Smoking With Chauna Craig by Beth Thomas A Smoke Backstage by William Michael Harnett I like how this is written — there is some deception here. Tell us about your unreliable narrator, and where this story idea came from. I once worked at a university where there had been, before my time, a psychology professor who used to walk an invisible dog around campus. I only heard the story, but I remembered how in fourth grade a classmate had brought back from Disneyland a wire leash with attached collar. She would flick her wrist just right, and it looked like something was pulling on the leash. Those two images came together into a character, and then I started to ask the questions that led to the story. That's when I realized the professor was only a secondary character and a catalyst and that the real story belonged to the woman trapped between fear and hope, past and future. Do you have any writing habits? When & where do you do most of your writing? I have all sorts of writing habits, most of them bad, as in not doing enough of it. But I've recently recommitted to writing thirty minutes a day, even on my busiest days, in order to stay in touch with my own work and my sense of myself as a writer. What else are you working on now? I've been working on a novel and on my flash fiction collection. What have you read lately that you loved? I recently re-read Junot Diaz's The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and was stunned all over again by what a deeply moral novel it is, how it tells such a big story of what it is to claim your humanity in a world that often makes you feel powerless. Read Gray Dogs. Issue Thirty-Four (December 19, 2011): Batman #12 by Barr Bielinski «» The Normal Thing by Mickey Laurence Cohen «» Gray Dogs by Chauna Craig «» Xenoliths by Joseph Gross «» The Fifth Way of Wearing Vermillion by Kathleen Hellen «» Out of Many by Anne Hensley «» Bus Driver by Alex Higley «» Zong by Emily-Jo Hopson «» The Worst Shark Attack Ever by Trevor Houser «» A Disagreement between Gentleman Hunters by Geoff Kronik «» Squall by Susan Rukeyser «» Master of the Art of Longrange Tenpins by Fortunato Salazar «» One Truth by Curtis Smith «» Running by R.S. Thomas «» The Freeze by Virgie Townsend «» Broken Bow by Lex Williford «» Interviews: Barr Bielinski «» Mickey Laurence Cohen «» Chauna Craig «» Joseph Gross «» Kathleen Hellen «» Anne Hensley «» Alex Higley «» Emily-Jo Hopson «» Trevor Houser «» Geoff Kronik «» Susan Rukeyser «» Curtis Smith «» R.S. Thomas «» Virgie Townsend «» Lex Williford «» Cover Art "Warhol's Appropriated Soup" by Marty Ison «» Letter From the Editor Interested in subscribing to SmokeLong's weekly newsletter? Click here. An email should be created. Send it as is, and you'll be subscribed. If the link does not work for you, send an email to imailsrv@smokelong.com with Subscribe slq-info in the body of the email (no subject is necessary). You'll receive updates detailing the release of new issues, new reading periods, contests, etc. We do not make our mail list available to anyone else.