Well, today’s a good day, folks. A very good day.
My first professional short story hit the shelves (virtually, at least) over at Buzzymag.com. I thought you folks might like to give it a gander.
“Working Retail” is a horror-comedy story, and I think that I’ve handled the whole zombie apocalypse thing in a pretty unique way.
So if you want to find out what student loans, HDTVs, and zombies all have in common, then head on over to BuzzyMag and read “Working Retail” in all its glory.
And just in case that isn’t enough, here’s a quick teaser so you can see all the inherent awesomeness in the story:
“Working Retail” by B.J. Keeton
I felt a tap on my shoulder and heard a grunt. I stood up from straightening the endcap of blank DVDs, and put on my best smile. If I had learned nothing else from nearly four years of working at MediaTown, it was that I never sold a single laptop, flat-screen TV, or Elton John boxed-set if I didn’t greet everyone who wanted my attention with a smile.
Sometimes it was all I could do to make the smile touch my eyes, but it still counted as a smile. That day, I was in a pretty good mood. I was getting paid at the end of my shift, and for the first time in my life, I was going to be able to pay something off. Two somethings, actually. I had made some stupid decisions since I had graduated college, the worst of which involved living off a high-interest credit card and buying a new car a month after graduating. In my defense, I had been promised a cushy programming job at a tech firm in the fall, and I thought as long as I could live through the summer, I’d be okay. But that was the summer of the outbreak, and while I–and my accrued debt–lived through the summer, the firm didn’t. On top of regular living expenses–rent, utilities, gas, and so on–those decisions made money a little tight in my neck of the woods.
But that week’s paycheck was going to make the final payment on the credit card, which was going to finally get me off my signature “Dollar Menu and Bologna Diet.” I would still have enough money to throw at getting the car paid off, too.
So it wasn’t even a fake smile I put on when I had to stop stacking DVD-Rs.
“Hi there!” I said as I pushed myself from the floor. “What can I do for–Holy Mother of God!”
Good right? Make sure you head on over to BuzzyMag to read the complete story.
Enjoyable read Beej! This just goes to show that an interesting concept and good writing can take you far.
Great teaser, Beej. Made me read the whole story. The concept is awesome, too!