Rejected

My writing is autobiographical, involving family, friends, and experiences from life, sometimes

presented with dark humor.

In the 1990s, I was introduced to the work of David Sedaris. This was the first time I had read

about the dysfunction in someone’s life with humor. I thought that his writing was hilarious, and I

related.

If it wasn’t for the pandemic lockdown, I would never have taken a creative writing course

online from my Alma Mater, the School of Visual Art in New York. I don’t consider myself a writer

because of my passing relationship with sentence structure, punctuation, and grammar. My paragraphs

can be chaotic. On the plus side, I had a lot to draw on, having grown up in a dysfunctional family.

A publisher discovered my short stories. The manuscript went through the editing process. The

first editor was horrified and traumatized in sorting through my work because of the aforementioned

limitations. The editor’s opinions didn’t hurt my feelings. I thought it would make an excellent story, and

I added that story to this book.

The publisher was determined to make this happen. I admire the publisher for her

perseverance/fortitude/dogged will-power. I went back to work on the manuscript. Off it went to a

second editor. If you’re reading this, I am now a published author.

We all have experiences in life that range from excitement to sadness. Sometimes it’s nice to

know you’re not alone. If there is a way to find humor when things don’t go well, it helps to keep one

sane. I hope you enjoy this collection of stories that will make you laugh, cry and everything in between.