Alla Michelle was born and raised in Odessa, Ukraine. She now lives near St. Louis, Missouri with her husband and sons. She is an associate editor with the multi-media online publication Mad Hatter’s Review. Her work can be read in Skive, Salome, Long Story Short and other magazines.

I’m curious about your name—Alla Michelle. I know you changed it shortly after immigrating to the United States. What is your birth name? Tell us about where you came from.

My birth name follows the typical Russian/Ukrainian name pattern: Given Name, Patronymic, Family Name. My father’s name is Mikhail (Misha for short), so this, strung with ‘ovna’ suffix, landed me at Mikhailovna for the patronymic part. It seemed too convoluted for American tongues, so I kept Alla as my first name, but chose Michelle as middle name.

I am originally from Odessa, Ukraine. If you can visualize the map of Europe, and position the image of the Black Sea, you can spot Odessa on the Northern tip - lovely climate, sandy beaches, gorgeous architecture. The funny thing is that I never expected to leave, and now I can’t truly recollect even my favorite places. The memories have really blurred at the edges, slipped from my grip. At least there’s the Web now, so I can always sneak a peak and see how my old world has changed.

You’re an associate editor at Mad Hatter’s Review , a multi-media web zine publishing fiction, poetry, drama, audio, comics, and much more. Talk about the different divisions of Mad Hatter’s Review, and how and why you joined the staff.

Carol Novack, publisher and editor of Mad Hatters’ Review, started the mag with a mission to break the barriers of traditional genre - Flashes, Short Stories, Poetry. Instead, the magazine offers visual and audio collaborative works that cross-pollinate, challenging the writers to experiment with form, and the readers to keep an open mind about various mediums working together. Every published piece gets a personal musical composition and artwork, provided by our staff musicians and artists. Some artists choose to recite their work, and I love hearing the voice of the narrator, the way they change the pitch to highlight certain passages in their text that otherwise don’t jump out in the written word.

There are other sections: columns, films, cartoons, art galleries. Something for everyone - so when Carol asked me to join, how could I refuse?

Currently, you’re seeking Russian-language writers for a special feature at Mad Hatter’s Review. Tell us more about this.

We are expanding into international markets, so I thought, why not Russian/ex-Soviet Union. If anyone is interested, they can contact me at alla_m_watson@yahoo.com.

Do you have any rules for editing? Perhaps you have to be in a certain frame of mind to open and read a story, or maybe you always read a story twice… As an editor, what guidelines, ethical or practical, do you try to maintain?

MHR has a great system. We review subs en masse, to ensure fair treatment for all. The author’s bios are not disclosed during review time, so the author’s publishing record does not pollute our decisions! But reviewing is tough. There are dozens of submissions each day, so there are times when I have to walk away from the computer to clear my mind (and rest my eyes). I usually know within the first paragraph if I love the piece. If all (or the majority) of editors agree, we move forward with acceptance. We typically get back to authors within several days. Yes, we break our necks to read/review all the subs, but I think it’s worth it.

You’ve judged a few contests. Which ones? How did these opportunities arise?

We wanted to create a special little challenge for the writers who sub to MHR, so we launched a contests section. For every issue, I work with Tantra Bensko our Art Director to find a suitable picture as inspiration for story or poetry. It’s always fun to see how different writers interpret the art. The winning entries are published, the first place winner gets a monetary prize. I guess I’ve always loved contests– when I was eight, I entered a writing contest at my old school in Odessa. The topic was Time Travel, but that’s all I remember. I started writing, then realized I couldn’t find the words to describe the exact emotion I wanted to project, so I wrote few laconic sentences followed by drawings of my narrator’s ‘travels’. I think this was my first multi-media piece! I didn’t win the contest, though.

In your writing time, you’ve been working on a series of flashes based on your character Mrs. Romova, whose original story appeared in Muse Apprentice Guild. Tell us more about this character and what adventures she will have.

I like exploring characters whose plight is unfamiliar to me. So I chose an older woman, a widow. But I couldn’t give up the ‘immigrant’ flavor. So my Mrs. Romova is a recent immigrant, stuck somewhere in the Midwest, with no friends, barely speaking English, with a daughter and son-in-law who have their own battles to fight. I try to remain sympathetic with my characters, but also realistic. So Mrs. Romova’s ‘adventures’ are centric to the timeless quest of running, against your own will, towards a certain destiny.

Of course, there are pieces of my own life and experiences woven into this woman’s adventures. I remember my first months in Saint Louis, feeling like swimming under water, searching and searching for a surface. I remember thinking fondly of my old teacher who used to say, “Study English, it may come in handy one day!” So knowing first-hand what it feels like not being understood, really helps to get under my character’s skin.

What topics or themes preoccupy you in your writing?

I love challenges, puzzles, logic. I think these interests seep into my writing. I throw my characters into a maze of emotion and tricky situations and see whether they can find their way out. Mostly, I’m preoccupied with daily struggles, small things that usually add up to something much bigger. I love Anton Chekhov’s quote: Any idiot can face a crisis, but it’s day to day living that wears you out.

Are you stronger at writing plot or character? Do you have any tricks for developing either?

The plot, I think. At least the plot always comes to me first. I’ll be doing something completely non-inspirational and the idea for a flash or story will swim into focus. I don’t always understand who my characters are at first, why they behave in a certain way. Sometimes there’s an ‘Aha’ moment when everything ties together. After that, it’s a little like Braille, connecting the dots into one cohesive collage. Other times, when the plot and/or characters refuse to co-operate, I throw my arms up in surrender and literally flip things upside down. Summer becomes winter, a society woman turns into a waitress, an entire new character appears - and demands to be fed, clothed and given lots of clever dialogue! Speaking of dialogue, I always hear my inner voice reading the lines and everyone begins to sound like an immigrant to me, rolling their Rs and softening the vowels. So dialogue probably gives me the most trouble.

No, no tricks. I grew up immersed in Russian classics: Chekhov, Tolstoy, Paustovsky, Pushkin, Bunin. Rich in plot and character and ’soul’. But if anyone knows any tricks, please email them to me immediately!

What is your zodiac sign, and what, if anything, does it say about you?

I wasn’t familiar with zodiac signs until I moved to US. As a Gemini, I’m supposed to be: lively, flirtatious, adaptable, witty, intelligent, eloquent. Who am I to argue?

Contact Alla

Read:

“Appetite”
published by Insolent Rudder

“Flawless”
published by Verbsap

“Mrs. Romova Buys a Ticket” and “Singing Kalinka on a Cold November Night”
published by Muse Apprentice Guild



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