It’s getting down to the wire now. Any day I should be hearing if Graveside Tales is keeping "The Mask of Deslow Mansion" or tossing it to the side like a dirty diaper.
Sorry for the simile. I’ve been changing a lot of diapers lately.
I’ve been on mandatory overtime at work and haven’t had much time to devote to writing, so there isn’t much to report right now. So, instead of some whimsical anecdote or poetic prose, I’ll share with you some nice new (new for me, that is) websites that I’ve come across over the last few weeks.
http://fright-fest.blogspot.com/
Catherine J. Gardner is the author of this blog (along with an impressive number of short stories and novels). The layout of this blog is as beautiful as the content is insightful. Catherine is charming and funny, and is one of the busiest writers I have ever seen. I am envious of the amount of writing she is pumping out on a regular basis, and in awe that she has time to keep her blog as updated as she has.
http://www.chrisfholm.com/index.html
Chris F. Holm is a young writer with a sharp wit and warped sense of humor (much like yours truly). Many of his experiences and thoughts on writing mirror my own, and though I have yet to make contact with him – I barely have time to make contact with my own mother – I hope to soon. He seems to me a man of like precious faith . . . as far as writing goes, that is.
http://queryshark.blogspot.com/
Janet Reid is a successful literary agent by day and the infamous Query Shark by night. She shows no mercy to the chum that floats her way. If you are looking to strengthen you query letter or maybe just need to grab a laugh at the competition’s expense, I suggest you stop by.
http://arcaedia.livejournal.com/
Jennifer Jackson is a literary agent with the Donald Maass Literary Agency, and is the agent of the afore mention Chris F. Holm. Jennifer is smart and fiery, delivering matter of fact information with a punch. She is a beautifully clear window into the scary and mysterious world of publishing.
None of the four above know me (well, Catherine and I have had a bit of correspondence, but not much). I’ve learned from all four people and feel that any aspiring writer could do a lot worse than stumbling across these gems. When I get a bit more time, I will try to add these to my links.
Go check them out. You won’t be disappointed.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Saturday, May 31, 2008
How About That
Well, I mailed out the contract selling "Romeo’s Kiss" to Wildside Press, and my copy has returned, signed by the publisher.
I’m still waiting on Cat Tales, volume 1 to arrive in the mail, and hoping that its sales are through the roof. I wish I knew the publication date – if it will be published at all – of volume 2 (I assume my story is in the next book; I could be wrong).
I’m also awaiting news from Graveside Tales’ Harvest Hill about my story "The Mask of Deslow Mansion." Their submission guidelines state that they are shooting for a response time of 4 - 6 weeks for the rejections, and today is week number six for me.
That may mean my story has a good chance of being accepted. Then again it may mean the rejection cometh tomorrow.
Just one more wait-n-see.
But hey, I got two posts in this month. How about that!
I’m still waiting on Cat Tales, volume 1 to arrive in the mail, and hoping that its sales are through the roof. I wish I knew the publication date – if it will be published at all – of volume 2 (I assume my story is in the next book; I could be wrong).
I’m also awaiting news from Graveside Tales’ Harvest Hill about my story "The Mask of Deslow Mansion." Their submission guidelines state that they are shooting for a response time of 4 - 6 weeks for the rejections, and today is week number six for me.
That may mean my story has a good chance of being accepted. Then again it may mean the rejection cometh tomorrow.
Just one more wait-n-see.
But hey, I got two posts in this month. How about that!
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Contract Concerns
It’s here, it’s here, it’s finally here!
The contract from Wildside Press has arrived. I’ve always heard a watched pot never boils, and sure enough when I got too busy to stress out about it, there it was in my mailbox.
With nervous, giddy fingers I opened the large white envelope and AAAAHHHH there it was: two copies of the contract, a typeset version of "Romeo’s Kiss", and a couple of pages of information.
I read the contract slow, relishing every word, then poured into the beautiful typeset version of my story. What a feeling! My first professional contract. It’s official, "Romeo’s Kiss" will appear in one of the remaining three issues of the anthology series Cat Tales.
Or will it?
After putting down the contract and the copy of "Romeo’s Kiss" (mostly because my wife was watching and I couldn’t justify staring at the same sheets of paper for hours on end) I picked up the other two pieces of paper. One was simply explaining that they would like a bio from me and gave some examples of what information I might include.
Nothing bad there.
The second sheet of paper explained how that the first issue of Cat Tales was off to the printer and would be shipped out soon. It went on to state that the publisher was unsure of how the sales would go. If they end up being low then there is a good possibility that the last three issues will be scrapped. My story will be released and I will be free to try and place it elsewhere.
Boy did that take the caffeine out of my coffee.
You mean after all this waiting, even with a contract in hand, there still is a chance that this thing won’t come to pass? Maybe it’s just a legal thing, covering the publisher in the highly unlikely event that they don’t sell enough. Right? Surely they know they will sell enough or they wouldn’t have even tried. Right? RIGHT?
Okay, here is the plan: I need everyone to go online (I’ll supply the link a little lower) and order a copy. Here is a little reading material.
Cat Tales edited by George Scithers: "Cats and mysterious fantasy: it's a magical mix that appeals to the imaginations of young and old readers alike. The first volume of this new anthology series includes colorful new stories by authors Nancy Springer, Ann Marston, Jack Williamson, Fred Chappell and P.D. Cacek, as well as classics by Fritz Leiber and H.P. Lovecraft."
If there is enough support then they will continue with the other three issues. I believe "Romeo’s Kiss" will be in issue two. So get out there and order an issue.
Come on now. Don’t make me beg.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=sr_adv_b/?search-alias=stripbooks&unfiltered=1&field-keywords=cat&field-author=george+scithers&field-title=Cat+Tales&field-isbn=&field-publisher=Wildside+Press&node=&url=&field-binding=&field-subject=&field-language=&field-dateop=&field-datemod=&field-dateyear=&sort=relevancerank&Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.x=17&Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.y=9
The contract from Wildside Press has arrived. I’ve always heard a watched pot never boils, and sure enough when I got too busy to stress out about it, there it was in my mailbox.
With nervous, giddy fingers I opened the large white envelope and AAAAHHHH there it was: two copies of the contract, a typeset version of "Romeo’s Kiss", and a couple of pages of information.
I read the contract slow, relishing every word, then poured into the beautiful typeset version of my story. What a feeling! My first professional contract. It’s official, "Romeo’s Kiss" will appear in one of the remaining three issues of the anthology series Cat Tales.
Or will it?
After putting down the contract and the copy of "Romeo’s Kiss" (mostly because my wife was watching and I couldn’t justify staring at the same sheets of paper for hours on end) I picked up the other two pieces of paper. One was simply explaining that they would like a bio from me and gave some examples of what information I might include.
Nothing bad there.
The second sheet of paper explained how that the first issue of Cat Tales was off to the printer and would be shipped out soon. It went on to state that the publisher was unsure of how the sales would go. If they end up being low then there is a good possibility that the last three issues will be scrapped. My story will be released and I will be free to try and place it elsewhere.
Boy did that take the caffeine out of my coffee.
You mean after all this waiting, even with a contract in hand, there still is a chance that this thing won’t come to pass? Maybe it’s just a legal thing, covering the publisher in the highly unlikely event that they don’t sell enough. Right? Surely they know they will sell enough or they wouldn’t have even tried. Right? RIGHT?
Okay, here is the plan: I need everyone to go online (I’ll supply the link a little lower) and order a copy. Here is a little reading material.
Cat Tales edited by George Scithers: "Cats and mysterious fantasy: it's a magical mix that appeals to the imaginations of young and old readers alike. The first volume of this new anthology series includes colorful new stories by authors Nancy Springer, Ann Marston, Jack Williamson, Fred Chappell and P.D. Cacek, as well as classics by Fritz Leiber and H.P. Lovecraft."
If there is enough support then they will continue with the other three issues. I believe "Romeo’s Kiss" will be in issue two. So get out there and order an issue.
