ZOE C. HOWARD

Fiction is grounded in the humanity of ordinary people. As a writer-as a storyteller-I aspire to be the purveyor of our human experiences. I construct imperfect characters with rich inner lives, whose emotions are ultimately a source of power rather than shame, and whose greatest struggles and triumphs are those that happen within... I weave tragedy and resilience into my work, contrast the light with the dark, balance the levity with the serious, and give my characters the emotional weight they need to step off the page into our own world. I want my characters to be as flawed and vulnerable as we all are and try to capture emotional truth, as raw as it may be. I draw inspiration from stories and histories that demand full, unwavering attention on the majesty and tragedy of who we are, a notion that is both static and ever-fluctuating. I love examining and exploring the ebb and flow of where we've been and where we're going.