Many of my characters feel as though they might live in the same trailer park, and I situated those stories near each other. The placement of other stories together allowed certain themes to build and swell, which pleased me immensely. Though not as a rule, there is somewhat of an evolution from childhood to adulthood, with birds flitting in and out. The titular story was the final piece of the puzzle, and I wanted it upfront to set the tone. It’s a bit of a risk to place an unpublished piece first, but it felt right to me—it hints at our animal natures and, as if it’s setting an object in motion, the themes to come. The final story in the collection, “Holy Jesus, There’s a Nun in IKEA,” with its flash of a crow’s wing, allows that final exhale.

Writing for one mad month per year didn’t sustain me, so in 2014 I splurged on a short story workshop to develop craft. I had initial success, placing my first short story submission in a competition, but the more I learned, the shorter my writing became. In 2019, my wise author-friend Emma Norry (Amber Undercover, Oxford University Press) suggested that I try writing flash. I’d always been in awe of the form, but I thought the skill level was beyond me. I trust Emma though. She gave me a list of places to submit, and even though I didn’t believe I knew what I was doing, two of my early submissions landed on the Bath Flash Award shortlist and in the NFFD micro competition. My initial success was an invitation, as it helped me understand how flash fiction, as a deep and rich art form, requires an even greater attention to craft. The pursuit of it has consumed me since.