A Fevers of the Mind Quick-9 Interview with Tricia Sankey

Q1: When did you start writing and whom influenced you most now and currently?

Tricia: As a child I loved reading Shel Silverstein’s poetry books. I enjoyed the fun wordplay and began to compose my own poems.

It was all about rhyming fun back then, but now, I am intrigued by more spiritual poems and lean toward freestyle verse. I’m a big fan of Rumi and enjoy the transcendental poets like Emerson and Wordsworth. Of course, the WordPress Twitter writing community has influenced me as well. I enjoy reading great poetry and flash fiction online and growing through my interactions with other writers!

Q2: Any pivotal moment when you knew you wanted to be a writer?

Tricia: It seems like I always knew. I remember I kept a diary as a young child and remember how therapeutic it was to write my thoughts down on paper. There is something about releasing emotions through the pen onto the page that is both freeing and addicting at the same time.

Q3: Who has helped you most with writing and career?

Tricia: I think I would have to say God and Jesus, first and foremost! I believe all inspiration comes from Him and any talent I have is God-given and by his grace. My husband was nice enough to transfer some of his Army GI Bill to me so I could attend the MFA program at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri. I really enjoyed that experience and I know it helped me hone my craft!

Q4: Where did you grow up and how did that influence you? Have any travels influenced your work?

Tricia: I grew up in Edmond, Oklahoma, a suburb of Oklahoma City. I do have to edit out some verbal tics in my dialogue at times, like “Well,” shows up quite a bit! 😆 I think I hear characters and voices from Oklahoma in my head, even though after I married, I moved with my husband all over the US. My time in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri shows up in my novella, The Light in the Cave. I actually worked in a government cave nearby my current residence in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, but in the story the setting is a cave outside Fort Leonard Wood. I definitely drew from my time around soldiers and government contractors when writing that story!

Q5: What do you consider your most meaningful work creatively to you?

Tricia: This is a hard one to answer, because I love all my poems and prose writing in different ways. I was trying to convey a message about the dangers of technology and where we might be heading in my novella. It is also just a fun romance that I hope keeps the readers turning the page. My poems can be more personal at times, and for that reason, I am very sentimental about most of them.

Q6: Favorite activities to relax?

Tricia: I enjoy listening to music and taking walks outside with my husband and dog. I also enjoy playing Pickleball with my sixteen-year-old son, Caden.

Q7: What is a favorite line/stanza from a writing of yours?

Tricia: Hmm, I just tweeted a poem the other day and feel like the first line and the last lines were pretty powerful:

Tricia on Twitter: “You pinned my wings to the wall and then instructed me to fly Oh, to be back cocooned in my own enzymes slowly digesting my thoughts until I was made new changed from the powers of my own natural design. There is no greater gift than to be still and look inside. #WriteMap https://t.co/3PswgaE8k6” / Twitter

Q8: What kind of music inspires you the most? Is there a particular song that continues to inspire you through the years?

Tricia: I think I have pretty eclectic tastes in music. Lately, I will watch YouTube videos of meditations with music. It really depends on my mood. I like a lot of music by OneRepublic and lately I’ve really been inspired by Calum Scott’s song, “You are the Reason.” Yes, I like romantic stuff.

Q9: Do you have any recent or upcoming projects/books/events that you’d like to promote?

Tricia: I would like to promote my ebook, The Light in the Cave, which is available on Amazon and free to read with Kindle Unlimited
here: The Light in the Cave – Kindle edition by Sankey, Tricia. Paranormal Romance Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Two of my poems were also included in the recently published anthology, Wounds I Healed, available in paperback and ebook
here: Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women – Kindle edition by Marie Milton, Gabriela, Wilson, Ingrid. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

I’m also collaborating with Cindy Scott of ArtStudio444 on art that displays some of my short poems. You can find them in her Poetry Art section here: Art Studio 444 – Textile & Apparel, Paintings & Prints, Drawings & Illustration (artpal.com)

Bonus Question: Any funny memory or strange occurrence you’d like to share during your creative journey?

Tricia: Well, (there’s my Okie voice again), I thought it was interesting that in my novella the main character kept seeing synchronicity in numbers, (not unlike the author and when the novella was finally available for pre-order the date just so happened to be 2/22/22!!

Bio: Tricia Sankey has traveled the United States as an Army wife while blogging her poetry and flash fiction at www.triciasankey.com. She managed to obtain an MFA in Writing from Lindenwood University along the way and enjoys tweeting her micropoetry on Twitter @triciasankey. Her poetry has been published in both print and online journals. Her short stories have placed in contests, most notably an Honorable Mention in the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest.