Q&A

The Official Website of
S. Thomas Kaza

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Q&A

In the Light of the Summer Moon was first published in 2008 on the www.GoodStorytoRead.com website

Author's Comment- I haveread and heard stories about places that appear in our world only under certain conditions. I got an idea to tempt a character with the "good old days" of the past.

Excerpt- She looked to Homer for help. He seemed not to notice. The circle of people on the blanket seemed to be closing, her place among them disappearing. She could hear the sounds of their polite chatter fading away. A moment later Rebecca found herself sitting on the ground with two strange girls holding her arms.

Q. Do you have an aunt like the one in the story?
A. No, I do not.

Q. Do you have a recipte for pan-fired pork chops?
A. No, I am not much of a cook. But I like to bake from time to time.
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Fish Story was first published in 2008 on the www.GoodStorytoRead.com website

Author's Comment- When I lived in Xian, China I visited a beautiful national park in SiChuan province called Jiu Zai Gou. It is a magical place of waterfalls, crystal clear ponds, lakes, and streams. I was struck by its natural beauty, its peaceful effect on me, and I thought it would back a good setting for a short story.

Excerpt- Under his breath Hank cursed the planet, which was known to astronomers as Planet GRD-17-35-2417 or more affectionately to school children as the Garden Planet. He remembered reading about the planet and its distant solar system on the edge of the galaxy as a child. He remembered wondering what it would be like to live in a place where Spring turned to Summer, then Summer changed back to Spring again, where there was no intervening Fall or Winter. He remembered dreaming of visiting the Garden Planet, but never did he ever imagine he would one day end up living there. And never did he imagine he would one day hate it so much.

Q. Do you like fishing?
A. I used to fish with my father when I was a boy. Later I fished the Maumee River outside of Toledo, Ohio each spring for bass and walleye. These days I don't fish so much, although I would like to try my hand at fly fishing.

Q. What was your inspiratiion for a Shag-a-long?
A. A very big, furry pillow.
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A Boy Called Booger was first published in 2008 on the www.GoodStorytoRead.com website

Author's Comment- For years I have driven by a trailer park just over the tracks and down the road from a golf course . I always see kids walking along the road. It seemed a little sad to me that they lived there, so I wanted to write a story about a boy who had lived there and had to face adversity, but you knew he would be alright in the end.

Excerpt- He didn’t know how long he lay on the ground. He looked up out of the corner of his eyes at the clouds moving slowly across the blue sky. He became aware that the side of his face was pressed against the cracked, dried mud in the bottom of the ditch. But he didn’t care. He just wanted lay there like a dead animal. He wanted to let everything pass him by, let his life go on without him. But then he remembered that Roger would be waiting for him. He knew his hour was almost up. He had to go home.

Q. Did they really have the baseball cups you mentioned in the story?
A. They did. I collected them for awhile when I was a kid along with baseball cards, comic books, and beer cans.

Q. Do you golf?
A. Not anymore. But I used to golf. I just don't have the time at this point.
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What a Dragon Must Do was first published in 2007 on the www.GoodStorytoRead.com website.

Author's Comment- I wanted to use traditional fantasy characters in an untraditional way. I wanted to turn the tables on the fairy tale story of a prince rescuing a princess.

Excerpt- The dragon watched the blood dripping from the gash in his paw. It had been a lucky blow. He had been careless and underestimated the knight. He sniffed the air. And unlike the others whom the king sent before with promises of gold, unlike those whose bones lay scattered on the forest floor, this one had not wet himself.

Q. Do you really think a dragon could carry a princess, her things, and books on back?
A. Probably not

Q. Wouldn't a cow or an ox make more of a meal than a squire?
A. I think that depends how fat the squire is.
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The Visitor was first published in 2004 on th e-magazine, Another Realm.

Authors Comment- I wanted to create a new monster for a short story. At the time, there was a lot of talk in the media about Alzheimer's. When I thought about it, losing your memories would be pretty scary. The idea to make this new monster a ghost who was losing her own memories and needed to feed on the memories of others came later.

Excerpt- She shook in fear. For ages she managed to block out and forget those terrible memories. But as the happy memories began to fail her one by one, she realized that the dark ones had grown more powerful. Each night she sobbed knowing she would not be able to hold them back much long. Eventually they would overpower her. Then the temple priests would fling open the door and boldly step into her family house again. Then she would feel once again her little hand being wrenched from her mother's. Then she would be forced to live it all over again and again and again. She began to grow desperate in fear of that day.

Q. Where is the setting for The Visitor?
A. I had no particular place in mind, but somewhere in Latin America.

Q. Do you speak Spanish?
A. No, I speak Japanese and Chinese.
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Mother-in-Law was first published in 2006 on the www.GoodStorytoRead.com website

Author's Comment- I love foreign cultures. If space travel was available at this time, and we could travel to other stars. I think the most challenging thing for man will be to learn to understand and communicate with alien races.

Excerpt- For a moment Jack felt as if he was not falling. Perhaps the winds whipping around the tower gave him the sensation of hanging in mid-air, somewhere between heavan and Tarantella. He opened his eyes and looked up at the night sky filled with thousands of stars. Somewhere out there was Earth, home sweet home. He pictured his mother and father sitting in their living room and staring at the glare of their television. He pictured his sister on the phone, and his brother in the garage working on his car. His heart reached out.

Q. Do you get along with your mother-in-law?
A. Yes, I do. But I also see that everybody comes from a different family culture. And I think you have to approach that with a good deal of respect.

Q. Do you like spiders?
A. Yes, I do. They are welcome in my home to help control any bugs or pests that might get in.
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