Hi Robb. This is just wonderful. Of course we have dreaded through the entire story that Mama hit something more consequential than a deer, but you did the heavy lifting of having introduced Boswell early on, so, when the revelation comes, the tragedy affecting someone we already care about really amplifies the shock. As always, I love your tone. "Daddy didn’t take much with him. He didn’t have much to take" could have been a lyric in a classic country song. I noticed that you withheld specifying June Bug's gender for most of the story, so I wondered if that would be significant. Was that a deliberate red herring or is it simply that it didn't come up because the story didn't require it? Again, really enjoyed this.
I never really thought about not doing a gender reveal (ha!) on June Bug. I guess in my head, that was a nickname more likely to be given a young girl. But the first confirmation is when Daddy says to Jimmy, "Your sister don't talk much, does she?"
I'm glad you enjoyed the story. Now I might have to try my hand at writing a country song!
Very enjoyable, Robb--enjoyable in a sobering way. Your ability to immerse your reader to the depths that you do never ceases to amaze. Truly good work. I can see why this was chosen to be honored!!
Hi Robb. This is just wonderful. Of course we have dreaded through the entire story that Mama hit something more consequential than a deer, but you did the heavy lifting of having introduced Boswell early on, so, when the revelation comes, the tragedy affecting someone we already care about really amplifies the shock. As always, I love your tone. "Daddy didn’t take much with him. He didn’t have much to take" could have been a lyric in a classic country song. I noticed that you withheld specifying June Bug's gender for most of the story, so I wondered if that would be significant. Was that a deliberate red herring or is it simply that it didn't come up because the story didn't require it? Again, really enjoyed this.
I never really thought about not doing a gender reveal (ha!) on June Bug. I guess in my head, that was a nickname more likely to be given a young girl. But the first confirmation is when Daddy says to Jimmy, "Your sister don't talk much, does she?"
I'm glad you enjoyed the story. Now I might have to try my hand at writing a country song!
Very enjoyable, Robb--enjoyable in a sobering way. Your ability to immerse your reader to the depths that you do never ceases to amaze. Truly good work. I can see why this was chosen to be honored!!
Thank you. That means a lot.
'sobering...' I see what you did there. ;)
Boswell!! 😭😭😭