Hello, I am writing to you from the past!

Ha.  It’s currently the day before Halloween (Hey guys!) and I have a lot to cover really quickly.  For one thing, “Galaxy” popped up on DOGZPLOTS today, so cruise on by, if you so desire.

www.dogzplot.blogspot.com

“Cold Caliber” went onto Six Sentences  yesterday. 

www.sixsentences.blogspot.com

I also revised “Life” as requested by the Abandoned Towers submissions editor, and they accepted it last night.  Hooray!  Look for it a bit later.  And props to them, because they were quite gracious and constructive with their comments.

What I really wanted to tell you, though, was that “Ray the Vampire” makes its debut tomorrow on Flash Fiction Online.  I’m really excited, because they prettied it up with illustrations and a picture of my eyes looking particularly vampirey (notice how green our lawn is!  That’s really hard to do in Vegas) and excerpts, and everything!  And I won’t be able to see it come out, because I’ll be flying out for my best friend’s wedding (and fun trick-or-treating!) so please look at it for me and be very excited on my behalf. 

www.flashfictiononline.com

You’ll see that I don’t have 40 pieces out right now.  That’s because they’re rejecting me faster than I can keep up with! Aughhhh!  A conspiracy!  I’ll do my best, though.  Also, this number will drop because my focus on November is my NaNoWriMo novel.  Wish me luck!

 

Pieces out: 36

Goal: 40

What a lame day!

My friend and I have stories that we’re supposed to switch today.  It’s not going well.  First it wasn’t going at all, and then it started to work, and now I’m completely stalled.  Which happens, no big.  Then I got a slew of strange rejections, all at once.  A request for a rewrite, (“ethereal, but unclear.  Is she crazy?  Dead?  Is he dead?  Wait, who’s dead?”  And do you know what?  They were absolutely right!) a “We almost published it but don’t like the title, among other things”, a “the story runs under the surface” and a polite form rejection.  I do appreciate the time that they take to give comments, because that’s kind of above and beyond the call of duty.  But still.  Criticism is always difficult. 

Another editor and I were haranguing over a line in a story (one line!)until…wait, did I actually call him obnoxious and threaten bodily injury?!  I did.  And he took it surprisingly in stride.  I think we found a compromise on that.  Only two more words to cut down on that one, and then it’s all butterflies and doves and rainbows.  Ever hear the phrase “kill your darlings?”  That’s what goes on in editing, I’m learning.  They hand you a big, shining axe and tell you to go for it.  As for this particular story, “Ray the Vampire” will be out on Flash Fiction Online, as mentioned earlier, and you can also go to their blog to see exactly how it was chopped down.  If you’re feeling particularly bloodthirsty, go take a gander after the story comes out.  There will also be a forum section where readers can voice their opinion on which phrase they liked best, his or mine.  So.  Feel free to answer, but remember that my wrath is all consuming. 

Ha.  I’d be interested in what people have to say.  I just might have to read it in bursts while peeking between my fingers.  Or have a friend with a particularly calming voice read them to me.  That’s what I’ll do.  I’m such a pansy.

Pieces out: 39

Goal: 40

Rock on, I say!

Today is a day for celebration!  For one thing, I can now officially drive a motorcycle.  Rock on!  The world may never be safe again. 

And things are going well on the writing front, too!  Keep an eye out for a future issue of Shock Totem, a horror/dark fiction mag that accepted a story that I wrote starring my friend Dawn and I, called “Murder for Beginners.” The editors at Shock Totem wrote me this witty email that literally made me laugh out loud, saying my story was “deliciously devious” and promising to wear helmets. Because I threatened to smack them in the head with a shovel if they didn’t accept it. (It goes with the story. Honestly.) This will be a print magazine, so it won’t be online.  I’m going to hold it in my little hot hand.

I also received an acceptance for my story called “Flowers” from BluePrintReview. I had sent her a poem originally, which she politely declined, but asked for a short story instead.  (Thanks to this site!  Hooray!)  I sat down and wrote “Flowers” right there, and she said it is “exquisite and intense”, which makes me feel great.  It will be out in the January edition. She also sent me links to good query sites for my novel, which was really friendly and kind of her. See? The world is full of nice people.

Pieces out: 41

Goal: 40

I’d send you…

I was asked, “If I could only read a couple of your pieces, which ones should they be?”

Are you crazy?  All of them!  They’re beautifully polished works of whimsy and wonder! 

Okay, I’m kidding.  Let’s see…I suppose that I would send you to “Show Your Bones”, ”The Scent of Gravity” (it’s only up for a few more weeks and then gone forever, so hurry) and…probably “Beautiful in Your Tragedy”, which is short and sweet.  My favorite story might be “The Boy Who Hangs the Stars”, but it won’t be out for a bit, so.  Yes, those three are my favorites that are out right now.  So now it’s your turn.  What site would you like me to look at?  Family friendly, of course.  I have seen enough yuuuuuuuck to last me for life.

Also, I made fudge today.  Does that really belong on a writing blog?  Yes.  Yes, it does.

Also also, it’s almost NaNoWriMo time!  Can you write a novel in 30 days?  Of course you can, if you don’t eat, sleep, or have any relationships whatsoever.  I will be writing a weekly humor column for my friend’s website at www.wrimos.net, staring the last week of October through the first week of December.  This is something new and exciting for me, so swing by if you want.  The site isn’t directly affiliated with NaNoWriMo, just a happy offshoot.  So hooray!

Pieces out: 44

Goal: 40

This thing…is helping.

