Comments like these...

really keep me going. They're the fire extinguisher for the anguished soul of a writer, that douses the flames of self-doubt long enough to pick up your pen again and keep going. Love my readers!!!

Praise for "The Long Road":

Absolutely wonderful story. This is the only story I've read in this competition, in which, I truly cared about the main character. I really wanted him to make it to the test and show those jerks that he was more than just a house boy. Very well done. This was my top pick for the final round of voting. - Mark

Just finished reading "The Long Road." What an amazing story. I don't think I've ever been so angered and so moved at the same time by a short story. Brilliant. Thank you. I haven't been this affected by something I read in a long time... Rosalyn

I want more. That's a testament to what's right and wrong with this story. The writing is descriptive and spare. The people, even in their foreignness, feel universal land real. The geography is as vital as a character. Is this part of a longer piece, a novel or linked stories? I hope it is. I found myself rooting for Billie. I want to know what happens to him. - Shirley

Absolutely wonderful story, so descriptive. I did not want it to end, in fact I could have read a whole book. - Sandie

Excellent story - although I really want to know if he passed the test and made it to America!! ...Very well written, loved the description. Iv'e never been to Africa, but I liked reading about it in a sort of "normal way". To me hippos and cheetahs would be fantastical, but to him they are normal the way white-tail deer and raccoons are to me. Very interesting. - anonymous reader