A Slice of Cake With... JT Morse

This week I am delighted to be having a slice of cake with JT Morse.

JT Morse is an award-winning, multi-genre writer/poet with a focus on character-driven narratives and hybrid works. She likes to dig deep, find magic in the mundane, and pry open doors with her wordsmithing skills. Morse’s work has been published by Balance of Seven Press, Texas Living magazine, Paragraph Planet, Central Coast Poetry Show, Haiku Journal, Nightmare Press, and Art Houston Magazine. She’s a facilitator/instructor at Writespace Houston and is frequently a featured panelist/presenter at literary festivals and cons across the U.S. Most of Morse’s work is penned from her garden balcony at her mystical ranch in the Piney Woods of Texas, where she lives with her husband, daughter, and twenty-three spoiled-rotten rescue animals. Her website is perpetually in a state of flux, but you may be able to find out more about her at www.jtmorsewriter.com if you’re lucky. 

What kind of stories do you write?

Well, this is right up my wordsmithing alley; I’m an incredibly multi-genre writer and the novel I’m currently working on happens to be a cross-genre hybrid! Note: For me, ‘book’ is singular – most of my published works (fiction, nonfiction, poetry) have been pubbed in anthologies, print magazines, e-zines, and lit journals. I’m just now embarking on my first real book-length project.

Three Killers, Three Wives is a character-driven, epistolary novel about three diverse women who discover their spouses are serial killers. And, I think it’s going to be trad pubbed and series worthy. So, stay tuned. 

Can you describe your writing why?

Iunctus is my ‘why’ for everything I do in life, including writing. I believe this so strongly that I have the word tattooed on my left, inner forearm. Note: For those that don’t love Latin as much as I do, Iuntcus means to connect or adjoin. 

I write to connect with myself, the magic of the universe, the principles of creation, the insanity that is my wild imagination, and, of course, you—readers, fellow writers, and all of the other people we share our beautiful planet with.   

Share with us your favourite passage from the book you enjoyed writing the most

In Three Killers, Three Wives, one of the women is a complete hoot, and I’ve loved spending time with her. Here’s a bit from one of Lanie’s diary entries toward the end of the book. 

From the diary of Lanie Beally Smith on June 12th, 1945:

 “Lordy, Jesus in Heaven! I don’t know where to begin. Everything has gone sideways and topsy-turvy today. John has kidnapped me. Actually kidnapped me. I’m being held hostage in my own bedroom by my own husband, who, as it turns out, is a serial killer. That’s not a sentence I ever envisioned writing, even in my wildest nightmares. And yet, here we are. Well, here I am.”

Love her! She’s goofy, brazen, naïve, and a lot of fun to spend time with. I’m going to miss being the purveyor of her story. 

Tell us about your latest project

Which one?!? Yeah, I’m that kind of crazy, prolific, always-has-fifteen-irons-in-the-fire kind of writer. I do have a nonfiction article coming out in Art Houston magazine on March 1st that I’m really proud of and would love to promote. 

An artist-philosopher from Bolivia—now living in Houston, TX—granted me an in-home interview, and I was blown away. This man provided so much brilliant fodder to write about that I might consider offering to pen his biography—for free. (Hear that, Fernando?) 

The article opens with: As Fernando Casas leads me into what would be utilized as a walk-in closet in most homes, I am overwhelmed by the obscene number of paintings stored and stashed in this oil-scented oasis. The furniture-barren room is stuffed to the proverbial gills with canvases, and I’m thrilled. Since most of the pieces are masked with butcher paper drapes, I fidget and salivate like a child entering a secret garden as Casas, my gracious host, gingerly unveils half-a-score of them for me. 

Should you want to read the rest of this article or others I’ve written for this stunning arts magazine (six thus far), visit www.arthoustonmagazine.com.  

What is your favourite cake?

Cake. Yum. Boston Cream Pie is, and has been since I was a kid, my uber favorite. Yes, its name suggests pie, but in fact, it’s two hunks of vanilla cake with yellow custard slathered between them and a heavy coating of chocolate icing over the whole luscious concoction. It’s amazing! And, it’s cake—no matter what its misleading nom de plume suggests. I promise. 

Do they have this dessert in England? They should! If not, come to Texas, and I’ll make you one. 

I'm taking that as an invitation and if I ever make it to Texas, I'm coming for pie! You can keep in touch with JT Morse across her social media - Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

Join me next week when I'm joined by Lawrence Oliver. 

If you would like to take part in A Slice of Cake With... please fill in the form found here. I'd be delighted to have you.

You can also support my writing endeavours and buy me tea & cake - it's what makes the world go round! 

Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find all her books on Amazon. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop.