Picture a Montana storyteller who turned crime fiction on its head with a haunting collection of flash fiction—meet Cathy Ulrich! Her debut, Ghosts of You, isn’t your typical whodunit; it’s a lyrical, heart-wrenching exploration of murdered women’s lives, told in a way that lingers like a half-remembered dream. With her innovative style, Ulrich has carved a unique niche in contemporary literature, challenging how we view victims in stories and society.
Ulrich’s work, often described as both poetic and piercing, uses second-person narrative and future tense to pull readers into the lives of women who are more than just plot devices. Her stories resonate with a quiet power, making her a standout voice in flash fiction and a must-read for anyone intrigued by crime fiction’s deeper layers.
The Making of Cathy Ulrich
Little is publicly known about Cathy Ulrich’s early life, but her roots in Montana, where she lives with her daughter and various small animals, ground her storytelling in a sense of place and humanity. Her path to writing began with a lifelong passion—she’s been scribbling stories since childhood, describing writing as akin to breathing, an unstoppable force. As the founding editor of Milk Candy Review, a journal dedicated to flash fiction, Ulrich honed her craft in the art of concise, impactful storytelling, influenced by the raw emotion and precision of literary fiction.
Her career took off with publications in prestigious journals like Black Warrior Review, Wigleaf, and Passages North. These early works showcased her ability to distill complex emotions into fleeting, vivid narratives, setting the stage for her groundbreaking debut collection.
Cathy Ulrich’s Unforgettable Stories
Ulrich’s debut, Ghosts of You (2019, Okay Donkey Press), is a collection of 40 flash fiction pieces from her Murdered Ladies series. Each story begins with a variation of “The thing about being the murdered [woman] is you set the plot in motion,” then dives into the lives of women—mothers, daughters, mermaids, even taxidermists—whose deaths ripple through their communities. Written in second-person future tense, these stories subvert crime fiction tropes, focusing on victims and survivors rather than perpetrators, with prose that’s both haunting and humane.
Her follow-up, Small, Burning Things (2023, Okay Donkey Press), expands her signature style, exploring girlhood, motherhood, and desire through lyrical, diamond-sharp narratives. Stories like those in Best Microfiction (2019–2022) and Best Small Fictions (2019) highlight her mastery of compression, where every sentence feels meticulously crafted. Ulrich’s work often feels like poetry, blending magical realism with raw emotion to create worlds that are both strange and deeply familiar.
Her stories don’t solve mysteries; they ask, “Who was she?” This question drives Ulrich’s critique of how media and fiction sensationalize violence against women, making her work a feminist reclamation of narrative agency. Her use of repetition and structure turns each piece into a meditation on loss, memory, and the stories we tell about the dead.
Why Cathy Ulrich Matters
Cathy Ulrich’s impact lies in her ability to humanize the often-anonymous victims of crime fiction, giving voice to those relegated to mere plot points. Her work challenges readers to confront societal biases—how we glorify “good” boys while dismissing women’s stories—and resonates in a world grappling with violence and erasure. Ghosts of You was a finalist for the 2019 Ladies of Horror Award for Best Collection, cementing her influence in literary circles.
Ulrich’s role as an editor and advocate for flash fiction also amplifies her legacy, nurturing new voices through Milk Candy Review. Her stories, lauded by authors like Amber Sparks and Kathy Fish, continue to inspire writers and readers to seek the lost and question the narratives we accept. In a genre often obsessed with resolution, Ulrich’s focus on the unresolved makes her a vital, transformative force.
- Key Works: Ghosts of You (2019), Small, Burning Things (2023)
- Awards: Finalist, Ladies of Horror Award for Best Collection (2019)
- Notable Publications: Best Microfiction (2019–2022), Best Small Fictions (2019)
Ready to dive into a world where every sentence burns bright? Snag Ghosts of You or Small, Burning Things and lose yourself in Cathy Ulrich’s haunting, unforgettable flash fiction!