Hello Sweetheart
One of
Atlantic Canada’s finest scribes, Elaine McCluskey, launches her latest collection
of short-stories tonight. Recently we spoke with her about the challenges and
rewards of piecing together Hello
Sweetheart.
How did this collection come about?
Many of these
stories had already appeared in literary journals. The opening story placed
second in the Fish Publishing Short Story Contest in Ireland, winning me a week
at a writer and artists’ retreat in West Cork. Other stories appeared in
journals such as The Dalhousie Review
and Riddle Fence. My job - with my publisher,
Enfield & Wizenty - was to pull them all together.
What was the most challenging aspect of piecing it together?
Balancing the
dark and the light. Some of the stories deal with grave issues -- death and
betrayal -- while others are simply absurd. One story consists only of Rate My
Doctor comments for a pot-smoking physician named Dr. Chestnut, who moved to
Nova Scotia after losing his license in New Brunswick. I like the balance of
dark and light: in a book, and within a story.
What was the most rewarding part of the
experience?
Seeing the
cover, with Hello, Sweetheart lit up
like a purple/pink neon sign.
What did you learn during the process?
Life -- I
have come to believe -- is nothing if not random. Most of the horrible things
that happen to people are not their fault. My opening story contains this
sentence: “I nod, knowing we all go through life with a great ticking time bomb
of tragedy strapped to our chest.”
So.....shag it.
How did you feel when
the book was completed?
Happy. I
wanted some of the stories in this collection to interlock, with shared
characters and settings. When I saw the completed book, I felt that it had
worked.
What has the response been like so far
from those who have read it?
So far - so
good. This book is riskier than my last collection (the opening story is set in
a porn store.) I may lose my senior readers.
Do you have a favourite story in the
collection?
There is a
story entitled Pollock Press Wants Your
Stories. It consists of pitch letters written by hopeless writers to a
publisher seeking submissions. I enjoy absurdity, and this story if full of it.
I am also very fond of the opening
story, Something Pretty, Something Nice,
which connects with other stories.
How have you grown as a writer since
Valery?
I was never a
self-conscious writer, but I think I take even more chances now. Many of my
stories are satirical, and most readers get that. Valery contained a story about a search-and-rescue official who
planted drunk or elderly people in the woods so that he could meet his search
quota. That set the bar, I guess, for this book.
What's next on your creative agenda?
I am working
on a novel. It is set in the fictitious town of Myrtle, N.S. It looks at media
agendas and the divide between rural and urban Canada. It looks at the dynamics
of family. It deals with schadenfreude,
and it studies grief. It is also funny. One of my favourite characters is a secondary
one: Al, a small-time drug dealer who watches The History Channel on TV,
learning about major events such as Jonestown or the Titanic for the first
time. He then feels compelled to explain these events to strangers.
