(“Western Exterminator” by David Mellon)
On the placid Isle of Wight in the UK, writer Pam Martin-Lawrence finds the peace she needs to craft worlds with Norse gods, matchmakers, and baby gays.
I discovered this immensely talented creator through a drabble she submitted to Hotch Potch Literature and Art, the magazine I co-founded with friends during the pandemic. Our magazine provides images that serve as story prompts, and this particular one is by artist David Mellon, whose work is featured in the upcoming issue 4.1, which launches on May 17th.
Pam’s story, “Family Values,” delighted me. As soon as I read that drabble, I knew I wanted to find out more about the writer behind the piece.
In our conversation, Pam graciously shares about her writing journey, which started out with fanfic. As a teenager, she penned angry journal entries and angsty poetry, which later blossomed into short stories and novels. She has two collections of poetry, one about the sea and one about her time living in South Africa, as well as a series of novels based on a DM she received, supposedly by a Norwegian rock star. She’s currently working on a romance book.
One remarkable part of our conversation was her story about the way her relationship with death has informed her work.
Pam is, in her own words, “Interested in everything.” At one time, she was studying seven languages on DuoLingo, though now she’s pared it down to two: Norwegian and Swedish. She talks about being a “method writer” and how her relationships with her characters are primary as she drafts. Connecting with other writers has been important to her, as has submitting to literary magazines, where she’s found success in the past few years.
I highly recommend checking out her work. She’s funny, intelligent, insightful, and has a deeply impressive imagination.
Follow Pam on X and on Instagram.
You can also buy her Novella, The Tale of a Dragon, on Amazon UK.
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