I believe the phrase I'm looking for is "holy crap." Or similar.

Cimarron Review has nominated my short story Purgatories for a Pushcart Prize, and I couldn't be happier. It was one of those stories you have in your head for years, even before you really start working on it. And honestly, it was one of the first stories I wrote that I consciously decided: ok, no one dies at the end. I consider that a moment of maturation as a writer...no more stock tragic endings!

Anybody else have that kind of defining ah-ha moment as a writer? I'd love to hear 'em.

I'm just so glad Cimarron Review gave this story a shot, given that it is, at its core, a science fiction story. Thank you, thank you, Cimarron Review.

Onward, genre soldiers.