Author Rosey Lee joins me today in a virtual, Covid-19 safe interview. She writes uplifting fiction stories about family and friendship. A native of the Westbank of New Orleans, Louisiana, Rosey is a fan of good foods and good times. As a child, she dreamed of a career in writing, fashion design, and acting. She uses the pen name Rosey Lee as she pursues her passion for writing. Her alter ego is a physician who has dedicated her career to individual and community-based approaches to health equity. She enjoys cooking, flower arranging, listening to live music, and occasional bursts of fanatical bargain shopping.

Rosey’s flash fiction has appeared in Necessary Fiction, Bending Genres, Barren Magazine, Turnpike Magazine, The Wellington Street Review, and elsewhere. Her work has also been nominated for the 2019 Best of the Net anthology.

SS: Rosey, Do you generally write in one genre? If so, what is it? And what can readers expect from one of your books?

RL: I write women’s fiction—novel length as well shorter stories that are 1000 words or less. My short stories can be described as flash fiction stories. My flash fiction writing style is pretty similar to what you might expect from a commercial fiction novel. Not all flash fiction is written that way. But I’m hopeful that the same readers who enjoy my flash fiction will also enjoy my novels. I’ve just finished my first novel, so we’ll see!

SS: What is your most recent book? In twenty-five words or less, tell me why your book should be a reader should start your book next.

RL: My Beautiful, Complicated Family series is about family relationships—the ups, the downs, and everything in between. It’s a quick, uplifting read. We need that right now.

SS: What’s your favorite thing about writing flash fiction?

RL: Flash fiction appeals to avid readers as well as those with busy schedules who only have small amounts of free time for reading. Each story in my Beautiful, Complicated Family series is 1000 words or less, so most people can read each story in about five minutes. I love that I can give readers something heartwarming or something that makes them laugh in just five mins. The collection has two volumes, each with five stories. Beautiful, Complicated Family: Volume 1 is FREE in the US on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple Books, and Kobo. Readers can subscribe to my website to get Beautiful, Complicated Family: Volume 2 for FREE (or they can purchase it, if they prefer).

SS: Describe your books in 3 words:

RL: Uplifting. Family-oriented. Relatable.

SS: What is the best investment you ever made in your writing?

RL: My best investment has been investing in myself through writing workshops. I love doing online flash fiction workshops. All of the workshops I’ve taken have provided instruction and/or writing prompts. I love getting feedback from other writers in the workshop setting. That’s has been a big confidence boost. I also took a daylong in-person workshop on how to structure a novel. That was a gamechanger for me! I guess I was going to try to write my novel on a hope and a prayer, but that workshop taught me that there are best practices to guide the process.

SS: Your favorite guilty pleasure?

RL: Ice cream!!!!!

SS: What books inspired you as a child?

RL: I absolutely LOVED Judy Blume’s books. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret has had a lasting impact on me. It’s so relatable. It’s inspired my writing, because it’s important to me that readers are able to identify with my characters. I loved that the book took on real life problems, but Margaret still ended up pretty happy in the end. 

SS: What’s something memorable you’ve heard from your readers/fans? What’s been the best compliment?

RL: The best compliment is when readers see themselves in my stories. One reader said that my flash fiction stories helped her to process things that had happened in her life and make peace with them. My goal has always been for my work to help people grow, but her comments still touched my heart very deeply. I didn’t expect such a strong reaction to my flash stories.

SS: Pantser or Plotter?

RL: Planter – Isn’t that what you call it when you’re somewhere between a Pantser and Plotter? I started writing flash fiction first, and I thought I was a Pantser. I could frequently come up with an idea or a first line, and I would go from there. I usually had some idea where I was going with the story, but my “plan” usually wasn’t very structured. But I’ve changed. I’ve just finished my first novel, and I realized that I needed at least a general outline to write a novel. I actually drew out arcs for the overall story as well as for each of the main characters, wrote timelines, and briefly outlined the novel. But I give myself permission to deviate as the story dictates. I found that when I returned to writing flash, it was harder to pantse. I needed more structure. I needed to have a better idea of what was going to happen in the story before I started writing.

SS: If you were describing your writing to someone who hasn’t read anything by you before, what would you say?

RL: All of my stories capture struggles that are common in today’s families. The issues will seem familiar to readers, but there are unexpected twists when you least expect them. There are also laughs and sometimes tears along the way, but they’re usually happy tears.

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Beautiful, Complicated Family, Volume One is available through:

Amazon     |     B&N     |     Apple Books      |    Kobo  

Beautiful, Complicated Family, Volume Two is available through:

Amazon     |     B&N     |      Apple Books     |     Kobo     |     Rosey’s website

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An excerpt from “The Reverse Escape”, one of the stories in Beautiful, Complicated Family: Volume 1.

“You bought a new car? It’s a good thing I don’t have much baggage, I mean luggage,” Ada said, embracing her best friend. “Same difference, I guess.”

Lesley had parked the silver sports coupe close to the airport curb. Ada struggled to close the car door, the bottom scraping the sidewalk as she pulled.

“No, I got a flat this morning, so I borrowed it from…a friend. I’ll have to ‘forget’ to tell him about the door,” Lesley said.

“I’m sorry,” Ada said with a sigh.

The frigid air inside the car was a relief from the muggy weather. Ada breathed deeply and silently rehearsed her planned talking points. She’d made the trip cross-country to elude a messy breakup, but she wasn’t ready to discuss it. She felt safe having an imaginary script to follow so she didn’t inadvertently bring it up over the weekend. She needed a break, and her father’s birthday offered the perfect excuse.

“You seem distracted,” said Lesley. “You okay?”

I was just thinking about my dad,” Ada pretended. “He seems so lonely every time I talk to him. Would you help me throw him a small surprise party tomorrow?”

“I don’t know,” Lesley said. “Didn’t you tell me he doesn’t like surprises? Plus, you’re not good at throwing parties. I always end up doing all the work,” she said with a laugh.

Ada laughed too. It felt good to reconnect with Lesley. She could always count on Lesley to bail her out, and now was no different. Ada started to feel chilly from the air conditioning. She redirected the air vent and began her opening monologue, emphasizing her hope that the party would bridge the distance between her and her father and also help him meet someone special. Ada then launched into her strategy for choosing which single women from their church to invite to the party.

“Your dad and I have been seeing each other,” Lesley blurted.

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You can find Rosey here on social media:

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