Scribbler’s Scoreboard, January ’11

Tags

scribbler's scoreboard, The Muse, The Seer, Writing

Started off the year with a flurry of submissions, and plunged into editing/rewrite of my first draft of The Seer, sequel to my novel, The Muse. As it usually goes with the submissions, there were more rejections than sales, but two sales versus four submissions isn’t bad, and one sale (a reprint of “A Quiet Afternoon…”) was unsolicited. It feels good when somebody asks to publish one of my stories without any groveling from me.  Three of the four submissions are new stories. “Come You Back to Mandalay” appeared previously in Allegory.

The January Scoreboard

12 Jan: “Old Wheezy” submitted to Residential Aliens

12 Jan: “The Odor From Outer Space” submitted to Every Day Fiction

13 Jan: 1-day acceptance from Residential Aliens for “Old Wheezy” (plus a reprint of “A Quiet Afternoon at the Alabaster County Ladies Sewing Circle and Patchwork Society”)

17 Jan: 39-day rejection from The Drabblecast for “Pica”

19 Jan: “Pica” submitted to Necrotic Tissue

28 Jan: “Come You Back to Mandalay” submitted to Wily Writers

29 Jan: 10-day rejection from Necrotic Tissue for “Pica”

31 Jan: 19-day rejection from Every Day Fiction for “The Odor From Outer Space”

Still waiting for response from SF Reader Short Story Contest for “The Island”

Scribbler’s Scoreboard, Oct ’10

Tags

Big Pulp, Every Day Fiction, scribbler's scoreboard, The Muse, The Seer, Writing

Technology robs us of some great entertainment.

October was a little more eventful than I expected. Two sales, and about 20000 words written on my sequel to The Muse, tentatively titled, The Seer, which I will finish in November.

I heard that. Stop laughing! I will finish it! Or die trying!

The two story sales are “Promises,” a superhero romance scheduled to appear in the March issue of Big Pulp,  and “The Transfer,” a science-fiction flash that went to Every Day Fiction, publication date TBD.

The October Scoreboard

12 Oct: “The Transfer” submitted to Every Day Fiction

29 Oct: 17-day acceptance from Every Day Fiction for “The Transfer”

30 Oct: 57-day acceptance from Big Pulp for “Promises”

Still waiting on a response from Digital Dragon for “One”

Scribbler’s Scoreboard, Sept ’10

Tags

scribbler's scoreboard, The Muse, Writing

September wasn’t a very action-packed month, writing-wise, as short stories took a back seat to novel work. I did send a couple of short story subs out and am awaiting replies. On the plus side, I wrote about 15000 words on my sequel to The Muse, and have the story pretty much visualized all the way to the end now, so I’m optimistic I can finish the first draft this month.

The September Scoreboard

3 Sep – “Promises” withdrawn from Bull Spec (96 days without a response, and they’re only accepting submissions from Raleigh-Durham writers now)

3 Sep – “Promises” submitted to Big Pulp

6 Sep – “One” submitted to Digital Dragon

Scribbler’s Scoreboard, August ’10

Tags

Carol Award, Clive Staples Award, interviews, Reflection's Edge, Rubes, scribbler's scoreboard, The Muse, WhereTheMapEnds, Writing

Dog days of summer again. Long, hot, and chock-full of real-life busy. Not much action on the writing front–worked a little on a couple of stories in progress, did an interview, and got a rejection. Waiting for results on the Clive Staples Award (last day to vote!) and the Carol Award nominations for my novel The Muse, winners to be announced in September. One story published: “Rubes” in Reflection’s Edge.

Next month is a long work trip and a full-court press to finish one of my pending novel projects (donning Rally Cap), so probably not much short story activity in September. Maybe a couple of re-subs, and I might finish those two stories in progress if I get a bolt of inspiration.

The August Scoreboard:

1 August – “Rubes” published in Reflection’s Edge

12 August – 27-day rejection from Every Day Fiction for “Old Wheezy”

31 August – Interview at WhereTheMapEnds

Still waiting on responses from Bull Spec for “Promises” and Beyond Centauri for “The Flying House”

Scribbler’s Scoreboard, July ’10

Tags

Mound of Mud, Reflection's Edge, Rubes, scribbler's scoreboard, The Muse, While the Morning Stars Sing, Writing

July was busier than I expected, with a couple of award nominations for The Muse, a flurry of short story submissions, and a sale!

The Muse, my tale of a frustrated writer searching for inspiration who gets a whole lot more than he expected, is a nominee for the Clive Staples Award for Christian Speculative Fiction (voting starts in August!) and one of six finalists in the speculative category for the American Christian Fiction Writers’ annual Carol Award for excellence in Christian Fiction.  There are some great stories in both groups, and I’m honored to have my work numbered with them.

“Rubes,” my short story about a broken-down traveling circus that finds something unexpected  in an obscure corner of the Kansas prairie, will appear online in the August issue of Reflection’s Edge, an e-zine of science fiction and fantasy.

