thanagar

Update: February 20, 2024

Well, that was unexpected.

When I launched “Slingshot” I said the odds of winning the Valentine’s Day Contest were long. That’s not false modesty….I thought I had no chance. Lit contests with prize money up for grabs tend to bring out the experienced writers, often with a story they’ve been working on for months. SIlkStockingLover, who is close to royalty on Literotica, entered three stories. And they were all good.

But lo and behold, I won. I’m thrilled because these contests are fun, but hard. But also, as I reread “Slingshot” recently, I realized I did write something good. I think it’s probably the best thing I’ve written so far.

Once again, my thanks for reading the story and taking the time to vote. It currently sits at 4.94, and that is rarified air. But just as importantly, as I write, over 130 people have left comments, which is by far the most for any story. Some were simple, one-word responses. Others said they cried reading it (sorry?). One person wrote a 1200+ word essay on time travel in popular culture and how those stories might have influenced “Slingshot”. Some said they’d never read a time travel story like this, which I find hard to believe.

And more than a few suggested I expand it to novel/novella length……maybe.

I love “Slingshot” because it moves. There’s an urgency because Gemma’s on the clock for most of the story. Expanding it means many of the details alluded to can be brought into play - more about the institute, Meredith’s childhood, and more about David. But it means you lose some of the mystery and urgency. It’s tempting, but I haven’t decided yet.

Again, thank you. I’m glad you liked this one.

One last thing: more people are reading some of my older stories because of this win. So I offer up three choices for people.

Continue with Black Box. Chapter 6 is written, but unpublished because I fear what people will do when they hit the cliffhanger on the end. I’m not sure it’s safe to publish until I have Ch. 7 and a chunk of Ch. 8 finished first.
Finish Waiting. About 4,000 words are done in Chapter 3. I figure this will be a 5-6 chapter series.
Write some new and standalone. I already have an idea for one.

Drop me a line in the Contact section. I really can’t decide what to do next at this moment.