one down, many to go

Received my first rejection yesterday, of this year anyway. I have sent it off to one more market and then I am retiring that particular story. I happens to be a very niche story so after this next market get back to me it is done. Unless a new market pops up on the radar.

Actually yesterday was an interesting day for the old inbox. I could tell everyone was back to work and looking over everyone's blogs because I had to run to Omaha and when I got back in the afternoon I had over 30 messages waiting for me. Of course one was the rejection and four were spam but the rest were interesting little tidbits.

I also received the first part of my order from Apex Publications who, coincidentally, is still on their drive to earn $2500 by the 9th of this month. They are half-way there and they have some very good deals going right now. I am really enjoying the old issues of the Apex digest I ordered. I am thinking of completing the set now.

I am a little behind schedule to finish my 2012 story right now. We ended up spending a family weekend pulling down Christmas decorations from the house and as I mentioned earlier, I ran to Omaha yesterday. We are hosting a college student for a couple of days. It is my wife's cousin's oldest boy, Joe. He is a good kid, despite being a Nebraska Cornhusker. I believe my writing will suffer as he is actually a pretty good conversationalist and he doesn't take a nap like my boy. He is from Idaho and couldn't afford to go home for the holidays so he is staying with family until he can get back into the dorms.

I think I can get a couple of hundred words written before he wakes up, now that my hands are warmed up and the coffee is done brewing so until tomorrow. Happy Tuesday!

A new year is almost here

Well, here we are. Just three days away from a new year, 2009 to be exact, and what am I doing this week to prepare. Nothing. That is right. I am doing nothing in celebration of the next year or in remembrance of the year that was. I was actually thinking of not even writing this post but I thought I had better, just to get my fingers moving on the keyboard again after a two day break.

I still have not finished my devil's food story. It needs polishing in the worst way. I still have a first draft of a book to finish. It is getting closer but still several thousand words away from done. I have come up with a very likable idea for another YA book (it is actually on the literary side with no horror or fantasy in it, I shall see how it comes together when I start it, hopefully in February)

Aside from that I had a good time with the rejections this last week. I received one from Shroud for my story, The Locker. It had gone to a friend of mine from college (a professor actually and a professional editor) before that to be gone over so I had the best shot with it. I can honestly say it wasn't rejected on its grammatical failings. It failed solely on the story. I sent it on to Shock Totem. At least they are quick with their rejections. I also received a rejection for Open Graves, from Ploughshares. They did take 116 days to do it so I felt pretty good about that. Other than that heard no good news. Maybe yet this year but not so far.

In other waiting news. I am waiting to here back from Apex (61 days), Boston Review (150 days and 'hello Will' in the P.R. dept.), Spinetingler (123 days), and a handful of other magazines that haven't gone over their suggested waiting period. In due time.

Speaking of Apex, and I will throw in Duotrope for that matter. If you haven't ordered a book or something from them in awhile they are in desperate need of money (about 2500 dollars in the next two weeks). I know that I ave gone over this before but this is one of the few professional markets we have to submit to (getting fewer it seems all the time) so a little support would be greatly appreciated (heck old issues of the Apex Digest are half off, I ordered a couple to read as well as a short story collection to pass the time) . Duotrope is also in desperate need of cash right now. They haven't met their goals in a while and they might very well have to move to a subscription service if things don't improve. Again, a couple of bucks would be greatly appriciated.

I have decided this year to spread the wealth (I am using that term loosely, very loosely) this year and I have gotten subscriptions to several small presses this month (Shroud, Sand, and I am seriously considering Bust Down the Doors and Eat All the Chickens)

I hate to sound like a commercial for all of these presses but hey, times are tough for everyone right now and a little free advertising won't hurt anyone.

In other, non commercially news. I got a new printer this weekend. My wife is exstatic with it and I like it so far. I also went deer hunting this weekend for a couple of hours. I didn't see any deer until I was done and driving to get gas in the truck but it was a beautiful walk in the woods. It wasn't so horribly cold that I froze and it wasn't so warm that I was walking in mud either. Just a nice walk. It would have been nicer if I would have at least seen one fuzzy woodland creature. (don't get me wrong all of you people out there who love deer as one of the most graceful creatures that we have in the woods around here but I also hate to hit them with my vehicles. One just about took my wife's car out a couple of weeks ago and I had two hit me in a twenty mile stretch about a year a half ago) I might try to go out again on New Years day.

I am sorry this post is running so long. Guess I had a lot to say. (Or not a lot to say but I just wanted to take up the space.) Until then, have fun writing and good luck with the acceptances.