Resolutions

I suppose, the new year is upon us, getting ready to steamroll us and make us wonder 'where the hell did 2009 go to already?' But before that I thought I would try to write a few thoughts about why I am thankful for 2008, why I won't miss it at all, and what I look forward to in 2009.

2008 was a year of mixed and mostly bad news. For my writing it was fabulous. I had 9 stories accepted or published this year and I wrote one completed book and am working on another. I started a blog and met a bunch of fantastic people. For my family it was horrible. My parents divorced, my father-in-law died unexpectedly and several family friends lost their lives as well.

I guess that I am thankful that the year could have been worse. ('smile, things could be worse,' said the old man to the little boy pouting on the corner. So the little boy smiled and, sure enough, things got worse.)(sorry that is just something my grandpa says.) My father bought a nice little house. My mother kept her house. My mother-in-law gets to travel a little more and see her family more than she used to.

In 2009 I am hoping for the best. I am hoping, and this is not a to do list in the strictest sense of the word, to finish the book I am working on and send it out to a bunch of agents. That is really my goal at this point. I have a couple of short stories that I would like to write and I am sure they will get done but I don't really have a laundry list of stuff to do.

Other than that I wish everyone a safe and productive 2009, and if you are partying tonight, please do so carefully. I don't need to start the new year off with bad news.

Done, with that one

I am done with my Devil's Food story, Mr. Calloway's Dirt Farm and it is off. I am pretty happy with it and I am glad I had some help with it, especially the beginning (Thank you Aaron and my wife, Ann!) It would probably have worked equally as well with the Dead Bait antho but I started it for Devil's Food so that is where it is going, at least first. I am thinking of re-using the title character and farm pond for the Bait story. I liked the setting and it reminded me of home, only without man-eating bait.

That was all I got done yesterday because I had to run to the doctor. I found out I have had a kidney infection for a week or so. they gave me muscle relaxers but, gosh-darnnit, I have a pretty high tolerance for that type of stuff so they don't throw me for a loop (Actually, that is one of the reasons I have never tried drugs.) My children (one is on break from school) don't let me get a lot done during the day and at night I am too busy to write (my creative juices don't flow well at night anyway, kind of my lag time. I think my mind actually shuts off right after supper.)



I am still debating working on a short story or continuing my novel today. Just as long as I get something on paper, I really don't care I guess. (I am still down to one short story a month. I know- quality not quantity)

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.

restless

Unfortunately, the title of this post describes my boy last night and not me. I think I might have slept between midnight and 1 last night. Maybe. I apologize in advance if this is more rambling than normal.

I am pleased to announce that after 307 days I finally heard back from From the Asylum. It was a hearty and well thought out rejection but at least they got back to me. Luckily I had all but given up hope on them five days earlier and sent the story into Opium magazine. I look forward to hearing from them in about six months.

I suppose I could do a year in review as my first official year where the only thing I did, other than look after my kids, was write (and cook and clean and work on vehicles and replace windows and doors and mow the yard and blah, blah, blah . . .) It was a good year actually. I had 9 stories accepted in the last year. All but four have been published at this point. I felt pretty good about that. I managed to write about 25 or so stories and two book length works which are not ready for a publisher yet, but I am working on them.

My daughter is at Kindergarten now. My boy is home with me full time. My wife changed jobs to an independent pharmacy (she used to manage a local Wal-Mart pharmacy) she is happier and so am I. We managed to go on two mini-vacations. We took one to Minneapolis, MN and anther to Hannibal, MO. they were both fun. We managed, after overheating the engine on one mini-van (faulty radiator cap) to buy anther one right after the Hannibal trip.

The only thing I can say I am regretting this year is that my woodworking has suffered. I was planning on building a full bar (solid walnut with glass doors on the upper cabinets) but alas, I have run out of time this year. Maybe next year. Until then, my liquor will be relegated to a small cabinet above the refrigerator in the kitchen. I can say that I do not regret quitting my job as a subcontractor for a wood manufacturing company.

Here is hoping everyone a fantastic Christmas and a great new year. May our inboxes be filled with acceptances from here on out. :)

Something different

I know a lot of you out there are good at flash fiction but how about writing a story in 140 character (not words). If you think you are up to the challenge you should go to Thaumatrope's website and try your hand at it. It is actually pretty fun and it pays 5 cents a word (okay so it is only $1.20 a story but it is better than a sharp stick in your temple) The only thing is you have to sign up for a Twitter account and I have found it to be a mildly addictive time-killer. Especially if you download a plug in like twitterfox (I use firefox for my browser.) Otherwise it is good clean fun. I wrote them two 'stories' yesterday and they accepted both of them.

In other news, my story nine will be on 52 Stitches website on March 22, if all goes as planned. I am looking forward to the weekly stories there. I think it is a fantastic idea, that and I think flash fiction read so much better than traditional short stories, at least online.

The majority of the icestorm missed us, we ended up with just a little ice and about two inches of sleet with a dusting of snow on that. Needless to say they called off school in most of the state today. (Heck it could be all but I only have a limited grasp on the news I read in the morning) Needless to say I won't be going anywhere today because my wife took the four-wheel drive to work.

If i don't post again, a Merry Christmas to everyone.

Merry Week before Christmas

Congratulations Barry Napier. You are the proud owner of Jonis Agee's Book, A .38 Special and a Broken Heart. Send me your address to jeyberg74@gmail (dot) com and I will be happy to get it in to you. I hope you enjoy it.

In other news, the ice storm they are predicting for the area hasn't hit yet. In fact it is sunny with blue sky right now but if they are half right by tonight I will be in the thick of it with stinging pellets of frozen water accumulating on everything they come in contact with.

I re-wrote the beginning of "Mr. Calloway's Dirt Farm" yesterday. I am waiting to see which opening my wife likes better (if she likes them at all). Then I managed to get another 750 words into Invasion. It currently sits at around 56000 words although I know some of it needs to be taken out in the editing process.

Well, I will now sit back, watch Jack's Big Music Show with my kid and wait for Barry's address so I can run to town, mail the book and get some milk before the snow flies.

Last day

Today is the last day to enter the drawing for Jonis Agee's very cool book, A .38 Special and a Broken Heart (It sounds like a title that Cate would have come up with.) If you haven't signed up go here.

today is supposed to be the nice day around here. Not too cold. No snow. No wind. A pretty good day for the season. Tomorrow is supposed to turn to crap. Ice accumulations of up to 1 inch and snow on top of that. If that happens it will look like what Tim Deal is dealing with in New Hampshire right now. I hope the forecast is wrong because while it is still really neat to hear a tree snap (and we aren't talking small trees here, we are talking TREES, like the climbing kind) I don't want to break out the chainsaw any time soon.

Guess I don't have a whole lot to say right now. I have to re-write the beginning of my Devil's Food Story (Thank you Aaron, I was kind of thinking the first two pages or so needed to be scrapped but I didn't know what to do with it) Now I have an idea to go with and I am going to run with it. That has been a fun story to write. I do hope it makes it into a format that everyone can get their hands on.

Until tomorrow, when I post who needs to get me their address, have a good day.