Flash Fiction Published in Gravel

I'm always on the lookout for great settings.  Sometimes I go to a location and instantly realize I want to set a story there.  A visit to the San Francisco wave organ became "Secret San Francisco."  Other times, my fiction is inspired by an object, such as a hidden avocado in "Dear Squirrel." 

My new story, "I Used To," published in Gravel, was a combination of the two.  I instantly liked the retro Shell Shop I visited in Morro Bay. What a marvelous location!  And they had such interesting little knickknacks made from shells.  I was captivated especially by the ships made from shells. I knew I also wanted to include one in the story, so I bought one.

I set my characters loose in the shop, looking at the shells and tchotchkes, and "I Used To" came out.