My short story, With or Without, won a Judges’ Choice award for the IDAHO Magazine 2021 fiction contest.

This was a fun story to write for three reasons. First, it was my first attempt at writing in second person. Second, I drew inspiration from a bevy of bygone boyfriends and who doesn’t have a few ex-boyfriend’s worthy of skewering? Lastly, I got to explore the inner workings of that woman.

We all know that woman. The one who stays in relationships far too long.  The one who internalizes everyone else’s bad decisions. The one who second guesses herself, thinking, “I must be too sensitive,” “I should be more understanding,” and “If I only try a little harder.” That woman takes responsibility for everything that goes wrong, binding herself (and her future children) to a miserable life with a man incapable of comprehending that women might lead richer, fuller, happier lives without him. Unlike real life, this story has a happy ending as my character makes a redeeming choice at the end.

Take a sneak-peek at this award-winning story here: With or Without