I'm really happy to have two stories on the CBC Literary Awards Short Fiction Prize longlist this year, in wonderful company. You can read short excerpts from all 28 listed entries here.  My two are set in contemporary life instead of on the frontier: as per the five-word descriptions CBC requested, "Soldier comes home, girlfriend flips"; and "Mother contemplates her Bad Seed." (Those are no "Baby shoes for sale, never worn," but Hemingway got six words . . .).