Q&A with Margaret Allis

I have collected stories from observing and listening to people's life stories and I've blended truth with fiction to create a story. Sometimes an idea comes from the first line as it pops into my head followed by a character and events that develop as the writing takes place.

Many years ago I did a short writing course at a night class, and then in 2011 I completed a masters in creative writing at AUT (Auckland University of Technology). Long Thin Strands was my thesis.

So far I have enjoyed writing short fiction, and short stories, but I am hoping to complete a novel which I am currently writing.

I love the way a short story can introduce an idea/character that elicits more thoughts from the reader beyond the written word. Words are economically employed to create a picture, a metaphor, or the beginning of an idea to take the reader beyond the written narrative and into their own mind. Many short stories have themes of loneliness and human struggles. Long Thin Strands has connected stories similar to our lives in our communities, and our global interconnectedness.