Reel it in.

You know who’s a treasure?  Jackie Corley over at Word Riot.  I applied for their travel grant, but wasn’t lucky enough to get it. Jackie sent a kind personal note though, and I’m thankful for that.  Congratulations to Karolina Waclawiak.  have an amazing time where ever you are headed!

You can read stuff by Betsy Crane, Dylan Nice, Laura Goldstein, and tons of other folks!

It feels like a lot of people died this week. This is a picture of dead crabs. I am a crab.

Marian at American Short Fiction  is a treasure, and asked me to submit.  I sent her the one story I have right now, and it wasn’t her cup of tea.  I don’t have any other stories right now, because I am working on something longer, and just trying to add it all up.  I should try to write something short to give myself a break and then sent it to Marian.  I might do that this week.

And with that, I’m pretty sure I only have one lonely submission out right now, to Octopus, and I think that might have been sent to them when I misunderstood their submission guidelines, so who knows if that even counts?  I feel okay about this. Also, I got an Illinois Arts Council Professional Development Grant, so that’s encouraging, while I work on this new, big thing.

Also, I’m reading web submissions for Hobart for the rest of December, so send work over there, puh-lease.

It's either me or this drifter getting dead in honor of Halloween weekend.

Post Road politely declined my story, “Bent Back.”

I applied for a grant today.

I’m still making steady progress on this new novel-ish project, which makes me happy.

I’m going to be killed in the backwoods of Wisconsin this weekend, if all goes according to plan.

This also makes me feel weird.

Ensemble Jourine wrote asking for a submission, and I sent them some poem parts, and they asked for a poem that was more like 10-30 pages, which seemed eye-widening to me.  The thing is, I do not ever have poems that long, and I don’t think I could just make one on cue, and I am working on a new novel thinger, so there’s no hope.  BUT, Anobium wrote a few days later accepting all those poem parts, so they have a home, and I couldn’t be happier.

Rejection 276 came from the kindly Mike Czyzniejewski at Mid-American who didn’t think the story I sent was right for them, but was super nice and friendly in his letter. Thanks, Mike!

I forgot to announce formally on here that I had a story in the new issue of Ping Pong, the journal out of the Henry Miller Library in Big Sur, but their site appears to be down right now, so I won’t provide a link.

I had a story up in Necessary Fiction thanks to Jess Stoner!

Finally, my book appears to be available for preorder on Amazon which is a strange feeling, being that I couldn’t be more pro-small bookstore, and I urge you to wait and order it from Dzanc or get it at your local bookshop or come to Chicago in April to celebrate and get a copy at the party!  That is all.

I'm sad that when I google-image "adoption" this is what comes up.

Fourteen Hills doesn’t want the story I sent them.  That is fine.  What Fourteen Hills doesn’t know is that they rejected one of two stories I have left to be accepted right now, and that there won’t be more stories for a while, because I got started working on a new novel, and that won’t see the light of day for sometime.  So, the story getting rejected means I can just a find it a more perfect and loving home.  Fair!

So far, the new novel may or may not be a spooky story, which may or may not have something to do with what fall brings out in me.

Is it luck? Who knows!

I don’t usually post for an acceptance, but this is an unusual story, so I will.

I tried my hand at writing an essay and it was about luck and Hobart had a luck-themed issue approaching and the timing was perfect.  I don’t write essays, I rarely write toward themed issues.

Aaron at Hobart said the piece wasn’t quite right, and that it felt more like notes toward an essay than an essay, and I agreed, but it was the first time I’d really written an essay for the fun of it, so that was that.  I would do better next time.

I changed a few things in the essay and submitted it a couple other places, but they didn’t like it either.

This weekend Aaron emailed to say that he and Elizabeth had reread the piece and wanted to take it after all.

So that’s the story of the rejection that got un-rejected and how it was the first essay I’ve written and how I’m so excited to finally have a piece in Hobart and how that made a day that was already pretty good because I’d been uber-productive.  There you have it.

I received a rejection from Bat City Review this week that has a wording that’s a little different than a typical letter:

“We aren’t the right magazine for this piece.”

Granted, it’s just a flip of “This piece doesn’t fit our current needs,” or something of the like, but it was a fun flip that caught my eye.  I don’t think it’s a magazine’s job to take the blame for a relationship not being formed, but it’s fun to see it tilt in that direction.  Very clever, Bat City.

Also, I’m embarrassed to admit I’d never thought about how Austin has those crazy bats and that’s probably why this journal is called that.  I’m a dumb-dumb.

Remember workbooks? When I was a kid, my grandma would give me workbooks to finish on my own time, and when I completed one, I could pick a Barbie outfit. Fashion was the prize for smarts. I need a workbook for essays, but i suspect all of them would be severely disappointing.

Hayden’s Ferry doesn’t care for the essay I sent them.  Fair enough.  I’m still working that essay business out.  Lots to learn.  Lots to learn.  Lots to learn.

Not the right home.

Devil’s Lake dun’t want a new story I’ve written which is disappointing but just fine.  I’m trying to work on something longer, and it might be a while before I write something short again, so I’ll just be focusing on finding the right home for what I’ve got.