I’ve been blessed to be friends with Terrie Farley Moran for
a number of years now and have always been touched by her kindness and steadfast
support she has shown to me and my family. And I’m a big admirer of her work--I read whatever she’s done that I can get my hands on. In her writing,
you won't find cheap thrills or unnecessary violence;
instead, you'll find solid character development within a rich, powerful storyline slowly building to an emotional crescendo
that'll stick with you long past the conclusion.
Terrie reached out to me after my nephew’s death and a back and forth discussion brought up the words "the laconic dust"--something Kyle had written in his dream journal--which she said could possibly be in reference to Emily Dickinson (who tops a Google search of those words). I mentioned to Terrie that Kyle had a collection of Dickinson poems on his bookshelf, and then asked if she’d be interested in spinning a story for The Lizard’s Ardent Uniform based on that prompt. She readily accepted, and I was floored when she sent along “Dust to Dust.” It’s one of the finest short stories I’ve ever had the privilege to publish. Please take a few minutes and read Terrie's story here.
And, thank you, Terrie. I owe you much more than a simple gratitude but know it is heartfelt and deeply appreciated.
15 comments:
Great story!
I really enjoyed the short story!
Love the heart of this story.
David, I am actually blushing from reading your kind words. As a community, we writers admire and appreciate all that you do to provide markets for our work. And I am so very honored to have the privilege of being part of enshrining Kyle's memory. His poems have a deep quality of emotion that will never be overlooked, thanks to you.
Terrie
Bill, Barrie, and Charles, Thanks for stopping by!
Terrie, Thank you for the kind words. And I was just reminiscing of the first time I read a story of yours and it was in Dave Zeltserman's last issue of his Hardluck webzine. I was passing through Mississippi at the time and stopped at a hotel where I printed off the whole issue.
She's a treasure, and what a great story!
Yeah, Leigh, she knocked me out with "Dust to Dust."
One of my favorite stories in this collection. Left me talking to myself..haha. Great storyteller.
Thanks so much everyone for your sweet comments.
Oh David, Hardluck Stories--what a great zine. I was so happy to have a storyin the final edition--When a Bright Star Fades. I was about to say what a special story it is, but I feel that way about everything I write. I always hope that the reader gets the same emotional tug in reading my work that I get when writing it.
Terrie
Terrie, what a powerful story this is. David, I look forward to reading the rest of the anthology, which is now on my e-reader.
Terrie, Its a story that has stuck with me all these years later.
Glad you enjoyed Dust to Dust, Anita! And thank you for stopping by.
David, a very moving story by Terrie Farley Moran. Thank you for sharing it. The only thing that bothered me was the parents' attitude, especially the mother's, towards their little girl.
Prashant, I remember when I was younger hearing similar stories of girls being sent away and I can imagine the parents and their attitude is but one example. Sad doesn't even begin to describe what many generations went through.
Prashant, fifty years ago, when this story takes place and for all the years before that, many families considered an out of wedlock pregnancy to bring shame on the entire family, so the young girl was seen as the cause of embarrassment and sometimes treated with scorn. Mothers often felt the social stigma of raising a "bad girl" and responded accordingly. Of course this is all my view and I only a kid myself but whenever it happened in the neighborhood, everyone knew--so what was the point?
Shame is a powerful subject. The story captures the damaging depth of it with something that can almost be called grace. Nicely done, Terrie.
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