Tell us about If the Body Allows It.

If the Body Allows It is a linked collection of stories. It's framed by the narrative of a character named Marie, a writer living in Newark struggling with an autoimmune disease, a failing relationship, and guilt over the overdose and death of her father. The stories in between the frame are written by Marie, and explore addiction and its aftermath and the idea that life is always on the brink of never being the same again.

Do you have a bird story or favorite feathered friend?

Yes, but it doesn't have a happy ending! My cat used to go outside (he lives inside now), and one day he sauntered inside with a bird in his mouth. My husband coaxed the bird from him and held the bird while it recovered from the shock. We were delighted as the bird spread its wings and flew away. We watched it land in the neighbor's yard...where the neighbor's cat emerged from the bushes, grabbed it, and ran away.

(Cats are a menace.)

What is your most memorable reading experience?

The first time I read The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje: I was in college, I was home for the summer, and I sat in the screened-in porch of my mom's house. It was a stormy day, humid but chilly, and the weather supplied just the right mood.

What makes you most excited about If the Body Allows It?

I'm excited by the idea that someone might read it and like it! And I hope it says something about chronic illness that, maybe, will be new to some readers.

To tweet or not to tweet?

I do love tweeting. But I can rarely think of a tweet good enough. So I often don't tweet.

What books do you have in your bag right now?

If you had asked me a few weeks ago, I could've said War and Peace! But I just finished. Right now it's You Will Never Be Forgotten by Mary South and an ARC of Must I Go by Yiyun Li.

Can you tell us your favorite rejection story?

My favorite story in If the Body Allows It is called "Flour Baby," and it was rejected from so many places. But one rejection said it had a "smart, exciting ending." I think so, too! “Flour Baby” has finally found a home, though. Guernica is publishing it in August.

What literary journals do you love?

A Public Space, One Story, the Sewanee Review, and Ecotone are a few of my favorites.

What shakes your tail feathers?

 Going to the library and seeing the books with my name on them on the hold shelf.

What advice do you have for fledgling writers?

Be true to your vision! Even when you revise. Revision has the word vision in it, after all.

What other eggs do you have in your basket right now?

I've been working for a long time on a YA novel about a girl who moves in with her dad in South Dakota for the summer. I'm almost done with a draft!