Each week we will be connecting with our contributors showing where they have been, where they are now, and what’s up for the future.
Name: Scott Loring Sanders
Title of Piece Published in Sweet: “Circus Prayer”
Issue: 7.1
Find him:
Scott lives in Cambridge, MA and teaches at Lesley University and Emerson College. You can learn more about Scott by visiting his website.
What are some major accomplishments you have had since your Sweet publication?
The essay first published in Sweet was included in a collection/memoir called Surviving Jersey: Danger & Insanity in the Garden State, which was a finalist for CLMP’s Firecracker Award 2018 for Best Book of Creative Nonfiction. In addition, I’ve had three essays chosen as Notable by Best American Essays, and a Special Mention from the Pushcart Prize. On the fiction side, where I generally write literary mystery/crime, I published a short story collection called Shooting Creek and Other Stories. I’ve had two stories included in Best American Mystery Stories (both in the above collection) and one selected as Distinguished, as well as a story selected as a finalist for Best Short Story of 2018 by the ITW Thriller Awards.
Can you tell us about a current/ongoing project that you’re excited about?
At the moment, I’m finishing up a crime novel set at Walden Pond. Then I plan to start work on a new novel set at an iconic New England ski resort. I’m taking a break from CNF right now. I tend to go back and forth.
Who is your favorite author?
Ron Rash has always been a favorite of mine, who seamlessly blends beautiful prose with darkness and mystery. Recently, I discovered a guy named Lou Berney, who I met at the above-mentioned Thriller Awards in NYC. After talking with him, I went home and read a few of his books, which also combine crime/mystery with beautiful, literary writing. It’s what I’d like to think (perhaps wishful thinking on my part, admittedly) I do in my own fiction. I’ve never believed literary writing and crime writing have to be mutually exclusive. At any rate, his book, November Road, in particular, was excellent.
What is your favorite poem/essay/book?
I can’t possibly answer that!
What inspires you to write?
Many of my ideas come to me while exercising. Whether it’s cycling, running, or skiing, I often find myself working through ideas while being outdoors. The natural world also greatly influences my detail to setting. I like writing about places I’m familiar with and enjoy, then creating a dark spin.
What is your favorite sweet?
I’m a sucker for chocolate and nothing fancy. Chocolate chip cookies and brownies. I’m also hooked on Chocolove’s Orange Peel in Chocolate, which I guess is a little bit fancy. And ice cream, of course, chocolate peanut butter being my Achilles. For amazing homemade ice cream in Cambridge, you can’t beat Honeycomb Creamery (homemade waffle cones too!)
Thank you, Scott, for taking the time to reconnect with us. We look forward to seeing more of your work in the future!
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