Joyce Faulkner

 

Joyce Faulkner is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She studied writing at the University of Arkansas and holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and an MBA from Cleveland State. Her professional interests include Knowledge Management, Business Process Engineering, eCommerce and Internet Marketing. Her private passions include aviation, history, travel and philosophy. Losing Patience is her first collection of short fiction. She is at work on several novels.

Joyce Faulkner, author of Losing Patience, ponders the natural and supernatural aspects of mortality in this collection of short fiction. On the surface, these tales are simple ghost stories, quirky mysteries and evocative sagas of bittersweet beginnings and endings. The first taste intrigues and entertains but after you put the book down, the flavor lingers -- luring you back into the labyrinth to discover her deeper meanings.

Faulkner’s stories twist a philosophical Rubik’s Cube to reveal new perspectives of old realities. She focuses on ethical conundrums -- guilt, forgiveness, fidelity and retribution. Her characters face complex choices about whether to hang on or let go. Their struggles are both bizarre and familiar -- life as we know it turned upside down. Visit Joyce online at http://www.losingpatience.com

 

“Joyce Faulkner writes with pathos and humor, violence and sensitivity. Faulkner's characters are deliciously devilish, shocking and powerful, yet deeply moral. Through her compendium of disparate tales that shock and amuse, Faulkner shares a view of a world in which honesty in relationships is the ultimate truth.” . . . Ken Goldberg, author and psychologist

“A good short story sucks you in quickly. Joyce Faulkner creates worlds that absorb you and make you question preconceived notions. At times, her tales remind me of classic episodes of the Twilight Zone.” . . . Dominick Miserandino, TheCelebrityCafe.com

“Joyce Faulkner's tales engage, touch, and entertain her readers. With a keen eye for dialogue and a talent for developing characters that are real enough to leap off the page, Faulkner delivers prose that is uncommonly exquisite.” . . . Bev Walton-Porter, Editor, Scribe & Quill

 

Pageonelit.com: Where did you grow up and was reading and writing a part of your life?
Who were your earliest influences and why?

Joyce Faulkner: I was born and raised in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

I learned to read at an early age. My first memories include a huge collection of ‘Little Golden Books’ which my parents bought for me one at a time at the grocery store. I also spent many afternoons in the local library -- when I outgrew the children’s section my mother let me check out more sophisticated books on her library card.

Some of my favorite early stories were Frank Baum’s “The Wizard of Oz” series, the Tarzan series, the Nancy Drew series and the Cherry Ames series. That all changed when I was eleven and read “Gone with the Wind”. GWTW led to books like “Ben-Hur” and “The Good Earth”. Puberty led to “Jane Eyre” and “Wuthering Heights”. College led to “To Kill a Mockingbird”, “Catch-22” and “The Lord of the Rings”.

I began writing in high school after my grandfather was murdered as a way of dealing with the chaos in my family -- first in a diary, later in stories.

 

Pageonelit.com: Why do you write?

Joyce Faulkner:I write because I must. It’s how I assimilate my life’s experiences.

 

Pageonelit.com: What is it you enjoy about the short story genre/form?

Joyce Faulkner: I choose this format when I want to speak to those folks who have very little time to read. Short stories are great for travelers or people sitting in waiting rooms -- or those who just don’t want to commit to a longer piece for whatever reason.

I also choose short fiction when I have a complex idea. I believe that when an author asks a reader to think deeply, the writing should not get in the way of the story. Language should be simple. The number of characters should be limited. This genre allows me to set up the premise, introduce and develop one or two characters, deliver the punch and conclude quickly.

I like to write the kind of stories that I like to read -- layered -- fun on the surface and a quick read, but with an undercurrent that lingers in the mind for much longer.

This genre also allows me to create stories that can be read aloud -- performed in one sitting -- thus touching those who love stories but can’t read for some reason or to entertain a larger audience.

 

Pageonelit.com: Talk a little about your new short story collection "Losing Patience" and what is the collaborative theme that carries this collection from beginning, middle and end?

Joyce Faulkner: The characters in “Losing Patience” deal with ethical conundrums. They are all figuratively ‘at the end of their ropes’. The stories deal with guilt, sorrow, retribution and fidelity. I challenge traditional clichés -- that forgiveness is possible, that evil is understandable, that faith is good.

Sometimes I do this by creating alternative realities as in ‘Unforgivable’, ‘Elizabeth Rose’ and ‘Andrew’. Sometimes I put my characters in agonizing circumstances where there seems to be no right answer as in ‘Losing Patience’, ‘The Test’ and ‘Just Hold Me’. Sometimes I give the reader a glimpse into the dark lives of those whose behavior seems incomprehensible on the surface such as in ‘Chance’, ‘The Rubber Dome’ or ‘Sweet Miss Marguerite’.

In the end, I invite the reader to explore with me some of the complications inherent in being human.