So I have to be perfectly honest with you.  I felt like a really big idiot when I set up this site.   ”My Writing Site”.  Because it seems arrogant, because it seems like I’m trying to be more than I am, kind of all “Hey, look at me, I’m a writer!”  But it’s been very helpful to me.  It distances itself from my usual blog (if you’re looking for writing, are you going to be interested in my kids?  Do you really want to look at pictures of my stilettos?)  And if you are reading my blog to find out more about genetic syndromes or to catch up on my life, do you really want a list of my writing projects on there?   Well, if you love me, yes.  If you’re an innocent bystander that got swept up in it all, most likely not.  Hence the “Writing Site”.  It’s handy, it’s dandy.  It keeps my publication credits together in one tidy place, and it can be yours for only two easy payments of $19.95!  But wait, there’s more!

Last night I scored a personal rejection from an editor.  The poem that I had sent didn’t really fit her theme, but she had followed my bio link to this site.  She said that it made her curious, and asked that I send her a short story.  No theme, nothing in particular, just something for her to read.  And you know what?  That makes me happy.  That flushes my cheeks quietly, somebody being curious about my work.  It takes away the booming bravado of the ole “Here’s a link to My Writing Site!” thing.  It makes it worth it.

 

Today’s Goal: One hour working on my novel query letter.  I read the old one and it made me cringe.

The Writer’s Eye Magazine

They just accepted my poem “Monarchs” for their November/December issue.  The thing that I like best about The Writer’s Eye is that they require you to send in a piece of art with your poetry or short story submission.  So you will see a picture taken by yours truly of something beautiful.  One day I might even try my hand at art, which is a secret dream of mine.  But not yet.

Feast or famine.  That seems to be how writing goes, at least for me.  One more rejection and I think I’m going to cry, and then…twelve more rejections.  And finally a few things that are bright and shiny.

I have this fantasy where my husband takes the kids and zooms away for a whole weekend so that I can write.  In reality, he’s going to zoom away for the whole weekend, leaving me with two sad children who are coming down with colds.  There are noses to wipe and diapers to change and just when I get back to the keyboard, I realize that one of them unplugged it and everything was lost.  But you keep on keeping on, right?  Because there’s no other choice.  Because writing is literally a hunger, and just like physical hunger, your head aches and your nerve endings are raw and you’re downright mean until you are fed.  But after you are satiated, everything is all right.  More than that, it’s surprisingly lovely.

 

pieces out:  47

goal: 40

Flash Fiction Online

Hooray!  I sold my short story “Ray the Vampire” to Flash Fiction Online.  It will be out for Halloween, and there was a lot of screaming and jumping last night.  “Ray the Vampire” is a light little tale, and I was so interested in the character that I ended up writing two novels about him.  No joke.  The first one is in the querying stages, and the second one needs a complete rewrite, but I have plenty of time for that later.  Ray is my favorite, he really is.  So nice, since I was wading hip deep in rejections lately.

Also, I had s’mores for breakfast.  Top that.

 

Pieces out: 48

Goal: 40

Abandoned Towers

This was such a pleasant surprise.  Go to “writing challenge” and then “Aug/Sept winners”

http://www.cyberwizardproductions.com/AbandonedTowers/

This will only be up for a month, and then it disappears.  The main character, Calev Nikolai, was going to be the protagonist of what I thought would be my first novel, but he made his way to the back of my head.  I’m grateful that this writing challenge scared him up again.  He’s also in my story “Train to Mias”.  Good guy, ole Calev.  In a horrifyingly cold kind of way.

Demonic Tome

“Forbidden Grand” came out at Demonic Tome today.  This is the magazine where my friend Dawn placed first in the contest, so woo hoo!  It’s kind of an endearing magazine to me, although I’ll give you fair warning about some of the content.  Of course it’ll be dark, but if I’m going to send you there, and if you aren’t clear on the words “demonic” and “tome”, I don’t want you to be shocked about rape and mutilation in some of the other stories.  There was a lot there that I had a hard time reading, but that’s because I’m not a darkness and despair girl.  Well, scratch that, yes I am.  But only a little darkness and despair, because quite frankly I see enough of the real thing every day as it is.  And I worked at my old job long enough that sadism doesn’t have any allure or shock value for me.  I find it mundanely tragic.  But anyway!

www.demonictome.com

Also, I realized last night that I need to be more professional in my cover letters.  No joke, I sent two shudderingly bad cover letters in the last few days.  One was where I told the reader that I had ran across him twice in a week on the net, and the other was when I said that I chose to submit that magazine because I liked his sweater in the picture.  I know, awful.  But sincere.  I found it interesting to stumble across somebody twice on the web because it’s such a big place, and I remembered this person by name and even the name of the story.  It’s like when you’re at a huge themepark and you keep running into the lady with the red shirt and sunglasses, and eventually there’s this fondness at seeing her.  The sweater, for whatever reason, made me nostalgic.  And this is me.  Humanity delights me, in all its forms.  I’m very much the kind of girl who tells a perfect stranger on the bus that I like his sweater, that it reminds me of a time long ago. 

 

Pieces out: 43

Goal: 40

Goal!

Forty things out!  I worked very hard to do that, and it feels good.  I remember when my goal was five things submitted, and that seemed absolutely overwhelming.  It only gets easier the more that you do it, like most things.  I am very relieved.

I may have found my MFA program…it’s beautiful.  I want it to belong to me forever and ever.   I’ll be studying for my GRE and doing NaNoWriMo at the same time.  Because I’m crazy.  Because I’m young and I think that I’m invincible.

It’s raining in the desert right now.  How extraordinarily wonderful.

 

Pieces out: 40

Goal: 40