Monthly Archives: December 2013

December 30, 2013 · 10:12 am

Publications 2013

So, Write 1/Sub 1 made 2013 an interesting year. I embarked on a new writing adventure. Buoyed by the publication of The Secret Life of Sleeping Beauty in Unidentified Funny Objects last year, I decided to focus more on short fiction and not worry about the rest.

The results? Well, they surprised me. I ended up with fourteen sales/acceptances and nine of those were published this year, and five more are forthcoming in early 2014. Not a bad way to end a year or to start one.

Online flash:

The Burden of So Many Roses  (Kazka Press)

Payment (Literary Juice)

The Girl with the Piccolo (Kazka Press)

Keeping Time (Kazka Press)

A Measure of Sorrow (Luna Station Quarterly)

Standalone shorts:

Elvis Has Left the Building (Untreed Reads)

Anthologies:

Ghost in the Coffee Machine in Coffee: 14 Caffeinated Tales of the Fantastic

Available from UFO Publishing, but also in e-book form for Kindle, Nook, and Kobo.

Land of the Free (Haircuts) in Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors, Volume 2

Leap of Faith in 100 Worlds: Lightning-Quick SF and Fantasy Tales

Self-published:

Blogging Airborne finalBonus publication!

At long last, I compiled my Blogging Airborne series into electronic format to make it available for e-readers. You can get it on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and iTunes.

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December 29, 2013 · 10:32 am

Write 1/Sub 1 check in: week 52 the one with the last check in of the year

Week 52! This is it! The very last check in of 2013. This week, because the universe has a sense of humor, I received a rejection on Christmas Eve and one on Christmas Day. I thought it was funny; friends on Facebook were trying to cheer me up.

I also managed a flash fiction piece despite the holiday. All in all, a good way to end the month and the year.

It’s hard to believe an entire year has passed us by in a flurry of words–well, more or less. Sometimes less. Although I didn’t officially “win” the weekly challenge (see accidental novel below), I did write a great many stories, I sold some of those stories, and most importantly, I learned a lot about my writing process and writing in general. 

Am I going to do it again next year? Yes,  I will, with a few modifications. More on that next week.

So how did I do for the year? Well, here’s the tally:

  • 45 short stories of varying lengths and quality
  • 1 accidental novel, 54,000 words
  • 103 submissions
  • 14 acceptances/sales
  • 9 publications

Writing:

  • Like Bread Loves Salt~ 730 words

Submissions:

  • The Maze 

Rejections:

  • The Perfect Canvas
  • The Madness in King’s End

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

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December 23, 2013 · 9:28 am

Write 1/Sub 1 check in: week 51 the one with the late check in

Week 51! A very quiet week around here, both for writing and submitting stories. But! I did get my write 1 completed. Apparently, I wasn’t quite done with Simon the Cold, and I added a “Part II” to the story. More or less.

I hope to get something written this coming week to finish out the year with a story. We’ll see how that goes. But now, it’s time to bake!

Writing:

  • Simon the Cold, Part II ~ 2,600 words

Submissions:

  • The Perfect Canvas 

Rejections:

  • The Price of Comfort and Joy

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

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December 15, 2013 · 12:27 pm

Write 1/Sub 1 check in: week 50 the one with 100 submissions

Week 50! It might be the cold weather or the holidays, but things moved slowly this week, even as the year speeds to an end. But I got my writing in, and I also hit my “stretch” goal for the year of 100 submissions.

Also, my contributor copy of Coffee: 14 Caffeinated Tales of the Fantastic arrived, and it is a thing of beauty. If you like science fiction and fantasy stories, and especially like coffee, be sure to pick up a copy, either in print or e-format.

Writing:

  • Simon the Cold ~ 1,300 words

Submissions:

  • What Little Remains
  • The Madness in King’s End
  • The Life Expectancy of Fireflies
  • The Price of Comfort and Joy (submission 100)

Rejections:

  • Doreen’s Muse

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • Ghost in the Coffee Machine in Coffee: 14 Caffeinated Tales of the Fantastic, available from UFO Publishing, but also in e-book form for Kindle, Nook, and Kobo.

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December 14, 2013 · 10:41 am

Publication: Ghost in the Coffee Machine

My story Ghost in the Coffee Machine is now available in Coffee: 14 Caffeinated Tales of the Fantastic.

As the back cover says:

Coffee plays a major role in each of the stories collected in this book.

Brewed from such fine ingredients as magic, wonder, humor, and romance, Coffee serves up a unique blend of the fantastic you won’t be able to put down.

So, brew yourself a cup of coffee (or tea) and keep warm this holiday season. Available from UFO Publishing, but also in e-book form for Kindle, Nook, and Kobo.

 

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December 8, 2013 · 12:11 pm

Write 1/Sub 1 check in: week 49 the one with five rejections

Week 49! This must be the time of year editors clear their desks. Five rejections! Not only that, but the story I submitted for the Flash Fiction Challenge received zero points (as in none, nada, nothing). It’s one of those weeks where it pays to be an optimist.

I did a series of short writing/writing exercises based on the Writer’s Regimen, which I continue to love. Just when I think I’m not going to get anything, boom, something sparks.

I’ve also been thinking about Write 1/Sub 1 for next year. I’m thinking of moving to the monthly challenge. I do not want to slow down my writing pace, but I do want to revise that accidental novel, expand a few stories into the novellas they want to be, and I have a backlog of short stories I still need to revise and send out into the world.

So monthly it is, unless I start slacking. Then I’ll jump back on the weekly bandwagon.

Writing:

  • The Accidental Nickname ~ 300 words
  • Infamy Day ~ 500 words
  • Obstacles ~ 500 words

Submissions:

  • The Perfect Canvas
  • What Little Remains
  • Glass Slipper

Rejections:

  • The Perfect Canvas
  • What Little Remains
  • The Maze
  • The Burden of So Many Roses (reprint market)
  • The Life Expectancy of Fireflies

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

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December 1, 2013 · 11:58 am

Write 1/Sub 1 check in: week 48 the one with the Thanksgiving rejection

Week 48! Short on writing this week. I saw a call for dark Christmas flash fiction (250 words max word count) and didn’t think much of it–until I sat down to write.

Then, it just happened. And yeah, I thought it was dark when I wrote it, but now I’m not really sure what it is. I’ll let it compost for a bit and decide later.

I also worked on shaping up some of my longer short stories for submission, which is where I spent most of my writing time this week.

Also, this week: the epic Thanksgiving rejection, which really only made me laugh, especially since I sold a poem. Yes! A poem. Breakfast in the Desert will appear at Every Day Poets in a month or two. Plus, A Measure of Sorrow is up at Luna Station Quarterly today.

Not a bad way to start December.

Writing:

  • The Price of Comfort and Joy ~ 250 words

Submissions:

  • Doreen’s Muse

Rejections:

  • The Perfect Canvas
  • What Little Remains

Acceptances:

  • Breakfast in the Desert ~ poetry!

Publications:

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December 1, 2013 · 9:52 am

Publication: A Measure of Sorrow

My very (very) short story A Measure of Sorrow is in issue 16 of Luna Station Quarterly! Go read about giants and mice and butterflies.

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