As mentioned in my previous post, in early April, I attended the Chanticleer Authors Conference. I was so impressed with the great content for writers. It was an inspiring weekend that has me working hard on new projects.
Last year, I won Grand Prize in the short story category, for The Heart of Kublai Khan’s Menagerie Keeper, and I was hoping to do well this year with Finding Namaste, which had made it to the finalist stage. Finding Namaste was a finalist last year also, but had been removed from the competition so that I wouldn’t be competing against myself. A good choice in the end!
The CIBA awards include 25+ categories, and there were several award winners at my table. I was fortunate to do well again this year, and Finding Namaste took home a first place award.
This story was a special one for me. It is about a critical care nurse burned out by the pandemic. She needs to learn that there’s no shame in caring for herself when she’s not caring for patients. I enjoyed including some whimsy and kitsch to give it something extra special. This story originated in the NYC Midnight contest, and the subject I had to write about was underwhelm. I think I came up with a clever solution to that prompt and created a successful story.
Here’s the link to the full announcement: https://www.chantireviews.com/2025/04/16/the-2024-shorts-book-awards-winners-for-short-stories-and-essays/
Stay tuned for more updates and thanks for reading.
Be the first to reply