SmokeLong Quarterly

Over the next few months, we’ll be introducing our submissions editors so that you, dear writers and readers, might have a clearer idea of who we are, who reads your work first at SmokeLong, and what they love to see in the SmokeLong submissions queue. We are all writers at SmokeLong, so we know that sharing work can be difficult. Our submissions editors are all experienced flash writers and participate in the discussion throughout the editorial process. Your work is assigned to two submissions editors and sent to the senior editors if at least one of the submissions editors votes MAYBE on the submission. At SmokeLong we are always rooting for you.  – Christopher Allen, Publisher

This week I would love for you all to get to know a little bit about Sara Siddiqui Chansarkar – what she looks for in the queue, what she’s working on now, and what brings her joy. – Melissa Llanes-Brownlee, Senior Submissions Editor

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What excites you about a submission?

Reading something new: a new location, situation, feeling, or ritual. Anything that helps me expand my outlook, look beyond my line of sight, discover another culture, practice, or perspective.

When do you read submissions? Do you have a special place?

I read on weekend mornings beside my window. I am not in a rush to get to work or worry about a meeting. It’s a part of my unwinding. Looking out the window to ponder on the lines helps me breathe in the story.

What is your advice for writers submitting to SmokeLong?

Be original. Don’t try to copy a theme, voice, or a format that has won awards or a place in SmokeLong. Write the story only you can write, details only you have seen, feelings only you have experienced.

What are you reading now – besides SmokeLong submissions?

I am reading Nahid Rachlin’s “Given Away.” The book is a lesson in Iranian culture, and history. I’m reading it slowly, imagining the characters, the place, the way of life.

What are you writing now?

I am querying my novel set in an Indian neighborhood and culture that have not yet been written about in mainstream fiction. I am continuously revising my query letters, synopsis, and first pages for submission.

What brings you joy?

A good poem, a book I can relate to, a quiet morning.

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Sara Siddiqui Chansarkar is an Indian American writer. She is the author of Morsels of Purple and Skin Over Milk, and is currently working on her first novel. Her stories have been published in numerous anthologies and journals. She is the winner of National Flash Fiction Day Micro Contest and the runner-up for the Larry Brown Short Story Prize. Outside of her day job as a technologist, she is a submissions editor for SmokeLong Quarterly. More at https://saraspunyfingers.com,  Twitter:@PunyFingers