Dear Friends,

I swore I’d never do it again, this social media writing contest thing. Never say never.

My short story, “Baby Steps,” was chosen as a competitor in the 2012 America’s Next Author contest. I’m not normally a short story writer, but this particular story was born out of my next novel, “One Blue, One Brown.”

It’s not an easy story to read.

It wasn’t an easy story to write.

But many, many years ago, I had a friend who experienced the unimaginable. She called to tell me what happened, and I never heard from her again. Her story has haunted me ever since. How does a person survive the unsurvivable? How do you move forward when everything you loved, everything that formed your existence, is now part of the past?

I wrote “Baby Steps” in honor of her pain, her loss. I am writing “One Blue, One Brown” for the same reason. These words are meant to honor the mothers, the fathers whose babies left this earth far, far too soon.

If you are so inclined, please read and review “Baby Steps” here.

Out of more than 300 submissions, there are 180 authors vying for the title of America’s Next Author 2012. Your read, your review, your vote would mean the world to me. This is a social media contest, so please Tweet my page link, share on Facebook, encourage your friends to participate.

I promise that if you vote for me, I will NOT raise taxes. Or fire Big Bird. But I’ll probably increase the national debt with extravagant wine purchases. Sorry about that.

Much gratitude to you, friends, family, readers. XO