Publication date for Residential Aliens‘ second annual anthology, While the Morning Stars Sing,  has been pushed back to September, but it’s worth waiting for! It includes my story of magic and friendship in the Georgia backwoods, “Mound of Mud.”

The July Scoreboard:

9 July: 36-day rejection from Electric Velocipede for “Rubes”

14 July: “Rubes” submitted to Reflection’s Edge and NewMyths

16 July: “Old Wheezy” submitted to Every Day Fiction

23 July: 9-day acceptance from Reflection’s Edge for “Rubes”

26 July: “Stress Reaction” submitted to Anywhere But Earth anthology

Still waiting on responses from Bull Spec for “Promises” and Beyond Centauri for “The Flying House”

Scribbler’s Scoreboard, June ’10

Tags

scribbler's scoreboard, Writing

June was a pretty good month, all things considered. Three stories published: “An Eternal, Unbroken Chain” appeared in Digital Dragon‘s 1-year anniversary issue, “The Time-Share” was republished at Wily Writers Speculative Fiction in both text and podcast, and “Bullies With Big Fat Heads” debuted at Every Day Fiction. I also got back aboard the submission train (subway?), sending out four stories. One rejection, but of course, these things happen. A lot.

I really need to knuckle down on the works-in-progress next month. Two novel projects and a half-finished short story await my attention, and I’ve got another short story mapped out in my head that I need to put onto paper, or digits, or whatever. It’s a sad tale about poor, naive souls who think the faery folk are enchanting little woodland sprites, but discover otherwise.

I seem to be doing more darkish stuff lately. Maybe it’s the heat–or the humidity.

In goodly news for next month, “Mound of Mud,” a story about friendship and magic in the Georgia backwoods, will appear in Residential Aliens‘ second print anthology, “While The Morning Stars Sing.” ResAliens recently republished Issue 1 of its bimonthly print magazine as an Acrobat PDF, featuring “Of All Things, Seen and Unseen,” my foray into Karina Fabian’s near-space search-and-rescue world of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Rescue. It only costs a buck, so skip that bottle of diet soda and get yourself some good reading material!

ResAliens will soon be delivering a new collection of short stories as an iPhone app, which will include my story, “A Quiet Afternoon at the Alabaster County Ladies’ Sewing Circle and Patchwork Society.” For those of us not yet ready to drink Steve Jobs’ kool-aid, I’m told the package will also be available as a PDF file, which should accommodate any and all electronic reading platforms.

Onward to the June Scoreboard:

2 June: “Promises” submitted to Bull Spec

3 June: “Rubes” submitted to Electric Velocipede

18 June: “Old Wheezy” submitted to Daily Science Fiction

24 June: “The Flying House” submitted to Beyond Centauri

26 June: 8-day rejection from Daily Science Fiction for “Old Wheezy”

Scribbler’s Scoreboard, May ’10

Tags

An Eternal Unbroken Chain, Bullies With Big Fat Heads, Digital Dragon, Every Day Fiction, Mound of Mud, publications, scribbler's scoreboard, The Time Share, Where the Morning Stars Sing, Wily Writers, Writing

Time to recap last month’s writing effort, or lack thereof. I’m still playing catch-up from the last round of work trips, but I should have a good rally in June, barring any unforeseen emergencies. For May, no subs, two stories accepted, three rejections, one publication. One of the rejections was actually a blessing in disguise, as I did some rewrite on the story in the interim, and I think it’s a lot stronger now than when I originally submitted it.

There’s another story that may be reprinting soon as part of an iPhone app, more details on that as they solidify.

Finally, three or four stories are up for publication this month, two reprints (one a podcast!) and two new ones. Details below.

The May Scoreboard:

1 May: “Come You Back to Mandalay” debuted in the Spring/Summer 2010 issue of Allegory.

2 May: 16-day rejection from Brain Harvest for “Redemption”

13 May: 81-day acceptance from Every Day Fiction for “Bullies With Big Fat Heads”

18 May: 54-day acceptance from Digital Dragon for “An Eternal, Unbroken Chain”

23 May: 42-day rejection from Space Squid for “The Odor From Outer Space”

31 May: 114-day rejection from Alternative Coordinates for “Promises”

“The Time Share” will appear at Wily Writers Speculative Fiction in June 2010 (text and podcast).

“Mound of Mud” will appear in While the Morning Stars Sing in June 2010 (or maybe July, or August–publication schedule flexible).

“An Eternal, Unbroken Chain” will appear in Digital Dragon in June 2010.

“Bullies With Big Fat Heads” will appear at Every Day Fiction on 29 June 2010.

Scribbler’s Scoreboard, April ’10

Tags

publications, scribbler's scoreboard, The Muse, Writing

April was totally nuts, as my Aprils usually are. Despite some work travel, I subbed some short stories, did two CSFF Blog Tour book reviews, reviewed a book and a visual novel from my personal reading list, and contributed an essay on Fantasy to the American Christian Fiction Writers (AFCW) “All About Genre” event.

