SCROLL DOWN TO READ a Q & A with the talented and charming Paige Crutcher and eChook founder Tessa Smith McGovern…

Founder and Editor, Writer and Teacher (Sarah Lawrence College)
Tessa Smith McGovern

Editorial Assistant and Food Blogger,

Leslie Upbin Paparo

Writer, Teacher (Sarah Lawrence College), Host of Inside Story: Author Q&A, Jimin Han

Assistant Editor,

Danni McGovern

Publishing/Marketing Consultant, David Wilk

Social Media Editor, Adam Liu

Reader,Christine Shaffer

We welcome your questions and comments. We’ll do our best to respond within a few days.

editor at eChook.com

Twitter: @eChookDigiPub

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Q & A WITH PAIGE CRUTCHER IN THE EXAMINER.COM
(http://www.examiner.com/authors-in-national/tessa-smith-mcgovern-provides-the-sweetest-escape-the-echook)

Tessa Smith McGovern provides the sweetest escape: the eChook

There is no better escape than into the written world of story. But it’s a time consuming voyage, as inhaling a book takes the speediest readers at least a few hours. Award-winning short story writer Tessa Smith McGovern has found the perfect solution to booklovers in need of a quick fix. She brings the overworked, under-rested and frazzled 10-minutes of transcendental bliss.

McGovern merged the world of story with technology, bringing readers the eChook. More than brain candy, eChook offers apps full of well-written short stories that soothe the soul. She has brought to life the tasty equivalent of the best dessert imaginable – 10-minutes of literary gourmet chocolate.

Inspired by 16th century chapbooks (small, single chapter books that provided pocket sized adventures), McGovern developed eChook. She wanted to reimagine the short story genre for a generation that does too much and rests too little.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I didn’t know really. I dreamed of being a pop star for a while, but my parents owned newsagents’ shops and then a bed and breakfast hotel, so as a teenager I sort of assumed I’d follow in their footsteps. It wasn’t until I was 30, after I had my first child, that I started writing seriously and loved the process so much, I knew I’d found the thing I’ll do until the day I die.

What was it that drew you into the world of storytelling and creating with words?

Well, for most of my childhood in England, we only had 3 TV channels: BBC1, BBC2 and ITV. The kids’ programming was just an hour in the morning and an hour at teatime, so the rest of the time, we read. My mum always had her nose in a book, and every now and then she’d stop and say, “Ooh, listen to this,” and she’d read a beautiful sentence out loud. She read the words with great relish, smacking her lips the way people do over their favorite food. Then, as a teenager, I wrote in my diary when my parents were fighting, before they divorced, and in my twenties, I wrote a short story as a way to plan my wedding. Looking back, I realize writing allowed me to distance myself from pain, and then later on, it became a way to create something fabulous.

Many of your first stories were short-shorts. Will you share a little about what a short-short is?

A short-short is a prose postmodernist form, a developing genre that combines elements of the classic short story, poetry and journalism. Its length varies, but eChook Digital Publishing is looking for short shorts of 750 – 2,000 words. We pay up to $100 plus 10 free apps.

Did you have any specific inspiration, or authors who influenced you in branching out into short story?

I think writing came from a need for balance, first as a child and then as an adult. After my first child was born in 1993, in between naps and feeding, writing helped maintain my sense of self and provided moments of peace and quiet. And new mothers don’t have much time, so the length was ideal. In terms of influence, I read Virginia Woolf’s short shorts over and over again – the language is gorgeous, as soothing as poetry.

I love slipping inside a story – it revives and rejuvenates. What inspired creating the eChook app & gifting readers ten minutes of a bliss-break?

eChook apps are what I wanted to buy on my phone. I wanted moving, well-written stories that grabbed my attention from the first sentence, something to give me an escape, restore my sanity and my sense of perspective. I love Kafka’s quote that the short story should be the ‘axe that breaks the frozen seas inside’.

What is it about short stories that captivate you – as a reader and a writer?

