Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Scotti
Hi Anna, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m a mystery writer, specializing in short fiction. A lot of my work appears in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, where I’ve got a series about a librarian on the run in witness protection, as well as occasional stand-alone stories. (A stand-alone is a story not intended to become part of a series.) I also write poetry, although for the past couple of years I’ve concentrated on fiction and creative nonfiction (that’s a genre that’s very much like “memoir” – true stories from life presented with the vivid immediacy of fiction.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My path as a writer has been a winding one. I published a few novels in my twenties – a horror novel about kids who accidentally activate a zombie, a mystery about a young mother who is stalked, a children’s adventure story – then switched tracks to work as a journalist for several years. I had two specialties – fluffy stuff for In Style, People, Buzz Weekly, and other entertainment magazines, and then true crime and “disease of the month” for women’s magazines like Redbook and Ladies Home Journal. I had some success, but I couldn’t quite “find my voice,” as writers say. Finding your voice means settling into the genre and style of writing that most suit you – I had the problem of being pretty good at a number of kinds of writing, which made it difficult to settle into one! Eventually, I took a job as a teacher, and loved it! I taught English for 22 years – everything from third grade at a Jewish yeshiva to AP English at a French high school. I also taught English as a second language, and worked privately with adults, coaching and editing poets, screenwriters, and novelists. But I never stopped writing. Back in 2005, I returned to school to get an MFA, and started submitting poetry for publication. My first acceptances were from small, well-respected literary journals such as The Comstock Review, Chautauqua, and Yemassee. Eventually, I got that first yes from The New Yorker, although I still make it a point to offer work to the editors who first published me. Around this time, I also started work on a young adult novel, Big and Bad. I told the story of Big and Bad’s loooooooong road to publication in an earlier interview with Bold Journey. I published the novel – which earned two prizes, and stellar reviews – a full sixteen years after I wrote it! So that’s two genres – poetry, and young adult – but all the while I was writing and submitting in these areas, and teaching school, and raising a daughter, I was also writing mystery fiction. I’d grown up reading Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine – my sister and I used to fight over them when they arrived each month. But I’d never thought of trying my own hand at short fiction. Finally I dove in with “Krikon the Ghoul Hunter,” which appeared in Ellery Queen in 2018. I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited! I still haven’t broken into Alfred Hitchcock, but that’s next on my bucket list! The thing is, to make it as a writer can mean a lot of different things. If for you it means hitting the New York Times bestseller list, traveling around the world on book tours, and becoming a household name, well, that might happen, but it probably won’t. If, on the other hand, it means working hard until you break into a market, publishing professionally, and getting paid for your work -perhaps even garnering a few awards or accolades along the way – well, if you work hard enough, you can probably make that happen. I have two unsold novels and an unsold screenplay in my top desk drawer, along with a handful of unpublished poems and short stories. Most SUCCESSFUL writers do! There’s a quote attributed to comic book artist Stephen McCranie that I love: “The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.” I think about that a lot, and use it to inspire my students as well as myself.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
This interview comes at an ideal time, because I’ve got a few things to brag about! Last year, my short story “Schrodinger, Cat,” which first appeared in Ellery Queen, was a finalist for both the Macavity Prize and the International Thriller Award, and also placed third in the EQ Readers’ Choice Awards! I got to fly to New York and hobnob with some very big lights in the mystery biz! Readers can find a link to read or hear the story (without a paywall) on my website. This year, my short story “It’s Not Even Past,” also from EQMM, was a finalist for the Derringer Prize, and was selected for inclusion in Best Mystery Stories of the Year (Mysterious Press, 2024), which is coming in October, and has already gotten a RAVE review from Kirkus! I’m also feeling very proud to have completed a screenplay based on my short story “On Blackpoint Road,” which first appeared in The Saturday Evening Post. The screenplay is, at this writing, a finalist for the Claymore Prize offered by Killer Nashville, a huge conference for mystery writers, publishers, and fans! Fingers crossed for me, please! Rabia Chaudrey, the prosectutor-turned podcaster, has selected my story “Into the Silent Land” for her new hit podcast, The Mystery Hour, and finally, Down and Out Books will release all of the librarian-on-the-run stories (plus a few new, never-published stories) as a collection! Watch for “It’s Not Even Past” coming in 2025!
But with all this flexing, the piece I am most gratified to see in print is my essay, “Smoke,” about my sister Marcy, who died three years ago. Chautauqua, the venerable journal of the cultural institution of the same name, chose this piece for their final issue, adding to the bittersweet pleasure of seeing it in print. Links to the stories and journals noted here are provided on my website – take a look around!
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Oh, that’s a tough one, since some of us don’t even start getting smart until our thirties, forties, or fifties. It’s been a journey of learning for decades – often one of learning the hard way. I guess I’d have to say, “Bravely follow your dreams.” My father started a new business at age fifty – an age that seemed dauntingly old, almost laughable, at the time. (And he was ultimately very successful!) Now, I look back on fifty with longing, thinking of the energy and courage I had at that age! If I could go back to age twelve, I’d learn to skateboard. Eighteen, I’d follow my dreams of becoming an actor with more determination and fearlessness. Thirty, I’d have more kids – biological, adoptive, or fostered. Fifty, I’d tell my $%*$ boss to kiss off, and strike out on my own full-time. But I must say that one thing I’ll never regret is having spent so many years, so many hours, writing poetry and prose, and teaching others to do the same. It’s so far been a life well-spent in that regard. You are at this moment the youngest you will ever be. It’s not too late to start working out, to start painting or dancing or writing. I was fifty-eight when I made my first sale to The New Yorker, and sixty when I sold my first story to Ellery Queen! And by the way, I have a fifty-year-old and a seventy-year old student, each of whom recently made their own first professional sales! So if you want it, go for it. The moment is now.
Pricing:
- I offer one-on-one editing and writing support – just email me through my website for details. I also conduct seminars on grammar, writing, and creativity for corporate clients. Finally, I teach poetry online at writers.com. Come join us!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.annakscotti.com
- Instagram: @annakscotti
- Facebook: Anna Scotti, author
