Approaching normal?

Atlanta never really quarantined for COVID, but some things shut.

After the second week of school in August, I drove home and my gas light lit up. I pulled into a gas station, but I couldn’t figure out why I never used to get low, or where I used to fill up.

It took me two days before I remembered that I used to go to the Humane Society every weekend, and I’d fill up at the gas station beside it, so I never went below half a tank. But when COVID got bad here, the Humane Society closed the campus.

This weekend, for the first time in about a year, I went back to the Humane Society. They’re not reopening yet, but they’re murmuring about it, and they had an adoption event. 

I spent time with a few dogs including Alan, a spectacular, gracious older gentleman. 

And then I filled up my tank.

Wherever you are on the planet, I hope you can start doing the things you love again, too.

In writing news, some of you have read drafts of what I’m now calling A Killer Melody and sent feedback, which I really appreciate! I’ve incorporated your thoughts, and I think the manuscript is much better for it. It’s very different than what it was in November or December.

I’m currently researching a lot about self publishing, because it’s what almost all the authors I admire are doing, and I’ve gotten advice to head that way. Like most choices, it’s both exciting and frightening. I’ll keep you updated, and thank you for all of your help!

Body Bound

Hi everyone!

I hope you and your families are all doing well. Whether you’re locked in your apartment or taking care of patients or helping keep grocery stores open, thank you, and I hope this little handful of a story brings you some joy.

Body Bound is featured today on fresh.ink (which will email you a short story every day if you sign up). It’s an oldie of mine, and super short.

I hope you like it, and stay safe!

It’s her birthday!

p.s. Shout-out to the amazing woman at PetSmart who brought a new collar to the car when Murphy’s broke yesterday!

Learning to Count

Hey, y’all!

It’s February, which can be a kind of cold, dreary time, but so far we’ve had lots of Valentine’s Day candy, snow in Atlanta, and I’ve got two stories coming out! I hope your February is at least as good.

“Counting to Sixty” came out today in the Eckleburg Review. Issue 21 (filled with stories that are guaranteed to make you laugh out loud while you also feel a little nostalgic/heartsick/bruised) is available for $5 with the coupon code “ContributorXO!” (If you’re looking for a hard copy because you’re old school like that, they’ll be available on March 1.)

Expect another email from me in a week or two. Maudlin House is publishing a crazy little story featuring an underwear thief. I honestly don’t know what to say about it, except that you’ll be able to read it yourself.

I hope you’re finishing the last of your Valentine’s Day chocolate, because the Easter Bunny is coming with more!

Dog Days

Hey y’all,

Happy summer, happy July, and happy upcoming day of fireworks!

Quick two things I’d like to share with you:

1. TIMBER, a great literary journal from CU Boulder, just came out with their summer issue, including my short essay “Guess Why the Dog is Crazy.” It’s about my struggle to understand why people have kids, and I feel a bit peculiar that this story was published a month from when I’m supposed to become an aunt to two more little rascals. PROTIP: The format of their website on my computer is a little weird, so I had to fullscreen my window. Thank you, Roz, for your help on this one. 🙂
2. Down East, a magazine in Maine, recently published Kathryn Miles’s “Homeward Bound” about how dogs are rescued from overpopulated kill shelters in southern states like Georgia and transported to northern states where adoptable dogs are much harder to find. The photos accompanying the article are stunning—Cait Bourgault took the photo below, not me.

Be good, everybody!