Coming Up

It's been a long time between drinks this year as far as published work goes, but things are about to hit the presses.

All the work has been going on behind the scenes, with five sales made since I was last published at the start of this year ("Fat Girl in a Strange Land", see the sidebar; "The City of Sand and Knives" in The Future Fire).

Three of these new stories are about to hit print in the very near future:

• "In Bloom" will be in the November issue of Fantastique Unfettered.
• "Diamond in the Rough" will appear in Crossed Genres soon to be released anthology "Menial: Skilled Labour in SF"
• "Blood Stone Water", my first pro-sale (squee!) will appear in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.

The end of the year and start of 2013 is going to be a busy time in-print wise, and I'm really looking forward to some of my best work to date getting out there. 

Stand by, I'll keep you posted on more details, release dates, purchasing information, and reviews.

Diary of a Pro Sale aka How I learned to stop hitting Send/Receive and love my inbox

Day 1: Submit to Clarkesworld with the usual good humour: "Bring on that whiplash rejection!"
Day 2: Receive an email from Neil Clarke asking a question about the story. Run around room screaming and flailing.
Day 3: No reply, remembering to breathe.
Day 6: Still reminding myself to breathe.
Day 10: Send/Receive, Send/Receive, Send/Receive.
Day 12: Duotrope rejectomancy, discover sitting around the average acceptance time. Ignore my discovery.
Day 20: Send/Receive, Send/Receive, Send/Receive. Inbox, y u so emptee?!
Day 22: More Duotrope rejectomancy, slightly hysterical giggle, Send/Receive, rinse repeat.
Day 29: Decide to ignore Duotrope rejectomancy, fail. SEND/RECEIVE.
Day 33: Huddle in a corner giggling and whimpering to self.
Day 34: Shake myself and remind myself to write something just as awesome, if not more.
Day 40: La la la la la I can't hear yoooouuu email inbox. Your Send/Receive button means nothing to me.
Day 41: Click. Computer says no. Click. Computer says no.
Day 45: Hahahahahahaha.
Day 48: Consider sending query for the 100th time. Act like a grown up writer and do not.
Day 49: Hear the sad news of Neil's health problems. Send best wishes. Put personal needs on the back burner. Expect CW slush pile to be cleaned out. Not worried in the grander scheme of things.
Day 55: Interesting. Still no rejection.
Day 57: Still haven't forgotten about my other Word Babies, send latest story out onto the submission merry go round to Beneath Ceaseless Skies. Forget about it.
Day 63: Duotrope rejectomancy...Neil's back to work? Wow. Dedication.
Day 70: I am the leaf on the wind. The Send/Receive button and I are in a special place in our relationship.
Day 72: More Duotrope rejectomancy. Dude has detemination for his work, gotta tell ya.
Day 77: Rejection from Clarkesworld. Sort of. "Send me a rewrite" type words in there. Yussssss. Oh noes, here we go again...
Day 84: Send back rewrite. Am a complete Zen Monster.
Day 90: Oh hello, Send/Receive my old friend.
Day 95: I am a leaf, I am the wind, I am ice cream, I am furry mountains etc. Your Send/Receive cannot reach me.
Day 100: Who are you again, Send/Receive?
Day 107: Pretend I am normal.
Day 108: Receive query regarding rewrite from Beneath Ceaseless Skies. Fall off chair.
Day 114: Send back Rewrite The Oneth. Remember to breathe.
Day 119: Rejection from Clarkesworld. This is not the pro sale you are looking for, my padawan. Bow to the master. Now, about that other rewrite...
Day 123: Send back Rewrite The Twoth. This seems oddly surreal and easy considering the last four months.
Day 125: Rewrite The Threeth. How did we get here?
Day 127: Read email. Read email again. Blink, rub eyes, read email once more. "I would love to buy it". You're talking about my writing, right? Not some other person with Mad Writerly Skills madder than mine? Squee very loudly, paddle feet, and run around Day Job office screaming.
Day 129: Rewrite/Editeth The Fourst
Day 133: WORD PERFECTION ACKNOWLEDGED. Official important bits can occur.
Day 142: O hai Officially Pro Sale Writerly Personage!
Day 143: I love you, Send/Receive button.

Official Announcement is Official!

Now that the Is have been crossed and the Ts dotted, I am able to officially announce my first pro sale.

I am beyond proud and excited to announce that "Blood Stone Water" will be appearing in Beneath Ceaseless Skies (issue TBA).

Thank you so much to editor Scott H. Andrews for kindly guiding this newb through the process. His patience and dedication to getting the story perfect put me so much at ease.

We're on our way, baby!