The Queue is in the short story collection Janet Armstrong, Shabs Rajan and
I put together. I’m touched when people reach out to say they have bought the
book and I am delighted when they say they like it. It surprises me when people
enjoy something I have written.
Short story collections are a wonderful oddity, especially when they include
work from several writers as the stories are so varied, they take you
everywhere, each writer has a different style and way of thinking. There is
something refreshing in diving from one world to another in single book.
We didn’t have a theme when we started putting Wayside together, but we did notice that water often featured in the pieces so that became the loose thread that connected our stories. I stress the loose part! And our writing styles vary wildly, but we enjoy working together and I love Janet and Shabs stories.
Excerpt from The Queue …
‘Donald?’
‘What?’ I shook my head; my vision was clouded, and I had a sense of disconnect. I looked around; I wasn’t in the hospital car park.
Seeing my confusion, the speaker gently placed her hand on my shoulder.
‘It’s OK Donald. You had an accident, but it’s ok now.’
‘What?’ I stammered. I must have knocked my head. I looked at the speaker, who glowed with the flush of health that the young enjoy. She smiled kindly at me, and her mouth was filled with perfect, white teeth, the kind that paid for an orthodontist’s retirement.
‘You had an accident,’ she repeated. Her voice was melodious. ‘But it’s OK now, you don’t have to worry.’ She smiled again, a generous smile that was all confidence. ‘But I do need you to join the queue over there.’
A Year of Time 