for company in the afterlife.
4. “A Cup Before You Go” | WYSR Review
The children developed gills to escape the heat. Not everyone can follow.
The Pairing: (Spoilers)
These stories both involve catastrophic events and characters around Lake Michigan, and both have a haunting quality to the prose, a kind of soft horror around the water, but also in a way, it seems to save the characters. I wonder if Ashcraft tucks a little of Lake Michigan in every story? I’m interested to find out.
Individually:
“A Ghost Sits on the Edge of Lake Michigan” This story follows two people, both ghosts, I believe, after something called the “Bloop.”
“A Cup Before You Go” Poignant and powerful. This one is a picture of what might come should we allow global warming to continue. Our species, evolving, going back to the sea from whence we came to avoid the heat. The line “She’s always been in a world of chimeras” made me think of “Hold Your Horses” in the theme of being in two places at once - this time, in identity. The children morphing into creatures with gills I think counts as furry / animal fiction.
Day Three - Aug 29
5. “Float” | WYSR Review
A water-breather leaves to help colonize Mars.
6. “Beora” | WYSR Review
Veida crashes on a planet that she is trying to study and finds two people hiding there.
The Pairing: (Spoilers)
Both these stories are about finding a place to stay.
Individually:
“Float” This story echoes “A Ghost Sits” and “A Cup Before You Go” in the theme of water being presented as a saving grace. Specifically, it also definitely reminded me of “A Cup” in that someone evolves to be able to breathe water. This one does have the Lake Michigan reference that I was watching out for!
“Beora” This story has themes of learning how to trust, technology used for both evil and good, and the next generation representing hope and healing. In that last theme, I recognized an echo of “A Cup Before You Go.”
Day Four - Aug 30
7. “Brewed Tea on Cold Desert Nights” | WYSR Review
Sami crashes in the desert with a tea expert desperate to reach her expo.
8. “Drowning in Your Grandma’s Pool in 1998” (Advance Review - Look for this story in September’s 1000 Word Herd Contest Winners Anthology)
A gamer plays an obscure VR game from 2032 and finds more than they bargained for.
The Pairing: (Spoilers)
These stories both have hallucinations / visions! Both also touch on the theme of learning how to trust again, as noted in “Beora,” though “Brewed Tea” shows the progression of this more and “Drowning” shows the beginning stage.
Individually:
“Brewed Tea on Cold Desert Nights” This story reminded me of “Constant Sorrow” in that Sami has trouble getting back on his feet / can’t seem to catch a break.
“Drowning in Your Grandma’s Pool in 1998” This flash has themes of yearning for old friendships / unrequited? loves. There is also a sense of wanting to impress an audience, while actually wanting a deep connection with someone. It also reminded me a little bit of “A Cup Before You Go” and “A Ghost Sits” in that there is an atmospheric horror vibe, in that the horror is in the surroundings and the memories more than the plot itself. In this one, the water does not represent positive / healing vibes.
Day Five - Aug 31
Someone donates an ancient book to a haunted library.
10. “The Dinner Guest” | WYSR Review
Fingers appear at the dinner table and everyone reacts differently.
The Pairing: (Spoilers)
Both these stories have unexpected guests arrive! George counts, right?
Individually:
“For the Sea” This story has a really, really well done metaphor for depression. The tone is haunting / eerie, which is apt because it has a haunted library in it and an ancient murder. The ghosts of course remind me “A Ghost Sits.” Water here is not the saving grace, necessarily, but more a symptom of the problem.
“The Dinner Guest” This drabble is a great little horror piece that is like a microcosm of family dynamics in how each family member reacts.
Day Six - Sep 1
11. “Become the Rabbit” - (Advance Review) Look for this story in The Ogerog Annual 2027
Simon Hare died thirty years ago. Or so the stories say.
12. “Mother Moon” | (Advance Review) Look for this story in the September issue of Plott Hound
Two snakes hunt eggs but find more than they bargain for.
The Pairing: (Spoilers)
Both these stories have animal imagery and have themes about death. Both also have evocative, haunting prose.
