The staff at Mason's Road have been a pleasure to work with, and I'm honored to have my work appear in this publication.
I'm pretty fond of this story. It has a Star Trek enthusiast as the protagonist, characters who make it their life's work to help others, and a more satisfying ending than some of my other stories.
One of the best parts of winning a contest is that you get really wonderful feedback from the contest judge. This year Michael C. White judged the contest, and these were his kind comments:
As the story went on, it assumed a striking depth of both feeling and gravitas. The simple voice of the narrator became complex, and the story's narrative pivoted at the precise moment it had to, so that the heft of the story and of the narrator's voice and past unified to create a really compelling story. The narrator does, in the truest sense, become sagely, and he offers that hard-won wisdom both to this client and to his colleague. The story ends as both revelation and reaffirmation, of what humans can learn and can affirm. A really fine story!If you'd like to read the full story, it's up on the Mason's Road website here.
And if you have a short story that is looking for a home, consider sending your work to Mason's Road. They're open for submissions from August 26th - October 20th, 2013. There's no fee for submissions unless you'd like to enter your story for consideration for their Winter 2013 Literary Award. They have a very modest contest entry fee of $10 and the winner receives publication and a $500 prize. I've had a wonderful experience with the editors and wholeheartedly recommend the journal.
