Born in Essex, U.K., Cathy Oliver moved to Canada with her family as a teenager and now makes her home in Wasaga Beach, Ontario where she has been for nearly 15 years. Prior to this she had never lived anywhere for more than 3 years and she is now desperate to leave and see new things. That not currently being an option, she is busy creating new worlds in her head and has plans for several sci-fi books. Cathy has a degree in Psychology that she has never used professionally, and has spent many hours volunteering to help kids learn to read. She has been published once before on the Pharyngula blog, having written about “Why I am an Atheist” and has since been a Humanist wedding officiant. Most recently, she has been a puzzle designer and escape room owner. Multiple Sclerosis forced her to stop working a couple of years ago, and last year she had a stem cell transplant to treat it. As she recovers (it’s an incredibly long process!) she is now trying her hand at writing. Hopefully the worlds in her head will become slightly less nebulous once she gets them down on paper.
Interview with Catherine Oliver
about her story "Emily"
Honorable Mention for The Scribes Prize
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What inspired this piece?
Unfortunately, this is a piece of creative non-fiction and, as such, is largely a true story. This happened to me in 2004 while my husband was deployed with the Canadian Forces to the UAE in support of the war in Afghanistan and I only told him this story a couple of years ago. As the line ‘not again’ implies, it wasn’t the first time we had experienced pregnancy loss. However, a year later we did have a healthy baby and now have two adult children.
What draws you to the micro-fiction format?
I find that some of the most significant events in life are really just moments, often a few seconds or images that stay in your head. Micro-fiction often requires you to focus on a single moment and fully understand it. In the case of creative nonfiction, it’s a helpful format for processing the events that you would otherwise, to your own detriment, play over and over in your head!
Who are some authors that inspire you?
There are so many! From the brilliance of Jane Austen I have learned how little people have changed in 200 years. She showed me that there were indeed insightful, witty, sarcastic women around throughout history - even if they did have to focus on finding a husband. Thanks to more recent books like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer, I am inspired to write fiction, based in truth, that is both horrendous and deeply saddening while also being uplifting, optimistic and incredibly funny. I tend to enjoy stories that show characters dealing with tragedy while maintaining a sense of humor and positive outlook on life.
If you could continue writing your story after these 100 words, what would happen next?
As this is a true story, I know how it turns out. First, it gets sadder—Emily’s birth and funeral happen next. Then, it gets boring. Her Dad goes back on deployment and I spend a couple of months working through grief. I do have a story to tell about that process and, eventually, finding comfort and peace, so maybe I need to write that and cheer everyone up a bit.
What's next on the horizon for you?
What's next for me is to continue the therapeutic process of working through trauma by writing about it. I will be entering the CBC Nonfiction prize with a story about hearing my husband get shot at in Afghanistan! It starts with us on the phone, me hearing a whoosh, and him saying “Shit, what was that? Gotta go.” Then it’s 15 minutes of me, trying to stay calm, while I get breakfast for my two pre-school children. Don’t worry—it has a happy ending. And because this sort of thing helps you develop a very dark sense of humor, we speak of this moment often, and fondly. I'm looking forward to writing about it!
Unfortunately, this is a piece of creative non-fiction and, as such, is largely a true story. This happened to me in 2004 while my husband was deployed with the Canadian Forces to the UAE in support of the war in Afghanistan and I only told him this story a couple of years ago. As the line ‘not again’ implies, it wasn’t the first time we had experienced pregnancy loss. However, a year later we did have a healthy baby and now have two adult children.
What draws you to the micro-fiction format?
I find that some of the most significant events in life are really just moments, often a few seconds or images that stay in your head. Micro-fiction often requires you to focus on a single moment and fully understand it. In the case of creative nonfiction, it’s a helpful format for processing the events that you would otherwise, to your own detriment, play over and over in your head!
Who are some authors that inspire you?
There are so many! From the brilliance of Jane Austen I have learned how little people have changed in 200 years. She showed me that there were indeed insightful, witty, sarcastic women around throughout history - even if they did have to focus on finding a husband. Thanks to more recent books like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer, I am inspired to write fiction, based in truth, that is both horrendous and deeply saddening while also being uplifting, optimistic and incredibly funny. I tend to enjoy stories that show characters dealing with tragedy while maintaining a sense of humor and positive outlook on life.
If you could continue writing your story after these 100 words, what would happen next?
As this is a true story, I know how it turns out. First, it gets sadder—Emily’s birth and funeral happen next. Then, it gets boring. Her Dad goes back on deployment and I spend a couple of months working through grief. I do have a story to tell about that process and, eventually, finding comfort and peace, so maybe I need to write that and cheer everyone up a bit.
What's next on the horizon for you?
What's next for me is to continue the therapeutic process of working through trauma by writing about it. I will be entering the CBC Nonfiction prize with a story about hearing my husband get shot at in Afghanistan! It starts with us on the phone, me hearing a whoosh, and him saying “Shit, what was that? Gotta go.” Then it’s 15 minutes of me, trying to stay calm, while I get breakfast for my two pre-school children. Don’t worry—it has a happy ending. And because this sort of thing helps you develop a very dark sense of humor, we speak of this moment often, and fondly. I'm looking forward to writing about it!