Interview with Editor Tia Nolan (How to be Single, Friends with Benefits)

– Chatting with Tia Nolan about the craft of editing was a pure joy. Her recent credits include: How to be Single (2016), Angie Tribeca season 2 (2016), Annie (2014), Friends with Benefits (2011), The Woman (2008), and Bewitched (2005). She is a wealth of knowledge in the art of making a great comedy – as you’ll learn in his interview. Enjoy!

Read the full interview on MatthewToffolo.com

PHOTO: Rashida Jones stars in “Angie Tribeca” TV show. Tia edits all of their episodes:

Matthew Toffolo: What film that you’ve worked on has been your most valuable experience?

TN: That’s a hard question to answer. As an overall answer, I’d say any film I worked on with Richard Marks, my mentor, because he really taught me how to look at a film and make it great. If I were…

Performed by Michelle Alexander

October 2016 Winning Short Story

True North  by Hal Ackerman

What is your short story about?

A very old man recalling the most painful moment his life

What genres would you say this story story is in?

Literary fiction

How would you describe this story in two words?

Comedically surrreal

What movie have you seen the most in your life?

Godfather

How long have you been working on this story?

A year

Do you have an all-time favorite novel?

Lolita

What motivated you to write this story?

An exercise in my writing group

What artist would you love to have dinner with?

Kurt Vonnegut

Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

The race track

What influenced you to enter the 1pg. Short Story contest?

It seemed like fun

Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?

Whatever you don’t write…

Performed by Michelle Alexander

October 2016 Winning Short Story

Goblin  by J F  Capps

Get to know the winning writer:

What is your short story about?

It’s about waking up in the middle of the night to an inexplicable sight that culminates in something that horrifies every parent on the planet; the loss of a child.

What genres would you say this story story is in?

Horror

How would you describe this story in two words?

Flash Horror

What movie have you seen the most in your life?

Probably “Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla (1974)”. I was obsessed with this movie as a child.

How long have you been working on this story?

It just kind of came to me when I saw the ad for the short story competition. I wrote and edited it in about two hours.

Do you have an all-time favorite novel?

Yes! Richard Matheson’s “I Am Legend”…

Performed by Val Cole

October 2016 Winning Short Story

Dead End Job  by Alice Lacey

What is your short story about?

For as long as he could remember, he’d driven a hearse. Freddie was fed up with the whole business…

What genres would you say this story story is in?

Dark comedy

How would you describe this story in two words?

Everyone’s fantasy

What movie have you seen the most in your life?

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

How long have you been working on this story?

3 years

Do you have an all-time favorite novel?

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

What motivated you to write this story?

The idea came to me as I was in my car waiting for other cars to get in line for a funeral procession

What artist would you love to have dinner with?

Rothko

Apart from writing, what…

Performed by Michelle Alexander

October 2016 Winning Short Story

Astronauts Swear That The View Is Never Dull  by James Hartley

What is your short story about?

A simple confession from one person to another.

What genres would you say this story story is in?

Drama

How would you describe this story in two words?

Heartfelt confession

What movie have you seen the most in your life?

The Dark Knight or Dumbo

How long have you been working on this story?

Two months

Do you have an all-time favorite novel?

Red Dragon by Thomas Harris

What motivated you to write this story?

People rarely write from a truly evil person’s perspective

What artist would you love to have dinner with?

Christopher Nolan

Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

Acting. Directing.

What influenced you to enter the 1pg. Short Story contest?

The opportunity for feedback, particularly in the performance

Performed by Michelle Alexander

October 2016 Winning Short Story

In the Clearing  by Steve Bensinger

What is your short story about?

A confrontation between someone who does not compromise and someone who does

What genres would you say this story story is in?

Realism

How would you describe this story in two words?

Compromise

What movie have you seen the most in your life?

You’ve Got Mail

How long have you been working on this story?

About a month

Do you have an all-time favorite novel?

Raise High the Roofbeam Carpenters and Seymour, An Introduction

What motivated you to write this story?

Dynamic between the outsider and the insider

What artist would you love to have dinner with?

The editor-writer Robert Gottlieb

Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

Politics

What influenced you to enter the 1pg. Short Story contest?

To be honest, it was inexpensive and there’s…

Performed by Michelle Alexander

October 2016 Winning Short Story

TOUCHING MY SPINE  by Monique Amado

Get to know the winning writer:

What is your short story about?

The story is written from the point of view of a novel which is spotted across a café by a young woman. It happens to be her favorite book.

What genres would you say this story story is in?

Fiction. Fan fiction.

How would you describe this story in two words?

Reality suspension.

What movie have you seen the most in your life?

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

How long have you been working on this story?

I worked on it specifically for this contest. It took about 2 hours.

Do you have an all-time favorite novel?

Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin

What motivated you to write this story?

A combination of my love of books, The Lord of the Rings…

Performed by Michelle Alexander

October 2016 Winning Short Story

Watermelon Eating Contest  by Teri B Clark

Get to know the winning writer:

What is your short story about?

The Watermelon Eating Contest takes a humorous look at small town culture and competition.

What genres would you say this story story is in?

Realistic Fiction, Humor, Short Story

How would you describe this story in two words?

Watermelon bluff

What movie have you seen the most in your life?

Gone With the Wind

How long have you been working on this story?

I wrote it in an afternoon

Do you have an all-time favorite novel?

No, I simply love to read. My most recent favorite was The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh.

What motivated you to write this story?

I was given a writing prompt – “Eating Watermelon.” I immediately thought of July 4th and my small town’s celebration with…

Watch the October 2016 Winning Novel Reading.

Reading performed by actor Michelle Alexander

The Pessary  by Juliet M  Nevins, MD

Get to know the winning writer:

What is your NOVEL about?

This novella was inspired by the many women, family and friends, whose lives have been touched by sexual violence. It is about a young physician struggling with her past. As a child Sophia was raped by her mother’s boyfriend, while her mother who had discovered this act, did nothing. Sophia finds escape through education, and as a young physician she meets Debra Little. Debra Little is an old woman from Jamaica who, with the help of two Americans, fled the island after her tenure with domestic abuse ended with the death of her child. The two find healing in each other’s stories. Debra Little finds forgiveness. Sophia finds courage.

What genres would you say this novel is in?

Fiction…