Why Don't Elephants Smoke?

Recently, I was delighted to win the previously unpublished author section of the Henry Lawson Short Story Competition with my short story 'Why Don't Elephants Smoke?' You can check it out at  http://www.henrylawsonfestival.com.au/news/2012-verse-short-story-winners-announced. I was also very thrilled to win the Harold Goodwin Memorial Statuette for the best short story overall. 
'Why Don't Elephants Smoke?' is a mixture of  memoir (a family's history of smoking) and good old narrative fiction. Hopefully, the protagonist learnt something about herself along the way. My thanks go to my family, both immediate and extended, who gave me the inspiration to write this story. I dedicate it to my Mum who really did say a pink, marble ashtray didn't make it glamorous, and who, I am happy to say, is in fine health.
My 14-year-old daughter won Highly Commended for her short story 'Under the Mango Tree' in the High School Student Section -- and has subsequently won the Junior Section of the Bush Curlews Literary Prize based in Charters  Towers. 

So, my Mum and my daughter and I are off to Grenfell in chilly New South Wales to collect my prize this weekend. I hope the birthplace of the great Henry Lawson will inspire me onward. I'm looking forward to meeting some of the other prize winners -- perhaps it will be the start of more literary connections. And I'm hoping my Mum will get to see snow for the first time as we drive from Sydney to Grenfell -- stopping in the Blue Mountains and at some lovely coffee shops for something warm along the way.