GRAVEYARD SHIFT was published in Bellestrist and nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

The new girl’s wide-set eyes were honeyed and doleful. Her tufted amber hair swirled in every direction. “You know, we think we have to be so careful about what’s out there all the time. What’s watching and waiting for us to mess up, to walk around alone, to take advantage of what we’ve got, or make the same mistakes we’re gonna make until that last day. Maybe it was the airport, maybe it was all the liquid cheese, maybe it was the fear of thinking something might get you no matter what you do. Now it’s here. It came from within. And there’s nothing that scary about it after all. It just is.”

Author’s Note: Conducting research is one of the most satisfying aspects of writing for me. While working on Graveyard Shift, I happily went down the rabbit holes of religion, capitalism, and authoritarianism to come back up with something that explores the mysteries of human nature through those lenses. I am deeply grateful to Cassie Cross and the rest of the editorial staff at Belletrist for nominating Graveyard Shift for a Pushcart Prize.