Maurice Carlos Ruffin, "Fast Hands, Fast Feet"

It’s December 5. Maurice Carlos Ruffin, author of We Cast a Shadow, refuses to part with his cassette collection.

How would you describe your story?

MAURICE CARLOS RUFFIN: Two people you would ignore if you saw them on the street coming together around Christmas to form a little family at the precise moment they need other.

When did you write it, and how did the writing process compare to your other work?

MCR: I wrote it a year out of grad school at a dark time for me financially, professionally, and familially. It was cathartic to find people in dire straits trying their best. Not every story I write has that effect on me.

What kind of research went into this story?

MCR: The opening scene comes from someone breaking into my brand-new car, which was parked in my driveway, just before I wrote this story in June 2014. I imagined that person's life. That person is the main character. That was my research.

What, to you, makes the short story a special form? What can it do that other kinds of writing can’t?

MCR: It's like a cuckoo clock, isn't it? The wooden birdie only pops out if all the parts fit perfectly. There's not much room for error.

Where should people go to learn more about you and your work?

MCR: The Penguin Random House website has my work on it: my 2019 novel and my first short story collection, which includes this story, comes out in 2021. Follow me on Twitter. I'm fun.

What's the best gift you've ever been given?

MCR: There's something about Santa giving me the original Nintendo back in the mid ‘80s that was so sweet. It came with the first Super Mario. I fell in love with video games, fantasy worlds, and stories. In a loopy way, it made me a writer.

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