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A Season of Turbulence

A college girl flying to Anchorage to join her boyfriend in the Public Defender office is pulled into her boyfriend's high-octane law cases which involve a level of drama and risk she has never encountered before. Also published online in Eclectica: https://www.eclectica.org/v21n3/boroff.html The novella was just chosen for inclusion in Eclectica's 30-year anthology.

Editorial coverage and synopsis before being accepted by The Conium Review:

Notes from editor Tristan Beach: Boroff's language is rhythmic, metaphor-heavy, sarcastic, and echoes the hard-boiled spirit of Chandler or Hammett (if Chandler or Hammett had been a woman). The narrator details her relationship with a young law student as well as the failed, violent heterosexual relationships surrounding them in their small Alaska community. She establishes a precedence of failure, and hopes against this failure in her own relationship. The Kitty and Duke of the title is one of these peripheral relationships whose highs and lows (of the most extreme) are quite public. There are several layers lurking beneath the surface of this tale. I feel that the story's power could be amplified if broken into chapters or section breaks. Also, the death of Kitty (Duke's victim) could be approached with greater emotional dexterity (and perhaps a healthy dose of anger toward the public's attitude that Duke was a victim of his own emotions and a troublesome woman Overall, it's a strong story with brilliant language, dialogue, and an intimate knowledge of the attitudes and environs of Alaska. One last point -- the original title ("Kitty and Duke") is a bit weak. I highly recommend publication, but only after a few changes are made to the actual structure of the story and its title.

Script Excerpt
Written by:
Format:
Novel
Starring Roles For:
A young Elizabeth Olson
A young Ryan Gosling
Maya Hawke
In the Vein Of:
The Fourth Kind
Grey
Leaving Normal
Posted:
02/18/2023
Updated:
11/28/2025
Author Bio:
Linda Boroff Film and Fiction Bio With References 650-996-2750 I graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in English. My coming-of-age short story published in Cornell University's literary magazine, Epoch, was optioned to Sony and director Brad Furman. I'm represented for literary, film and TV by agents Sandstone Artists—Tammy Hunt and Jamie Bradley Below is a link to my short stories published in Cornell University, Dartmouth, McSweeney’s, The Guardian, Gawker, and many other publications.

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