English Professor’s short story included in NPR’s “Three Minute Fiction”
Adjunct English Professor Blake Hamilton’s short story of friendship and betrayal has been chosen for publication by National Public Radio. “The Exchange” has been included in the “Three Minute Fiction” series on NPR.org.
To enter the competition, Hamilton’s story had to have the opening line: “Some swore that the house was haunted” and the closing line of: “Nothing was ever the same again after that.”
“The Exchange” was one of 10 stories selected from more than 5,000 entries, Hamilton said.
“It’s a little overwhelming, but it is exciting to be part of such a unique process,” he said.
Hamilton said he wrote the story in his car in only an hour.
“It was the most distraction-free environment,” he said.
He said he kept the story for about a day before editing it, then submitting it to NPR.
“My initial reaction was that a haunting could be perceived many different ways,” Hamilton said.
“I took the angle that it was not a haunting by a ghost, but being haunted by rumors because something bad had taken place.”
Hamilton said it was not hard to fit his story into the format of the contest.
“I’ve published in literary journals before but nothing of this caliber,” he said. “Publishing is such a long and painful process.”
Hamilton said he has been writing professionally and creatively for years.
Some of Hamilton’s favorite authors include Margaret Atwood, Stephen King, Dan Chaon, and Cormac McCarthy.
To contact Christian Kosted, email onlineeditor@occc.edu.