Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam

My short story “A Careful Fire” appeared in Beneath Ceaseless Skies in October 2015.

First line: Every night from her room in the master’s house, Mabella listens to the calls of the wingèd women as they soar through the smoky evening air.

Inspiration: This may make people think less of my marriage, but I thought of this story on my honeymoon. I saw a woman in a windowless room, listening to bird-like creatures fly and sing outside, wishing she could join them. I’d been in a state of stress, reading too much of the news, tired of story after story about people being shitty to one another, and I wrote a dark story in response. I affectionately call this one Bonnie’s Breaking Bad story.

Read it for free: http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/stories/a-careful-fire/

Art by Jennifer Stufflebeam