Individually:
“Become the Rabbit” Love the Watership Down reference, first of all. Also, can I just give Simon a hug? :( As for recurring themes, we have ghosts and atmospheric horror, as seen in precious Ashcraft stories. The tone for this reminded me of “For the Sea” and “Drowning in Your Grandma’s Pool,” in that the protagonist feels very dissociative, which I think is done really well. Actually, now that I think about it, “A Ghost Sits” and “Float” also felt that way. I’m unsure to say whether or not this is animal fiction as I’m not sure if the protag turns into the rabbit for sure, but I think it’s more of a metaphor.
“Mother Moon” This story was chock full of gorgeous imagery and prose. It’s from the POV of a snake, and there are themes about dying and rebirth, a death goddess, and reflections on trading a life for a life.
Day Seven - Sep 2
13. “Where the Peacocks Never Nest” - (Advance Review) Look for this story in a future issue of All Worlds Wayfarer
The Queen’s maid is not what she seems, but neither is the Queen.
14. “Larin”
A wurm born of a human mother tries to live side by side with humans.
The Pairing: (Spoilers)
Both these stories are animal / furry fiction!! Continuing the awesome themes from “Hold Your Horses Close,” “Constant Sorrow,” and “Mother Moon.” Something I also noticed is that Ashcraft does an incredible job at getting in the mindset of the animal. Looking back, this was also the case in “Mother Moon” and “Hold Your Horses,” in my opinion. These stories feel like a non-human POV, which is difficult to do and not always achieved when writing furry fiction. This is also the case for both these stories. Both also include the wholesale slaughter of an animal, and revenge for said slaughter.
Individually:
“Where the Peacocks Never Nest” Ooh, what a delightful flash fiction full of the grudges of birds.
“Larin” Wow, this one. Love the upended trope of the “princess captured by dragon.”
Emmie’s Personal Favorite: “A Cup Before You Go”
Interview Questions
What are the themes you tend to return to the most in your work overall? Why do think that is?
Ashcraft: I like to explore connection. What brings people together, what keeps them apart. I think a lot of my work circles that theme, trying to delve into the idea that we are separate but also how all our actions impact others. Often these stories will take on surreal elements that break down those barriers. I think there could be a theme of alienation in these stories as well. A lot of my characters are somewhat on the outskirts looking in with the question of ‘do I conform or do I find a different route’.
2. What character(s) in these pieces do you relate to the most?
Ashcraft: I suppose all of them have some elements of me. Probably the librarian character in For the Sea is the closest. Given that we are both librarians! Haha
3. How Has Your Writing Evolved Since You Began?
Ashcraft: When I was probably 3-5 I used to dictate stories to my dad and he would type them up on a typewriter for me. I remember one of these stories was about a haunted house and there were some weird spooky elements like a prince that had been turned into a worm and a time traveling Buick Century! From there I kept writing. I participated in Nanowrimo all through high school. There’s always been an element of the fantastic about my work. I have a minor in creative writing and it was stressed that we could only write literary. I think now I write a mix of literary and speculative. I’ve recently put more of an emphasis on what I call “Midwest Weird”. Adding elements of where I grew up to the stories makes them feel more personal to me.
4. Do you tend to start writing a story idea out of a particular element, like character, setting, or point of view?
Ashcraft: I often will have an image in mind when I start and I expand from there. I’m a forever pantser and I let a lot of story elements rise organically as I go.
5. What short fiction author do you look up to? Why?
Ashcraft: I’ve been a big fan of Ray Bradbury and I love the stylistic elements he uses to tell stories as well as how he brings the Midwest alive in the most interesting ways. I grew up in a pretty rural area and reading his work made me feel like I could also embellish the elements of my childhood and find the fantastic in what for the longest time I viewed as rather mundane. Also not short stories, but I’m a big fan of Hilary Mantel, especially her Wolf Hall series. I’m in awe of how she can bring characters and setting to life.
6. Do you have any piece, listed here or otherwise, that you would like to promote?
Ashcraft: I’d love if you’d check out A Cat of Constant Sorrow or Mother Moon when it’s available. Cat because I think it’s just fun and I hope you get a kick out of it too and Mother Moon, because I feel like a lot of elements of my writing come together in this particular piece.