My first magazine death

Some news.

"The Weatherbugs of Mr. Grady" will not be published in the first issue of Grimoire...because there will be no first issue of Grimoire. I learned of this the hard way, via a tip on Ralan's Webstravaganza. A shame, really, as I was very much looking forward to seeing this eclectic tale in print. Reading over the contract that I signed back in April I see that I was supposed to be paid within 60 days of scribbling my John Hancock down. It's been 149 days since then today without any moolah. The contract also says that if my story is not published in 18 months, all rights revert back to me.

Do I really have to wait that long to start sending it back out considering Grimoire's editor hasn't even contacted me yet to inform his authors that he'll no longer be publishing the zine?

Yeah, I'm a bit annoyed. Not terribly, as it was bound to happen and it is sort of a milestone to kill a magazine, so to speak. Also, it's not like I was exactly pulling in the big bucks, but still. Come on. Have some audacity here. Luckily, being a writer prepares oneself for rejections of all kinds. This, the surprise one following a sale, is a new one. I'm going to savor it for no more than a few more minutes. Onwards and upwards...

Progress notes for April 30, 2007

Strange. I wrote the same exact amount of words today as I did yesterday. Oh well. If it works, it works.

"The Songs He'd Sing"

New Words: 618
Total Words: 1,967
Pages: 5
Deadline: None
Reason for stopping: End of scene where we stick a kitty in a fridge
Stimulants: Arizona green tea with ginseng
Songs played loudly: "Come Close" by Saosin
Exercise: 6,471 steps at the park
Mail: A magazine I'd submitted to folded today before even seeing its first issue. Not a rejection, not a sale. Meh. More annoying than anything else.
Darling du Jour: "Now, Em," Martin said, getting right in her face, his breath low and hot, "I know I used to climb in there a lot, but that was just me being stupid. I always figured you kept the best food way in the back."
Other writing-related work: Couple notes taken on another story
The Internet is full of Things: Sumo wrestlers in a competition to make babies cry. Seriously, not making it up.

Publication death

Just got word that I'm no longer reviewing Holly Messinger's End of the Line because, unfortunately, Eggplant Productions has gone under. Shame, as it seems like an interesting story published by a, what I thought to be, moving-forward publisher. Oh well...

In other good news, I'll be reviewing Shimmer, Amazing Journeys, and The Sword Review! Man is that a lot to read, but that matters not. For I live to read!

And now, a confession. I've hitched on to the band wagon about three years late and am madly in love with China Mieville's work. So far The Scar has been the most brilliant piece of literature I have ever read in my entire life. Now that may seem like a bold statement, when in actuality, this is a bold statement:

So far The Scar has been the most brilliant piece of literature I have ever read in my entire life.

As soon as I get some holiday cash, I'm going out and buying the rest of his books. Why did it take me so long to read him? Huh? I have no idea. I must have been in a hole in the ground or underneath a pile of rubble.

Writing news: 4-day rejection from Shimmer on "When It Burns, It Burns Like a Star". I've decided to put the story up on Critters to see what help they can offer me. I believe it to have potential somewhere, sometime.

Death of SCI Fiction

Well, another e-zine bites the dust.

I go away for the weekend and come back to find that SCI Fiction is being discontinued. This really saddens me as I enjoyed the stories they posted, both new and classic. Ellen Datlow has a great eye for finding wonderful tales to share with her readers. You can read her farewell message. I never submitted anything to them, but it was always an option in the back of my mind.

NaNoWriMo took a big hit this weekend. I was completely busy with real life thingers and have thus slacked a bit on my word count. I'm currently pushing toward 29,000 words on The Periwinkle Prince which still means I'm ahead of the game, but still...I want more words!!!



I've recently posted my review of Brian Jacques's High Rhulain over on www.fantasybookspot.com so you should go and check it out for me.