Type of story- Speculative, religious fiction. ~3,100 words

Synopsis- A man working in public broadcasting is roped into a date with a beautiful and powerful man. Both outcasts in their own right, quickly fall in love and share what they hide from the world.

Performed by Val Cole

Get to know the writer:

1. What is your short story about?

- An office worker named Clay getting thrown into a date with a high-profile man, Sam Luz. The man named after an angel that has the power to make businesses crumble. They fall in love, of course, and share who they really are with each other.

2. What genres would you say this story is in?

- Speculative, religious and LGBTQ+ fiction.

3. How would you describe this story in two words?

- Honesty and Beauty

4. What movie have you seen the most in your life?

- White Chicks

5. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the
most times in your life?)

- I Will Be Here (Benny Benassi Remix) by Tiësto & Sneaky Sound System

6. Do you have an all-time favorite novel?

- Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. Beautifully written and I’m a sucker for anything that will make me cry.

7. What motivated you to write this story?

- I like to believe that Lucifer or the Devil- whatever people call him- isn’t the purest evil out there. He would be rather merciful yet straightforward about his behavior. I wanted to explore him falling in love with Adam, some regular guy that gets nervous about a date and also has his own secrets to hide. Even the Devil himself can be loved.

8. If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would
that be?

- My Aunt Lisa. My favorite person in the world. I’d like to see her one last time to tell her how much I love her.

9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

- Singing! My voice is precious to me and I am very lucky to have it. Education. I love learning and higher education needs to be more accessible.

10. What influenced you to enter your story to get performed?

- The risk of putting my work out in the world. Maybe someone will listen to the performance and write something of their own or see a bit of themselves in Sam or Clay. I would only know if I went for it.

11. Any advice or tips you'd like to pass on to other writers?

- I am only just beginning so maybe more than a grain of salt is needed, but there are two things- You can’t fall in love with all of your words, but you can with some of them. And in the word’s of the great Mariah Carey, “Never, never listen to anybody when they try to discourage you. Cuz they do that.”