Community Corner
Local Author Considered for Reader's Digest Publication
Denise Koss could win $25,000 and have her story published in Reader's Digest if she wins the "Share Your Story" contest.
When Winder resident Denise Koss saw an ad for the Reader's Digest "Share Your Story" contest on Facebook, she knew she wanted to enter.
The problem came when trying to figure out which story from her life to use.
Koss and her two sisters grew up in Africa, Bolivia and India. She now stays home with her children, David, 6, and Johnathan, 4. Johnathan has such severe food allergies that she has to make all his food from scratch. She makes breads the way Bolivian Indians taught her during her time as a missionary.
Find out what's happening in Barrowwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"I do use a regular oven, though," she said.
Her husband, Timothy, has served two tours of duty in Iraq and is now home.
Find out what's happening in Barrowwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
With all these experiences to draw from, she wanted to keep her story upbeat. She decided to choose one of her favorite stories about her dad, David Amstutz, who died in a plane crash when she was 10 years old.
The Reader's Digest contest challenged entrants to limit their submissions to just 150 words. Koss' "Monkey Business" is now among the most popular entries.
Four years old at the time the story takes place, Koss remembers the park and the monkeys, but her mom has always told her the details of the story.
A startled monkey that had been following the family jumped on her dad's shoulders for comfort and protection. Thinking it was a daughter, he reassured it and put his arms around it.
According to Koss's mother, David's response when he felt fur was "Oh my gosh, I thought it was one of the girls."
After the monkey jumped on David it refused to come down. The owners of the park had to come and take it down.
"I didn't even consider I could win," Koss said.
When she received an e-mail telling her that her story was trending and getting votes, she thought it was a joke.
If she wins the grand prize of $25,000, Koss plans to use the money to visit her younger sister in Alaska, help her older sister with medical bills and perhaps even adopt a child.
Koss' story can be read at www.facebook.com/readersdigest. Fans can vote for their favorites through Nov. 1, and the grand prize winner will also have the possibility of having their story published in the magazine.
