Whole lot of nothin'

I've hit a dry spell, with nothing of interest to report since April of this year. I've heard rumors of this stage in one's writing development. Where even though one can measure their improvement in miles, and the stories turn out more complex and interesting than ever before, the sales don't come. While I've hit numerous final stages in the submission process at some of the best markets in the industry--which I never could have done early on--the final answers all turn out to be, "no thanks."

It's humbling and depressing, to say the least. But in the end, I have to realize that progress is progress, even if it's unrewarded. The only valid downside is that all this rejection has led to a level of discouragement that makes me not want to write. I still love it, still believe it's a major part of my life, but the thought of investing all that time and energy into something that no one wants is an intimidating prospect. We'll just have to see what the future holds. I'm only two years into a ten year plan, after all.

WotF 3rd quarter, 2013

I just received word I got an honorable mention from Writers of the Future this quarter for a humorous sci-fi fantasy story. That makes two semi-finals and two HM's out of the last four quarters. Once I fix it up, it goes back out into the marketplace!

"Burning Men" Tangent review!

Tangent's Stevie Barry reviewed my story "Burning Men" today. Very happy that he enjoyed it so much! Click here to read the entire review, including his take on five other stories written in honor of sci-fi legend H. G. Wells.

"Smart Money" released today by Stupefying Stories Showcase

Rampant Loon has just launched a webzine called Stupefying Stories Showcase, and in its inaugural issue is my story "Smart Money." The best part? It's free to read online, just so you can have a taste of what Stupefying Stories is all about.

"Burning Men" released today by Penumbra eMag

My story "Burning Men" was released today in Penumbra's H. G. Wells themed issue. The story is a dystopian science fiction piece, clocking in at a modest 2,000 words. It's available for purchase for $3.99 in every e-book format here.

WotF, 1st quarter results posted on their blog

Check out my name, right there under the semi-finalists. Losing never felt so good! But seriously, though, it was nice to be in the elite company of only 19 other stories.

WotF 2013, 1st quarter

During the 1st quarter of the 2013 Writers of the Future Contest, I placed among the semi-finalists. As a result, Mr. Dave Wolverton sent me a personal critique for my story. Again, I very much appreciate the time both he and Joni Labaqui put into the contest:

"Congratulations on being a semifinalist. I very much liked this tale, and it came squeaky close to being a finalist. I don’t get many tales told from [spoiler] point of view—much less that of [spoiler] that is hoping to [spoiler] so that it can [spoiler]. This tale was thoroughly engrossing and icky. Well done! ... Good luck in finding a home for this. I don’t think that it will be hard. I would very much like to see something more from you soon!"

On a more serious note, and as some of you may already know, Mr. Wolverton's son Ben was recently in an accident that left him in a coma. The expected medical costs for his rehabilitation are estimated to be around 1 million dollars. Donations are being accepted here. Check it out, read what happened and see if it's not something you'd want to donate to.