How could so much time have already passed since our Adventure Scifi & Fantasy Short Story Contest winners were announced? Somehow the months have flown by, but I hope you haven’t forgotten about the winners!

Today you get to learn more about our first place winner:

RJ Rodda!

I’m so pleased to have gotten the opportunity to interview RJ and find out more about her! If you’d like to peruse some of her writing, you can find a selection by clicking here to visit her on Wattpad. You can also connect with RJ at Twitter: R J Rodda.

To keep you entertained and make sure our interview is fresh, we made sure to steer the conversation to the unusual. Hope you enjoy!

RJ! I’m so glad you’re here. Thanks for taking the time to come over today for a little interview. We’re really looking forward to getting to know the winner of the ASF Short Story Contest!

Just to bring everyone up to speed. RJ’s story, “Chosen for the Fox-dance” won first place in the contest! 

So, RJ, would you rather eat dinner in a roach-infested hotel room with your favorite author or trek through a stifling jungle replete with poisonous snakes in the hope of finding a lost city?

Definitely the cockroaches! I once lived in a roach-infested apartment in Japan, and I didn’t cope with them very well. I hated it when they flew at me and virtually stopped cooking because they lived in my kitchen. When my younger sister came to visit me, she attacked and killed them without hesitation. I’d like to think I’ve grown up enough now to do the same for my favorite author – deal with the cockroaches for her then sit down and chat books.

You are brave! Haha I am not sure I could handle a confined space infested by the nasty little vermin, but I have no idea how well I’d do traversing a snake inhabited jungle! I’ve also never lived anywhere with major cockroach problems, but I imagine you are braver than you give yourself credit for.

But you’re not only brave, you’re talented. Of all the talents you could wield, what would you most like to have?

The ability to construct a magic wardrobe a.k.a. Narnia. I live far from home and have friends and family scattered across the globe. I’d love to be able to just visit them anytime I wanted to.

Oh, man! I love that idea. That would be Ah-maze-ING! Maybe you could take the wardrobe door to other places too. Like if you were given the opportunity to go to Antarctica, would you take it? Why or why not?

I love traveling and new experiences, so I would definitely go to Antarctica. Also, I’m Australian, which means I am snow-deprived. Antarctica, with all its snow and its mysterious loneliness would be amazing.

Yeah, I agree. Although, I’m not sure about being cold for an extended period of time. Maybe if I had super-warm clothes and a great sled dog team. But all this talk of cold places reminds me of a series of books I read recently called the Out of Time by Nadine Brandes. The second and third books had a lot of cold weather! When you write, what is the most reoccurring theme you recognize?

Friendship. Yep, I have a tragic story from my childhood involving an untrustworthy friend. Since then, I value true friendship above all else.

That’s sad, RJ! Betrayal in friendship is so difficult to experience. I can see how the theme of friendship could easily reoccur! In life, as in writing about it, what do you value most in friends?

What do I most value in my friends? Because of the above, I value loyalty and honesty from my friends above all else. I usually avoid people who say things they don’t mean, although as I have grown older, I have learned to accept with better graciousness people who have good intentions.

Phew! I’m glad to hear it. It’s so important to keep one’s promises … to honor your word, but it isn’t always easy to do, and giving grace where possible not only heals relationships, it also prevents bitterness!

You are a wise and worthy woman, RJ! I’m so glad we’ve had this chance to get to know you, and I can’t wait to share “Chosen for the Fox-dance” with everyone!

Thank you for reading along and getting to know RJ Rodda a little better today! She would absolutely love to connect with you! Make sure to reach out to her on Twitter & Wattpad.

If you could ask RJ one thing, what would it be? Ask in the comments!