 

Pageonelit.com: You have a sharp ear for strong and honest dialogue. Do you pay attention to the way people speak and what makes good conversation and dialogue in fiction?

Joyce Faulkner: My characters have a distinct point of view. Rather than explain these people to the reader, I prefer to let them talk about their own feelings, philosophies and anxieties. As a writer, I believe that every word is important. That is especially true in short fiction. Therefore, dialogue must be short, expressive and to the point. Rambling is as annoying on the printed page as it is in real conversation.

 

Pageonelit.com: "Losing Patience" One reviewer says your stories remind him of "...The Twilight Zone." and another says you "share a view of a world in which honesty in relationships is the ultimate truth." How do you describe this huge stretch and fictional flexibility you are a capable of in your writing?

Joyce Faulkner: My stories are about everything I’ve ever done or seen or thought about or read. My personal passions are mixed in as well -- and my sense of outrage and curiosity too.

However, once I fall in love with an idea -- I engineer my stories.

For example, in ‘Unforgivable’, I combined three elements. I picked up the plot from a woman I met while volunteering at a Rape Crisis Center, the theories of Ernest Becker influenced the underlying philosophy and I used Judeo-Christian teachings as a structural backdrop. I decided that it would be an adult piece and that it should be understandable to folks of all beliefs. For that reason, I created an alternative reality and explained the rules of the ‘celestial courts’ within Angelino’s dialogue. It was an emotionally wrenching concept so I decided to develop only one character -- Hedy. The rest were symbolic icons -- Gabriel Angelino, Clay and Alicia.

I settled all of these issues before I actually sat down to write the story. Sometimes the planning part takes a long time -- sometimes years.

 

Pageonelit.com: What do you hope to achieve with "Losing Patience" ? What do you hope readers will take away after reading "Losing Patience" ?

Joyce Faulkner: I want “Losing Patience” to be a quick, easy read. However, I hope stories like “Andrew” make readers ponder what it’s like to kill and what it’s like to die. I’d like for people to pick up “The Brafferton” and commune with the ghosts of past wars. I’d like folks to enjoy the humor in “The Rubber Dome” while still being touched by Margaret’s grief. In ‘Chance’ and ‘The Test’, I hope my readers think about how thin the line is between sanity and insanity, life and death, morality and immorality. Finally, at the close of “Losing Patience”, I hope the reader reflects on the lengths a father will go to protect a child -- and how far a father will go to avenge one.

 

Pageonelit.com: What has been your feedback from readers?

Joyce Faulkner: The feedback has been gratifying. After reading “Unforgivable” to a college writing class, a woman stood up and said, ‘Can I buy that book?’ When she didn’t have enough money, she went out into the hall and borrowed the cash to buy it.

Many readers are shocked by the underlying themes -- but stories like “Winding Down”, “Infinity” and “In My Fashion” touch universal chords. Parents do die, children are raped, lovers are lost.

Here are some comments by those who have read “Losing Patience”: “Winding Down” gave me chills.” Misty Farley

“The stories are riveting: I get so engrossed and then you end it so abruptly, I WANT MORE... so now you have a new fan! Can't wait for future works.” Apple White

“I found it to be really dark and engrossing. Which I like.” Anonymous

“I am thoroughly enjoying Losing Patience. The stories are riveting and keep me longing to turn the next page. Great job on this compilation of stories.” Rudi

“I gave a copy to my shrink.” Rusty

Pageonelit.com: What's next?

Joyce Faulkner: Red Engine Press will be publishing a new book in 2005 called “In the Shadow of Suribachi”. It is a novella about the battle of Iwo Jima plus 9 short stories that tell the back story on each of the characters. This piece is special to me -- part history, part legacy from my father who fought in that battle, part love letter to those men who lived through it and those who died there.

I am currently at work on another short story collection called “The Short Form”. Collaborating with Master Ernest Rothrock, this book will explore the martial and philosophical underpinnings of Tai Chi using both fiction and non-fictional elements.

I am also working on a new novel -- a thriller set in modern day Gettysburg called “Civil Disorder”.

 

Pageonelit.com:What was the last book you read?

Nature Via Nurture: Genes, Experience, and What Makes Us Human By Matt Ridleyhttp://www.curledup.com/naturev.htm

 

Pageonelit.com:  Do you have any hobbies? What are they? How do they enhance your writing?

Joyce Faulkner: Travel, Tai Chi, Reading, Computing -- did I mention travel?

Interestingly, everything I do enhances my writing. I have a lifetime of experiences that I have yet to write about -- our trips to Japan, Africa, Germany, Poland and South Korea. Taking a hot air balloon ride over the Serengeti with my husband, visiting Auschwitz, trudging up a hill to see Haensa -- a temple in South Korea where the Buddha’s writings are preserved on wood blocks, jumping out of an airplane with my son, going whale watching with my daughter -- each event adds another chapter or story to the inventory.