Today we are pleased to feature Cathy Ulrich as our Authors Talk series contributor as she answers interview questions regarding her new book Ghosts of You.
Her book is a collection of flash fiction stories that aim to subvert the trope of victimized women in the mystery and crime genres by telling the real stories of her female characters. She wished to go against the way the genre commonly “takes the humanity away from the woman, makes her a plot point.” She also discusses her inspiration for the book as well as her experience with writing it. Ghosts of You will be Cathy’s first book and she notes that she is “so incredibly lucky” to have the opportunity to have it published.
Cathy’s book is available for pre-order here and will be officially released on October 15th!
You can also read Cathy’s work in Issue 18 of Superstition Review.
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I think it’s an amazing feeling to be proud of having your work being published as a book for the first time. I think I’m considering of buying as a birthday gift for myself and read it. SInce it’s being released on my birthday. Therefore, when I went to the link to purchase the book, I really liked the art cover for the book. Who ever is the artist for the cover, they did a fantastic job. Also, I’m done with anything that involves mystery and crime.
I’m intrigued by the premise. I never really considered how often we ignore the murder or accident that always sets up a crime or mystery novel. It does seem to always just become a plot point rather than it’s own story as it should.
I LOVE the subject matter of this collection. Writing women as human characters, rather than plot devices, is so important and often overlooked. I used to watch a lot of true crime television and was always disturbed by how sensationalized murders of women were, and how the shows only focused on the ‘drama’ of the case and not the lives of the women. Looking forward to reading this collection!
I love how Ulrich worked within a genre that felt good to her, and her description of flash fiction as being “between poetry and story” is so on point. Equally impressive is wanting the collection to lift female voices as opposed to just using them as plot points. I am checking this book out.
I think Ulrich makes a powerful point regarding the common portrayal of women as victims; it is time to progress beyond using women as plot points. I will definitely be on the lookout for this book.
I really identified with the part when Cathy talks about how, when women share their stories, they are often ignored or dismissed. Society could definitely use more stories like hers that highlight those who aren’t normally paid any attention. A human being isn’t just a statistic or a way to get attention to a news piece and more people could stand to learn so.