So, for whatever reason, I subscribe to One Story, the magazine. You may, too, for all I know. If you don’t you may want to. It’s a short story a month (plus one extra, I believe, daylight savings story, we’ll call it), which I think I enjoy because of the high risk the publishers have taken. One measly story per month? What if it’s a dud? There goes a whole month with that dud of a story on your hands, like a bloodstain you just can’t get out and then there are these witches at the door and Lady MacBeth… You can see how it could spiral out of control.

 

 

So I’ve been meaning to mention the last story they published, because I think you, whoever you are (hi, Mom!), will get a kick out of it. It’s called “Mastermind,” by Jen Fawkes. I loved the concept and the voice Jen Fawkes uses for the story. It’s endearing, in an evil genius kind of way. The conclusion of the story left me a little bit wanting — it seemed a bit over the top for such a finely constructed scenario, but, as she mentions in her Q&A, she sort of substituted Chekhov’s gun with a volcano, so there you have it.

 

This month’s issue is the first shot in the B.J. Novak barrage which seems to be well-timed to detonate for the publication of his collection of short stories entitled One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories.
His story is called “A Good Problem to Have,” and again, I loved the premise. Loved the old man in the story, who is the original inventor of the “a train leaves Chicago for Cleveland at 2pm, traveling at 60 miles per hour, at 3pm, a train leaves Cleveland heading for Chicago at 3pm, traveling at 85 miles per hour…” problem. There were a few sentences that I recognize from my own tendency to run on a bit that didn’t seem to get left on the cutting room floor, but overall it was a cute, fun story.

Based on the One Story entry I’m not entirely sure whether or not I’ll pick up his short story collection, but I caught his book trailer for the collection today. For the trailer, alone, I should probably pick up the book. Between the trailer and his upcoming appearance at Symphony Space for Selected Shorts I’m very, very jealous of B.J. Novak.