Co-judging the annual fiction competition with Suzanne Freeman is a little like being each other’s plus-one at a silent auction. We independently review the wares that are displayed on a virtual table, offerings as distinct as intricate necklaces and catered dinners for twelve and bulky Irish sweaters. You never know what you are going to come upon next. Suzanne and I look and re-look and then rank those manuscripts that speak to us most.
Then we compare.
While one woman’s masterpiece is another’s Ikea instruction manual, there is always overlap. Which is so interesting. Are there unspoken objective measures to a subjective exercise—or is it coincidence? Whatever it is—we are always grateful for the chance to read the entries.
And hope to publish more of them down the line.
In the first place story, Eureka, Bill Bruce deftly lifts the curtain on a relationship—via text messages. The second place story, What Do You Feel by Julia Ballerini, is a comedy of manners skewering a group therapy session. And K.E. Ogden’s third place story, For Sale on eBay, introduces a family through an internet ad.
Read them as they are rolled out — and enjoy!
Erika Raskin
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Rock it Billy! Congrats!