11 Comments
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Curt Barnes's avatar

Hey, I was expecting comic and satiric, a la stories in Everything Abridged, but Chekhovian? Not darker, I thought, but deeper. Nice.

Dennard Dayle's avatar

Thank you! I like to throw a change-up every now and again.

Bonnybedlam's avatar

It's funny, and by funny I mean heartbreaking, how one can stumble over something from the past at exactly the right moment to extract maximum poignancy. So have some tears from the future. I've been saving them all year.

Dennard Dayle's avatar

I'm really glad this spoke to you. It's a special round for me.

Curt Barnes's avatar

When is the new "Cannonball" book coming out? I never caught the date. Thanks.

Dennard Dayle's avatar

Next July! Long pass, but worthwhile.

Amran Gowani's avatar

You don't need me to tell you this is great, because you know it's great. But, for your ego, it's effing great.

About halfway through the piece my slow-moving brain put together the Franklin and Francine connection and, because his son was called "Junior," I still hadn't quite connected the generational name passing. That therefore made this line -- "For the first time, it hit Franklin that she might be named after Junior instead of him." -- the most resonant of the piece.

Good stuff.

Dennard Dayle's avatar

My ego always welcomes a boost. Without it I'd be cackling over Gotham City by now.

Writing about family connections is an odd experience on my end, I'm glad that the product worked out. And honestly, thank you for the encouragement. Sometimes believing in the work is the hardest part.

Amran Gowani's avatar

My WIP got bogged down at a critical inflection near the end of the story where I'm trying to draw from personal family experience and reimagine how things might've gone differently -- better. That's...hard.

I always find it reassuring that in this insane enterprise even the greats experience perpetual self-doubt. Keep doing your thing.

Amber Marshall's avatar

Loved this!

Dennard Dayle's avatar

Thank you! I think it’s one of my best turns.