Jennifer Brown

Just when I thought today was really pretty darn good, I went and got great news. Seems my short story, "Breathless", published in Kansas City Voices last year, has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize!

This is huge. I'm normally not a short story writer, mainly because I... eh... suck at writing short stories. In fact, I so suck I practically gave up on them a few years back and only take a stab at it maybe once a year or so. In fact, when I recently finished a longish short story... it was the first one I'd written since "Breathless."

"Breathless" was one of those missed-the-deadline stories. I started it in response to one of those "first line" magazine contests, where they give you a line and you're supposed to build your story around it. Problem is, I missed the deadline and pretty much decided I'd just trash the story idea.

But... I kinda liked the story idea. So a few months later I found myself dragging out an old spiral notebook and pencil and curling up on the couch and writing "Breathless" in one sitting. Feeling pretty satisfied, I sent it off to KC Voices and next thing I knew, they were publishing it! That in itself was a huge score for short story-sucking me!

So to have it nominated for a Pushcart is just icing. Really tasty icing.

As I'm feverishly typing an email to Scott, telling him my Big News (boy, does he ever know my fear of short story-writing), the doorbell rang. A giant Disney box was sitting on my front porch. Inside:

Two new Disney snow globes for my collection, from Scott "just because." A Scrooge McDuck and a Roger Rabbit.

What's next? Someone going to ring the doorbell and hand me the keys to the Hershey's factory? All in all, a pretty good day, I'd say.

Back to my cartwheels...