Author Archives: Victoria Waddle

About Victoria Waddle

Victoria Waddle is a Pushcart Prize-nominated writer and has been included in Best Short Stories from The Saturday Evening Post Great American Fiction Contest. Her books include a collection of feminist short fiction, Acts of Contrition, and a chapbook on grief, The Mortality of Dogs and Humans. Her YA novel about a polygamist cult, Keep Sweet, launches in June 2025. Formerly the managing editor of the journal Inlandia: A Literary Journey and a teacher librarian, she contributes to the Southern California News Group column Literary Journeys. She discusses both writing and library book censorship on her Substack, “Be a Cactus.” Join her there for thoughts on defiant readers and writers as well as for weekly library censorship news.

Ontario Teen Book Fest // Submission Deadline

Posted on March 12, 2019 by Victoria Waddle

Inlandia Submissions Deadline for Teen Issue is Days Away! March 15! Submit Now! If you are a teen living in the Inland Empire, don’t miss your chance for publication in the online journal Inlandia: A Literary Journey. The deadline is … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Non-fiction, Young Adult Literature | Tagged #OntarioTBF, Inlandia Literary Journey, submissions, YA literature | Leave a comment

Submit Your Work to the Teen Issue of Inlandia Now!

Posted on January 21, 2019 by Victoria Waddle

Inland Empire Teens–Here’s Your Opportunity The Inlandia Institute is happy to announce that in the spring of 2019, it will publish its second annual teen issue of its online creative writing journal Inlandia: A Literary Journey. All Inland Empire teens … Continue reading →

Posted in Young Adult Literature | Tagged Inlandia Institute, Inlandia Journal, submissions, teen artists, teen authors, teen writers | Leave a comment

Memoir: Educated

Posted on January 3, 2019 by Victoria Waddle

Tara Westover, the author of Educated, grew up in the country, in view of Buck’s Peak, in Idaho. Previous books I’ve read about the ‘heartland’ and its ‘real American’ inhabitants—whatever that is supposed to mean to those that use the … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Faith-Based/Religious Element, Family Problems | Tagged child abuse, Educated, family problems, fundamentalism (religion), Idaho, inspiration, memoir, Tara Westover | 2 Comments

Magical Realism: The Buried Giant

Posted on December 30, 2018 by Victoria Waddle

Axl and Beatrice, ill-treated inhabitants of a rustic warren in medieval England, awaken on a fine spring day and realize that they have forgotten to do something important: they must take a few days journey to visit their long lost … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, Fable/Fairy Tale/Fantasy, Fiction | Tagged Buried Giant, Fantasy fiction, Hero’s journey, Kazuo Ishiguro, Magical realism | 1 Comment

Horror: The Haunting of Hill House

Posted on November 3, 2018 by Victoria Waddle

This is actually a post from my blog about authors and writing. I thought it would be helpful to some here as it has links to a lot of good horror. Please have a look: http://victoriawaddle.com/2018/10/30/horror-the-haunting-of-hill-house/

Posted in Family Problems, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Supernatural | Tagged fiction, H P Lovecraft, horror, Shirley Jackson | Leave a comment

Gender Fluidity: Symptoms of Being Human

Posted on September 18, 2018 by Victoria Waddle

Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin Gender fluid teenager Riley Cavanaugh starts an anonymous blog at the suggestion of their therapist. Even this anonymous version of coming out takes Riley some time—as well as a major crisis and a … Continue reading →

Posted in bullying, Family Problems, Fiction, Human Rights Issues, Young Adult Literature | Tagged gender fluidity, Jeff Garvin, Orange County, Symptoms of Being Human, Teen Issues, teen sexuality, YA fiction, YA literature | 5 Comments

The Ballad of Huck and Miguel

Posted on August 13, 2018 by Victoria Waddle

A friend who has a daughter working with Friends of the LA River took a few of us on an LA River tour for our birthdays. It was odd to see the sections of the river that have a soil, … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, Classic Fiction, Family Problems, Fiction, Multicultural | Tagged Adventures of Huckleberry Fiin, books, humor, The Ballad of Huck and Miguel, Tim DeRoche | 2 Comments

Navigating the Darkness

Posted on March 5, 2018 by Victoria Waddle

I know I’ve been slacking on my book reviews, but only because I’ve been working on some other teen-centric literary stuff, including getting the word out about the teen issue of Inlandia Literary Journeys. I’m so excited about all the … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Young Adult Literature | Tagged #OntarioTBF | Leave a comment

Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide

Posted on November 25, 2017 by Victoria Waddle

I was excited to learn that Isabel Quintero wrote a new YA book because my students had enjoyed Gabi: A Girl in Pieces so much. (I only use the past tense because I retired; they are most likely still enjoying it.) … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Family Problems, Graphic Novel, Historical Fiction/Historical Element, Young Adult Literature | Tagged creativity, Graciela Iturbide, graphic nonfiction, hi-low reading, Isabel Quintero, nonfiction, photography, YA literature, Zeke Pena | 2 Comments

Orca Limelights: “The Frail Days”