What was the inspiration for the piece published in the issue?
The Highest of the Highflyers is loosely inspired by true events and a real person. I crafted the character of Harry Hart from a person that I knew, or rather knew of. He was the partner of my step-brother-in-law's father and my late husband used to tell me stories about visiting his step-brother's dad and partner at their home. They ran a circus and then a thing from back in the day called Holiday on Ice, so there were always performers at the house. There was even a chimp at one point. I read an article in Vanity Fair about the end of the trapeze artist's life, long after his partner had died and he had left the circus and had to reinvent himself. It ended in tragedy. Thanks to the editors at After Happy hour Review, my Harry Hart gets a reprieve from killing himself and lives on to see another day. I've decided to take his story all the way to the end, however tragic and horrific that end might be. So keep an eye out for Harry.
We think of "after happy hour" as the time you can really let loose and be yourself. What is your after happy hour?
My After Happy Hour is literally about 12 hours after happy hour. I wake up early in the mornings, when my head is clear, and imagine all sorts of worlds and characters. Historical fiction is my genre. Funny, we wouldn't have thought of the 1970s as historical fiction that long ago, but I guess it is.
What turns you off when you see it in a work? What are your creative pet peeves?
Even though I took Harry Hart to therapy on the podcast, The Characterist, seeing therapy sessions in stories is a turnoff for me. Unless it's Tony Soprano and you might get whacked if someone finds out you're going to therapy.
Why did you feel like After Happy Hour would be a good home for this piece?
A friend, Mary Miller, has a story collection called Always Happy Hour, so the name of this journal really stuck out to me. When I read it, I thought it was not only visually stunning, but the content was top notch. I was introduced to the Spring 2019 issue and actually wrote The Highest of the Highflyers with the idea of submitting it to AHHR. I have edited a literary journal myself and know what it takes, so I admire the dedication and work put in by the editors, particularly Jess Simms and especially Daniel Parme, who believed in this piece from the beginning.