#45 The Magnification of One Memory in Memoir the essay “The Night Faerie” from the essay collection WITHOUT SAINTS by Christopher P. Locke.

What is the date you began writing this memoir and the date when you completed the memoir? Honestly, I began writing Without Saints in earnest about 15 years ago. It started as a traditional memoir and not the collection of linked essays it is now, (I was in love with Nick Flynn’s Another Bullshit Night In Suck City at the time). What I discovered over the years as I banged helplessly away at crafting a “traditional” manuscript was that I loved the short, punchy bursts essays provided, like 60 second punk songs, more than a singular narrative unspooling in one giant, continuous breath. So I abandoned my memoir, but not my story.  

Click on the below link to order ANOTHER BULLSHIT NIGHT IN SUCK CITY from Amazon.

Click on the below to visit the website of Nick Flynn

Where did you do most of your writing for this memoir?  And please describe in detail.  Mostly at my desk or in bed.

Credit and Copyright by Christopher P. Locke
Credit and Copyright by Christopher P. Locke.

What were your writing habits while writing this memoir- did you drink something as you wrote, listen to music, write in pen and paper, directly on laptop; specific time of day? I wrote it all on my laptop. Sometimes at night. Sometimes in the morning. It depended when I had free time and if and when I was inspired in the moment.

Out of all the specific memories you write about in this memoir, which ONE MEMORY was the most emotional for you to write about? And can you share that specific excerpt with us here.  The excerpt can be as short or as long as you prefer, and please provide page numbers or Chapter number as references When my daughter was attacked by a dog. It was gut wrenching to write about. Here is a brief section:

Christopher P. Locke’s two daughters. Sophie is on the left. Copyright by Christopher P. Locke.

“Sophie loved animals. All her favorite books were about horses, cats, and dogs. We would sometimes go to Petsmart and ask to see the cats. Sophie would look down at them and speak softly as she gently stroked their backs and their tails. We would then watch the brightly colored birds flicker from wooden peg to wooden peg within their wire cages, and search out the hamsters tucked away in their little plastic igloos, sleeping.

I watched Sophie approach Victor’s dog, a rescue from Albany.

“Can I hug your dog?” Sophie asked. Lisa and I had taught her well: Always ask the owner first. It’s not your dog and you don’t know how it will act. Sophie understood. She never wanted to disappoint us.

“You sure can,” said Victor. He was holding the dog firmly around the collar. It looked like a Shepherd mix. Sophie was eye level with the dog. I saw her smile. I saw her lean in and hug the dog gently, putting her shoulder under the dog’s muzzle. When she pulled back, the dog was soundless, as if studying her. And then, just like that, its mouth was attached to her face. Victor yanked back on the dog and Sophie stumbled backward. Our entire group was strangely silent, like a picture of all of us considering something important. Sophie’s cheek fell open like a trap door. I could see her teeth behind, gleaming and white. Blood dropped from an opening in her neck and splashed across her chest and legs. She collapsed backward into the beautiful grass. That’s when Lisa screamed. She was standing to my left and she screamed “Oh my god!” Her voice was terrible and wet and overwhelming and the only sound in the world. I took off my shirt. I stumbled forward and grabbed Sophie off the ground and pushed my shirt against her face. I then picked her up and held her. I pulled her small body against mine and turned back helpless toward the others.”

Click on the below link to pre-order WIHOUT SAINTS, published in October of 2022 from Black Lawrence Press.

Can you describe the emotional process of writing about this ONE MEMORY? It was incredibly upsetting but I thought it important to move through the pain and share the truth of that experience.

Click on the below link to visit Christopher P Lock’s Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/christopher.p.locke

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