In the fall of 2024, I sent Silent Negotiations, my collection of short stories, to Cornerstone Press at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. In December of the same year, the editors at Cornerstone notified me they wanted to publish my book, and the publication date would be February 2027. It was the best Christmas present! And for a few weeks, I walked around in a euphoric bubble. But the publication date was over two years away, so I settled into a calmer mode of waiting. At times I’d forget about my upcoming book for a couple of days. With a publication date in a faraway galaxy, there wasn’t much for me to do. Then suddenly, because objects are closer than they appear, I’d fret about the book and think, “Will anyone want to read my stories? Is there something I should be doing right now? Where will I have my book launch, and will anyone come?” Then sometimes I’d get excited all over again, thrilled that my stories, which took me five years to write, will have a home together in a book.

On January 23, after I’d spent several days reading my stories one more time, I emailed my manuscript to Cornerstone Press. Don’t worry. I didn’t fiddle with them. I’ve heard other writers warn against overworking one’s stories. Besides, I’m happy with them. Instead, I looked for typos and questioned commas. I read out loud, listening for the awkward sentence, a word choice that wasn’t working, an ambiguous pronoun. I double checked stories to make sure they were coherent with correct timelines. I changed very little, but I’m glad I read them one more time.

At this point in time, I’ve made the stories the best I can make them. I think I’ve found all the errors that can escape an author’s eye, even after many readings. Because I know what my stories are about and what my sentences are supposed to say, I often read past mistakes — reading what I believe is on the page and not what is actually there. Of course, to help with this, I’ve had numerous people read my stories. It’s always a good idea to have someone read your story, essay, poem, article, or book before sending it out into the world.

I want to thank all the people who read my works in progress. Your input made my writing better. Each of you brought a unique perspective to my stories, and often found problems other readers didn’t. Now, I’m looking forward to working with the wonderful editors at Cornerstone. And I’m excited to see what the graphic design team puts together for the book’s cover!

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Below, in alphabetical order by authors’ last names, is a list of short story collections published by Cornerstone that I’ve read and enjoyed! To check out these books and other short story, poetry, and memoir books published by Cornerstone, click here.

1. Colleen Alles, Close to a Flame
2. Jeff Esterholm, The Effects of Urban Renewal on Mid-Century America and Other Crimes
3. Steve Fox, Sometimes Creek
4. Nikki Kallio, Finding the Bones
5. Kim Suhr, Nothing to Lose
6. Kim Suhr, Close Call
7. Marie Zhuikov, The Path of Totality