Made in L.A. Writers publisher and anthology series co-editor Cody Sisco asked this question of the volunteer story editors for volume seven. Here are their responses.
Mitch Lopes da Silva
Author of “The Biltmore Girls” in Made in L.A. Vol. 6: Hollywood Adjacent
A “great L.A. story” looks at Los Angeles honestly. It happens when an author acknowledges the stereotypes and clichés that exist about this place, and refuses to accept them as definitive. The author writes something honest, then we fall in love with that honesty, and one way or another we end up getting our hearts dragged out of our bodies.
@authormlopesdasilva on Instagram
Amy Jones Sedivy
(Just) A Girl in the World in Made in L.A. Vol. 4: Beyond the Precipice and “Driving the Band” in Made in L.A. Vol. 6: Hollywood Adjacent
A great story about L.A. has specific locations. The intersection of Beverly and Virgil. Barnsdall Park. The Museum of Jurassic Technology. The backside of Chinatown. Western all the way south. Basically, Randy Newman’s song, “I Love L.A.”
Amy is a retired high school English teacher, spending my days reading and writing fiction here in the hilly part of Highland Park. My Instagram is @ajsediv
Christine Heriat
Author of “The Secret Fishing Spot” in Made in L.A. Vol. 6: Hollywood Adjacent
For me, a great story about Los Angeles subverts expectations of the city, its residents, or what happens here. It reveals a sliver of Los Angeles we never imagined existed and leaves us with a lingering need to explore.
Christina Hoag
Author of “The Couch” in Made in L.A. Vol. 5: Vantage Points
L.A. glitters and sparkles in the global imagination, but that’s only one facet of the gemstone. The best stories dig deep into the urban underbelly, the struggles, the failures, the violence, the sweat, the rot, and yes, the dreams that sometimes do come true, that give the city its soul.
You can find @christinahoagauthor on Instagram and Facebook, or at christinahoag.com.