Laura Stamps Fiction

This month I was interviewed by the very sweet and talented Joan Leotta for her North Carolina Writers Network group. I received two sets of questions: one from Joan and one from the members of her group. You'll see both here, as well as my answers to all these questions. Enjoy!   An Interview with Laura Stamps   North Carolina Writers Network   ****** Questions from Joan   1.) Please tell us a little about yourself. Where did you grow up? When did you start writing? Currently, I live in Columbia, South Carolina. But I grew up in Dalton, Georgia, a small town in the Appalachian Mountains of north Georgia (about thirty minutes south of Chattanooga, Tennessee). I majored in fine art in college and had been winning awards for my art since elementary school. After high school, I attended Dalton Junior College for two years and then transferred to the College of Charleston, which is how I ended up in South Carolina. I had been selling my paintings in galleri...

Are you ready for some woman-power today on this March Monday? If so, you've come to the right place!  My microfiction story WHEN LIFE HANDS YOU LEMONS OR MUSTARD OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT just went live in the gorgeous The Birdseed literary magazine.  You know how I am about word challenges, and The Birdseed is one of my fav magazines for that. The editor, Kourtney Jai, serves up a big helping of microfiction stories in each beautiful issue. Each story only 150 words each. What fun! Enjoy this tiny story of mine. I think you'll want to shout at the end of it. I know I did. lol! When Life Hands You Lemons or Mustard or Something Like That – The Birdseed (the-birdseed.com)

My really wacky, crazy flash fiction story NOTE TO SELF: JUST STOP is now live in the March issue of the gorgeous Roi Faineant Press literary magazine.  What happens when a cat-lover rescues a homeless, abused Chihuahua and ends up having to adopt it? An argument with herself of epic proportions. What can I say? Not all learning curves are welcome. This is one of them. lol! Enjoy and happy reading! "NOTE TO SELF: JUST STOP" by Laura Stamps (roifaineantpress.com)

Today is the day. THE WAY OUT: 40 EMPOWERING STORIES (published by Alien Buddha Press) is now available!!  For those of you who like to purchase signed copies from me, I have plenty of this amazing new short story collection in stock. Just email laurastamps18@yahoo.com for more information if you'd like a signed copy.  Happy reading!

What a wonderful way to start my Wednesday!! My flash fiction story SMALL WORLD just went live in the fabulous Ellipsis Zine .  Many thanks to the editor, Steve (such a great guy!), for doing a beautiful job with this little story.  I've you've ever had trouble setting personal boundaries in your life, this one was written for you.  Enjoy!! Small World by Laura Stamps | Ellipsis Zine

Great news!! My flash fiction collection THE WAY OUT: 40 EMPOWERING STORIES will be published by Alien Buddha Press !!!  This is a collection of 39 flash fiction stories and one novella. Some are humorous. Some are serious. Some are heartwarming. All are empowering in one way or another. There's definitely something for everyone in this powerful collection.  My editor (Red) and I have been working on the inside text and the cover for the last week, and here's what we have so far. Isn't this the most beautiful cover ever?! Red is amazing when it comes to book design. I gave him a photo of the wild pink roses in my gardens, he did his psychedelic hippie thing to it, and look at it now. WOW! Absolutely stunning. The book will be published by the end of this month. As always I will have signed copies available for anyone living in the US, UK, and Canada. I'll let you know when that happens. Stay tuned...! 

I've been publishing in the small press for over 34 years. Back then there was no internet. All literary magazines were printed on paper. I loved them all, but especially the small press lit mags. They were always so creatively produced! SPREAD Zine out of Seattle, WA, is no exception. So I was thrilled when my flash fiction story WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW appeared in the February 2022 issue of SPREAD.  Since it is a print publication, there is no link to send you to for the story. So here it is for your reading pleasure. Enjoy! WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW “Hail Mary, full of grace,” she whispers in prayer, “the Lord is with thee.” Apples, oranges, bananas, pears. Donna stops in front of a basket filled with Bartlett pears. She selects a few with enough bruising to cause most shoppers to pass them by, but perfect for the fruit salad she makes every morning for breakfast. “Blessed art thou among women,” Donna continues, pulling a plastic bag from the roll next to the bananas. She loves to pra...