Short stories can change your life. They can change the way we look at something and the choices we make when we connect to the actions or experiences of the (fictional) character. I love the surprise of a short story (as long as I know it’s not going to end horribly – I can’t have red eyes from crying if I’m off to collect the kids or the next meeting). And if the language is lovely too, there’s tremendous joy in that.

As a writer, I discovered that the type of story I write significantly affects the quality of my life. Dark stories that end badly are so sad to write. They put the focus on everything that’s wrong with the world. Moving stories that end positively in some way give me hope and restore my energy. They remind me that most things can be overcome, and what can’t be overcome can be accepted. They open the door to joy again.

Is it true that you came up with the eChook to help reinvent short story genre?

Yes. Because our attention is so fragmented these days, this is the perfect time for the rebirth of the paid short story. We haven’t got time to read novels the ways we use to, so short stories have increased in popularity. But content is only king if it’s treated as such, and writers need to be thoughtful about giving away whole short stories for free. eChook’s goal is to send stories into the world that will entertain, strengthen and delight the reader. Top-quality writing that may deal with difficult subjects, but that leave the reader feeling better in some way. And our writers will be read around the world; so far, we’ve had response from 35 countries. This is the beauty of digital publishing – instant global readership.

How did you approach bringing this invention to life?

Quite naively, I must say. I had no idea how complicated, time-consuming and expensive it would be to create the app. I’m not a techie at all, and so my developer had to speak in words of one syllable and even so, I had to leave many emails until the next morning. He was very patient, though. I found him (believe or not) on iphoneappquotes.com.

eChook offers apps full of well-written short stories that soothe the soul. What types of short story does it offer? Any restrictions, or preferred genres featured?

We offer short stories – ten minute escapes – that are linked in some way. My app, London Road: Linked Stories follows six characters who live in a halfway house in London. Each story is from the point of view of one of the characters. Our next app, ‘Memoir’ offers (aptly enough) memoirs from individual writers. Some of them have been well-published and some are first time authors. We pay up to $100 plus 10 free apps for 750 – 2,000 words and whatever your theme, we have an app for that! At the moment, we’re accepting submissions for ‘Stories of love’ (fiction, non-fiction, memoir or essays). The deadline is Jan 31st 2011. Please see echook.com/submissions for more information.

eChook recently served as a potential way for publication, allowing writers to submit short stories (750-2000 word count). How important is helping writers find a medium of publication to you?

It’s key – I love it! When a writer is published, it validates all that effort, all the writing and revising that went into the piece (and the ones that came before it). And the news is out – everyone can write. I read recently there are 133 million blogs. We know everyone can write non-fiction and, in the next 3 – 5 years, I think we’ll see a massive increase in the amount of people writing creative pieces. It’s so good for us! It’s mentally stimulating, can be heart-opening, produce lifelong friendships, and teach us to have faith in the creative process. What more could we want?! And, as some writers know, one of the key factors in being published is being well-edited. Many acquiring editors who lost their jobs due to the bad economy are now online, available for hire. We ordinary folk now have access to their talents. If we’re willing to spend the time and money, everyone can be published. Writers are now, literally, the co-creators of the literary landscape. What could be more thrilling?!

Will you share the various ways that readers can enjoy the eChook?

Absolutely. You can find ‘London Road: Linked Stories’ on your computer at eChook.com, or through iTunes, in the app store on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, or in the Market on your Android. In early 2011, we plan to be available on the Kindle, Nook, Sony eReader, Kobo and iBooks, too.

Who came up with the app image – and what is the significance of the blue flower? (Which I love, by the way.)

Thank you! I love the blue flower too. That was Jeremy Brieske, who designed the website. I had the woodcut for my logo and he just plopped a little color in there. That’s the sort of the lovely surprise you get when you work with creative people. A treat! And my husband created the lilac union jack for ‘London Road: Linked Stories’ for me. He’s very good with logos and that sort of thing, although he did say I was a very demanding client. But he’s kidding. I think.