We at FFA want to thank C E for coming by the blog, answering some questions, and telling us a bit about her debut short story collection, Sluts and Whores.
Below, you will find our Q+A, information about and purchase links for the collection, information on and social links for the author, and an opportunity to help back her Kickstarter to turn one of her stories into a short film!
1. Tell me about yourself (growing up, favorite authors, writing influences)
I was born, gave birth, and tried to die in Edmonton, AB (not necessarily in that order.) C S Lewis was my first inspiration. Since, I’ve had the honour of Zadie Smith, Michelle Tea, Irvine Welsh, The Beats, the Harlem Renaissance, and many others open my heart and mind.
2. When did you start writing? When did you start writing seriously?
From the time I was little, I was a storyteller. My first serious foray was at 11 years old, when I wrote my first full-length novel over the school year. (A project I’m editing now!)
3. Do you write full-time?
Certainly. As to whether I’m paid for it…
4. Tell me about your writing process. Do you plot/outline all of your work out, or do you just fly by the seat of your pants a majority of the time?
I used to be a pantser, which can produce poetic work. Lately, I favour plot-mapping. It creates a depth and structure my previous stories lacked, and helps forestall the ultimate bane: writer’s block.
5. Tell me about your debut short story collection, Sluts and Whores.
Sluts and Whores is an #OwnVoices Urban Fantasy collection, with roots in Magical Realism and Transgressive lit. Thurston Howl Publications released it in February 2021, and it’s available via most traditional outlets, plus indie bookstores across Turtle Island (aka North America.)It’s dark, raw, sweet, and very weird.
6. What was the inspiration behind this collection?
I was frustrated to see so few humanizing illustrations of sex workers in fiction. If present, we tend to be hypersexualized, defined solely by our profession, or stereotyped as villain/victim. This collection mitigates misrepresentation via my magical universe. Readers have commented on this book’s ability to educate, and aid them in their own sexual or romantic struggles. That means the world to me.
7. What made you stick to topics/material that other authors may shy away from?
This was a realm I could safely explore, having lived experience therein. (This is true also with the book’s mental health content.) I prefer writing what I’ve lived or what I’ve witnessed. The Fantastical elements are of course imaginary, yet imagination is as real to our souls as the material world. The most honest place one can write from is the heart. Your heart may lead you down dark roads, but will always illuminate them.
8. What are you working on now?
My second short story collection, plus editing. (Always editing!) A Seed&Spark campaign to turn one of my stories into a short film is live now; donations are much appreciated!(https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cehoffman/gtfo-a-short-film)
And I’m preparing a grant proposal to take the Creative Writing program at UCLA.
9. Have you read anything recently that you’d recommend?
There There by Tommy Orange, and Jack Wang’s We Two Alone (particularly the eponymous novella.) My current read: Of Human Bondage- Somerset Maugham. And Zadie Smith. When in doubt, read Zadie Smith. (Especially NW.)
About the Book
A jealous girlfriend trips on acid; a spa worker is challenged to take control of her fate.
A haunted jeep parks in front of student housing; a sex worker grows wings; and a hitchhiker is picked up by someone she’d never expect.
SLUTS AND WHORES is an #OwnVoices Urban Fantasy short story collection. In C E Hoffman’s debut, one will find a pile of Pandora’s Boxes waiting to be opened.
Exploring the humanity of sex workers (“whores”) and people who are proudly sexual (“sluts”), this collection questions stereotypes long out of date, merging horror with heartache, and the magical with the mundane.
Welcome to a world where anything can happen- and often does.
Released: Feb 14, 2021
ISBN: 978-1945247989
Purchase Links:
Publisher
Amazon.com
Amazon.ca
Chapters/Indigo
About the Author
C E Hoffman was born, gave birth, and tried to die in Edmonton, AB (not necessarily in that order.)
A sex work advocate, recorded musician, and wannabe Jungian, C E wrote their first full-length novel at 11 years old, and has been writing ever since. They’ve been published widely in print and online since 2010, have edited a poetry e-zine, Visceral Uterus, since 2012, and continue to live their best life despite struggles with mental health.
An EP w/ TC Folkpunk for their new music act, Kitty Galore, is also underway.
Sluts and Whores is their literary debut.
Author Links
http://cehoffman.net
Twitter
Facebook
Youtube
Teespring
Media
Podcasts:
What the Writers Wrote
Mommy Needs a Drink
Textual Healing
No Life Skills
We’d Rather Be Reading
The Bed Post Show
Interviews:
Pink Litter Magazine
Maddie M. White
Reviews:
A Thin Slice of Anxiety
Typesetters
Carbon Bonded Books
Goodreads
Reedsy
Other:
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