Performed by Val Cole Get to know the writer: 1. What is your short story about? An aging Hawaiian mule trainer confronts his age and vulnerability, embodied in a big ugly mule he’s breaking in for the tourist trade. 2. What genres would you say this story is in? Short fiction, regional humor. 3. How would you describe this story in two words? Facing reality. 4. What movie have you seen the most in your life? Casablanca 5. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?) The Sounds of Silence 6. Do you have an all-time favorite novel? James (Percival Everett) 7. What motivated you to write this story? Life in rural Hawaii, getting to know the humor and wisdom of the paniolo culture. 8. If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be? Barbara Kingsolver (one of my favorite writers) 9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about? Rural life, riding horses, watching my son thrive 10. What influenced you to enter your story to get performed? Getting an audiobook of my novel Grabtown produced and looking for film production possibilities for that novel. 11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers? Don’t ever think you know everything. You can (and should) keep learning from all the other successful writers. Be humble: you don’t know everything. Be proud: your voice matters. Reply View Submission