Drew Buxton, "So Much Heart"

It’s December 25. To officially conclude the 2023 Short Story Advent Calendar, here is a story about family, friends, and mysterious suitcases stuffed full of cash.

How would you describe your story?

DREW BUXTON: It’s a story about kids in ’70s rural Oregon who stumble on an infamous fortune while hunting for Bigfoot.

When did you write it, and how did the writing process compare to your other work?

DB: I wrote the first draft of this story in 2021. I was thinking about folklore in the Pacific Northwest for some reason, and I told my buddy Chris Vanjonack I wanted to have Bigfoot and D. B. Cooper in the same story. He told me I could have one of them, but not both. So I ended up writing it out of spite. I’m a petty, spiteful man. Now it’s the title story of my first book.

This story went through a ton of revision. My thesis advisor, Alex Shakar, really helped me with it. There was a younger-brother character that he told me to get rid of. I was stubborn at first, but eventually I realized he was totally right.

What kind of research went into this story?

DB: I had to do some research on ’70s technology. Originally, I stupidly had the narrator carrying a camcorder instead of a film camera. I also did some research on the timeline of the D. B. Cooper story and Bigfoot lore. I’ve always been really into cryptids and legendary criminals, but I had to brush up on the details.

What, to you, makes the short story a special form? What can it do that other kinds of writing can’t?

DB: One cool thing about short stories is they can be written in one fell swoop. It can come from a singular burst of creative energy. I’ve written short stories in one day, two days. The voice is pure because it’s coming from one point of view, one point in time. This story isn’t one of those, though.

Where should people go to learn more about you and your work?

DB: They can go to www.drewbuxton.com to check out my book and stuff I’ve done for it.

What's the best gift you've ever been given?

DB: I had a story in last year’s calendar, and in that questionnaire I said a Game Boy Pocket. Another great one was the cookie cake my coworkers got me this one time. Cookie cake is the best cake. People have asked me what kind of cake I’d want for my birthday, and I’d tell them “Cookie cake!” but then they’d get some other bullshit they thought looked cute at the store. I’m grateful for any cake, but my coworkers really came through that one time.

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What did you think of today's story? Use the hashtag #ssac2023 on Twitter and Instagram to check in with your fellow advent calendarians.