REPRINT Publication! "For Whatever We Lose," in Escape Pod

This month, Escape Pod is doing a run of space-themed stories. First up? My short story "For Whatever We Lose," first published last year in Luna Station Quarterly.

It's always interesting listening to one of my stories be podcast; I'm the only one who reads my stories the way I read my stories, if that makes sense. So hearing my words in not-my-voice is a fascinating experience! Phoebe Barton's comments at the end were also excellent.

So, if you missed it last year, or if you just want to revisit, do please go to Escape Pod and give the story a listen! Plus, tell your friends!

image of Phobos from NASA

Welcome to 2020!

Happy New Year! I hope you had a safe and happy holiday, and that you have a good and prosperous year ahead of you!

2019 was a pretty darn good publishing year for me. I tweeted about it, but I'm happy to recount here!

I submitted stories 162 times and received 11 acceptances! 11!!!

109 of my rejections were forms, 39 were personals, and I still have 18 stories pending.

I had 4 original short stories printed: "For Whatever We Lose", "The Pearls That Were His Eyes", "Fundamentals of Search and Rescue", and "One Hundred Years".

In addition, 2019 was certainly the Year of the Reprint!

"Sugar and Spice" and "Daddy's Girl" were both reprinted in audio format. "The Wave", from my Patreon, was reprinted in actual print.

I wrote 4 short stories, and started far more (at least a few of which are pushing the boundary of what 'short story' means and are edging more into novella and novelette territory, which is great, because there are so many places to send those pieces [Narrator: there are not.]) I wrote 1 novella, Run With the Hunted 2: Ctrl Alt Delete. I wrote 1 novel, which I will be querying, after people read it, I polish it, more people read it, and I polish it more.  Oh and after I write a query letter and a synopsis.

I feel like when I was querying The Last Song, far fewer agents wanted a synopsis up front. I don't know if this is because many agents are using Querymanager now, or if in general it's just a better strategy for them. and I knew I'd have to write a synopsis, I just didn't think it'd be immediately.

Reprint Publication: Sugar and Spice

Hello friends!

When it appeared in the Summer 2016 issue of The Sockdolager, "Sugar and Spice" was the third thing I'd ever had accepted ever. Charles Payseur reviewed that issue on Quick Sip Reviews, and said quite nice and astute things about my story.

Well, The Sockdolager is sadly now closed, but fear not! You can now hear a new narration of "Sugar and Spice" on The Overcast! It is read by J.S. Arquin, who does a lovely job, and includes an afterword that I wrote at his request. He's got some interesting thoughts on the story which I will not say are right or wrong. Maybe give it a listen yourself, and decide.

"Sugar and Spice" is about witches and being neighborly (or not), and contains one dog who is not harmed in any way. It is the first "witchy" story I wrote, and in the same world as "Be Careful What You Wish For", which appeared on my Patreon, and in the HML Writers Volume 1 anthology. There are other completed stories in this world, and hopefully they'll be in the wild one of these days!

Happy listening!