My novel, The Muse, was also toured on the Christian Fiction Review Blog, and is currently under consideration for the AFCW Book of the Year Award in the Debut Author and Speculative categories.

A couple of stories that have been patiently waiting for their publication date appeared in April–”The Chamber of Doors” in Bards & Sages Quarterly, and “The Silver Tree” in Kaleidotrope.

Finally, ending the month with a bang was the sale of “The Time Share” to Wily Writers Speculative Fiction. Originally appearing in the e-zine Brain Harvest about a year ago, this dark little flash story will get a new lease on life at Wily Writers in both text and podcast.

Since April’s scoreboard is a little late, I can also report that “Come You Back to Mandalay” debuted in Allegory e-zine on May 1.

Of course, it wasn’t all sunshine and lollipops–two rejections this month.

The April Scoreboard:

5 Apr: 86-day acceptance from Allegory for “Come You Back to Mandalay”

8 Apr: “Rubes” submitted to Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine

11 Apr: 30-day rejection from Brain Harvest for “The Odor From Outer Space”

11 Apr: “The Odor From Outer Space” submitted to Space Squid

16 Apr: “Redemption” submitted to Brain Harvest

20 Apr: 12-day rejection from Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine for “Rubes”

30 Apr: 46-day acceptance from Wily Writers Speculative Fiction for “The Time Share”

Still waiting on responses from Alternative Coordinates for “Promises,” Every Day Fiction for “Bullies With Big Fat Heads,” and Digital Dragon for “An Eternal, Unbroken Chain.”

“Come You Back to Mandalay” debuted in the Spring/Summer 2010 issue of Allegory on May 1.

“Mound of Mud” will appear in While the Morning Stars Sing in June 2010.

Scribbler’s Scoreboard, March ’10

Tags

AFCW, All About Genre, CFRB Book Tour, interviews, publications, scribbler's scoreboard, Writing

A respectable number of submissions this month, but I’m mostly waiting on responses. Patience is a virtue, particularly in the writing world. So are stubbornness and a thick skin. Two publications coming next month, though, and there were a few cool items that don’t fall into the standard report.

The Muse, my novel of inspiration divine and diabolical will be featured in April’s Christian Fiction Review Blog Book Tour.

I was invited to provide an article on the Fantasy genre for a month-long American Christian Fiction Writers blog event, “All About Genre.” 22 writers will be presenting their “take” on writing all manner of fiction–check it out all through April on Ms. Peg Phifer’s blog, http://goaheadandwearthepurple.blogspot.com/. My article will appear on April 16.

I was also interviewed for an upcoming book about Christian writers of speculative fiction. The list of interviewees includes a couple of very notable names with whom I never imagined I might be sharing a Table of Contents. Expected publication date is early 2011. More details as they develop.

The March Scoreboard:

11 Mar: 61-day rejection from The Drabblecast for “The Devil’s Temp”

11 Mar: 2-day rejection from Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine for “The Odor From Outer Space”

12 Mar: “The Odor From Outer Space” submitted to Brain Harvest

15 Mar: “The Time Share” submitted to Wily Writers Speculative Fiction for podcast

25 Mar: “An Eternal, Unbroken Chain” submitted to Digital Dragon

Still waiting on responses from Allegory for “Come You Back to Mandalay,” Alternative Coordinates for “Promises,” and Every Day Fiction for “Bullies With Big Fat Heads”

“The Chamber of Doors” will appear in Bards and Sages Quarterly in April 2010.

“The Silver Tree” will appear in Kaleidotrope in April 2010.

“Mound of Mud” will appear in While the Morning Stars Sing in June 2010.

Scribbler’s Scoreboard, February ’10

Tags

Bards & Sages Quarterly, Kaleidotrope, Mound of Mud, Residential Aliens, scribbler's scoreboard, The Chamber of Doors, The Silver Tree, While the Morning Stars Sing, Writing

Slow and steady. Work trips took a little wind out of my sails last month, but I’ve also been working on a couple of longer stories that should be ready to sub out in March, plus a flash or two.

Biggest news for February is that my short story, “Mound of Mud,” previously published online in Mindflights, will appear in Residential Aliens‘ second annual print anthology, While the Morning Stars Sing, coming in May June.

The February Scoreboard:

6 Feb: “Promises” submitted to Alternative Coordinates

7 Feb: 31-day rejection from Wily Writers Speculative Fiction for “A Taste of Honey”

20 Feb: 42-day rejection from Everyday Weirdness for “Bullies With Big Fat Heads”

21 Feb: “Bullies With Big Fat Heads” submitted to Every Day Fiction

Still waiting on responses from The Drabblecast for “The Devil’s Temp” and Allegory for “Come You Back to Mandalay”

“The Chamber of Doors” will appear in Bards and Sages Quarterly in April 2010.

“The Silver Tree” will appear in Kaleidotrope in April 2010.

“Mound of Mud” will appear in While the Morning Stars Sing in May June 2010.