Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Waiting is the Hardest Part

I've recently had my busiest writing time ever. I'm exhilarated and exhausted and looking forward to seeing what the next few months have in store for me.

During the past month and a half, I wrote two poems and two short stories. I worked on my novel (more on THAT later), and have been working with an artist to bring Interview With the Faerie (Part I) to life as an illustrated book.

I submitted a poem to Mythic Delirium, and it was rejected. I believe this is my third rejection from MD. If this keeps up Mike Allen will have to issue me a "frequent rejections" card  ;-)

One of my stories went to the Once Upon an Apocalypse anthology. This is a two-volume anthology--the first contains re-tellings of fairy tales, folk tales and nursery rhymes with a zombie twist--the second uses the same source material with a cthulhu/Lovecraftian flavor. My submission, Treacherous, Lying, Little Star, twists the nursery rhyme "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and places it into a zombie apocalypse. (Quote from my son: "Mom, I think you need therapy.)

It appears the anthology has received hordes of submissions--especially heavy on the zombie side. So the competition will be stiff. No matter this outcome, I can say that this story (once I had the idea) was completed in about twenty-four hours and is one of the best things I've ever written.

I submitted the second story last night right at the deadline. It went to another themed anthology, Doorways To Extra Time. This story did not roll out  as easily as the zombie/fairytale story, and it really needed more tweaking, so I'm more concerned about it. It tells the story of a selfish and shallow college-aged woman with a hugs chip on her shoulder. The child of working-class Greek parents, she resents her humble background. When her life begins to fall apart, she uncovers her deceased Grandmother's magical lineage and decides to call upon the Greek equivalent of The Fates to change her life. (Public Service Announcement: Do not approach deities with requests to change your life unless you are super respectful and very clear on your intent. It also helps if you are a nice person.)

I'll save the update on my novel for the next time!