A Peek Behind The Scenes Part III - Publishing The Story

My short story “When Morning Come” appears in the Summer 2026 issue of The Chestnut Review.  It’s about two little girls who seek refuge in the fantastical world of Greek mythology when their real lives become too difficult to bear. You can either read the story or listen to a reading of it.

When asked if I’d like to record myself reading the story, I almost said, “No thanks.”  First of all, I’m not a fan of listening to my own voice.  Second of all, being a woman of a certain age, I don’t sound anything like the story’s preteen protagonist.  But since I wasn’t sure if anyone on the publication’s staff could pull off telling Lashaun’s story in a halfway convincing manner, I figured what the heck.  If anybody’s gonna take a hit, it might as well be me. 🙃

When my editor asked about my intention, as far as “When Morning Come” is concerned, the following was my response: I hope my story inspires readers to pay more attention to the young people in their lives, young girls in particular, and to be more proactive, decisive and sincere when it comes to protecting them from harm. We could all stand to do a better job when it comes to recognizing and addressing a child’s plea for help.

Anyway, if you enjoy the story, let me know and feel free to share the link.

A Peek Behind The Scenes - Part I "Finding" The Story

I thought it might be interesting/different/helpful to give a behind the scenes peek at my creative process when it comes to writing a story and submitting it for publication. My short story, “When Morning Come” was recently published in an online literary journal. Before I reveal the journal’s name, I’d like to share a few details about the story’s journey.

“Finding” The Story

I keep a number of folders containing notes and drafts of unfinished stories.  

While thumbing through one such folder in late June (or early July) of 2025, I 

found 2 pages of notes and a fully drafted first page for “When Morning Come.” 

Even though I still have no idea what inspired the story or where I originally intended to take it, I was intrigued by the challenge of fleshing out a work that I’d initially conceived in the late ‘80s or early ‘90s.  After reading and carefully mulling over the rediscovered material, I sat down and just started writing.  It was a fairly effortless endeavor.  It almost felt as if the young girl’s voice, the plot line and all of the little details had just been sitting there all along, lurking if you will, somewhere in those magical spaces that stretch between my fingers, the keyboard and the far corners of my imagination.