Come on now. Don’t make me beg.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=sr_adv_b/?search-alias=stripbooks&unfiltered=1&field-keywords=cat&field-author=george+scithers&field-title=Cat+Tales&field-isbn=&field-publisher=Wildside+Press&node=&url=&field-binding=&field-subject=&field-language=&field-dateop=&field-datemod=&field-dateyear=&sort=relevancerank&Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.x=17&Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.y=9
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Hurry Up and Wait
I know you should never put all of your eggs in one basket, but as any 5 year old during an Easter egg hunt will tell you, that’s a thing easier said than done.
I’ve been researching agents of late, and though I’ve come up with a short list, one agent is head and shoulders above the rest. All of my energy is pointed toward said agent and the others have fallen neglected to the side.
This is a top agent, but an approachable one. I know the odds are against me and I’ll have but one (two if I’m lucky) shot(s). My brain is screaming to spread out my research and blanket my agent list with queries, but my heart is whispering to slow down and do things right.
I may be setting myself up for a heartbreak but it’s too late now. I’m already filling my basket.
We’ll see how it goes.
In the meantime I sent another story, titled "The Mask of Deslow Mansion", to an anthology named Harvest Hill. If things go well then I won’t hear back from them until sometime after late June. Anything earlier is probably going to be a rejection.
So it’s hurry up and wait, like always.
I’ve been researching agents of late, and though I’ve come up with a short list, one agent is head and shoulders above the rest. All of my energy is pointed toward said agent and the others have fallen neglected to the side.
This is a top agent, but an approachable one. I know the odds are against me and I’ll have but one (two if I’m lucky) shot(s). My brain is screaming to spread out my research and blanket my agent list with queries, but my heart is whispering to slow down and do things right.
I may be setting myself up for a heartbreak but it’s too late now. I’m already filling my basket.
We’ll see how it goes.
In the meantime I sent another story, titled "The Mask of Deslow Mansion", to an anthology named Harvest Hill. If things go well then I won’t hear back from them until sometime after late June. Anything earlier is probably going to be a rejection.
So it’s hurry up and wait, like always.
Monday, March 31, 2008
News and More News
It’s that time again. Time for me to be a good little blogger-monkey, and jot down some words with the ink from my brain. The past few posts haven’t been breathtaking, but at least I’ve gotten in one a month.
We’ll see how long I can keep it up.
So here is my news . . .
I know that I said I wouldn’t post the name of the publication where my latest story (Romeo’s Kiss) will appear until I have received a contract from them, but the first issue is about to be released, and I thought what the heck.
Wildside Press – the publication responsible for Weird Tales, Adventure Tales, Fantasy Magazine, & HP Lovecraft’s Magazine of Horror, among others – is releasing a new anthology series titled Cat Tales.
Cat Tales will be a (I believe this is right) four part anthology series. Volume one will be out sometime in April. I don’t think “Romeo’s Kiss” is in the first volume. If it is, then wonderful, but if I’m right, then it will appear in one of the following three. I will let you know more when the contract arrives.
Now for the REALLY big news . . .
It seems that I flunked out of Baby Boot Camp and will have to retake the course sometime in early September. Yep, that’s right. There’s another one on the way.
My wife and I are jubilant that our trio will soon be a quartet. And who knows, maybe the hallucinations I have from the sleep deprivation will be good fodder for future stories.
We’ll see how long I can keep it up.
So here is my news . . .
I know that I said I wouldn’t post the name of the publication where my latest story (Romeo’s Kiss) will appear until I have received a contract from them, but the first issue is about to be released, and I thought what the heck.
Wildside Press – the publication responsible for Weird Tales, Adventure Tales, Fantasy Magazine, & HP Lovecraft’s Magazine of Horror, among others – is releasing a new anthology series titled Cat Tales.
Cat Tales will be a (I believe this is right) four part anthology series. Volume one will be out sometime in April. I don’t think “Romeo’s Kiss” is in the first volume. If it is, then wonderful, but if I’m right, then it will appear in one of the following three. I will let you know more when the contract arrives.
Now for the REALLY big news . . .
It seems that I flunked out of Baby Boot Camp and will have to retake the course sometime in early September. Yep, that’s right. There’s another one on the way.
My wife and I are jubilant that our trio will soon be a quartet. And who knows, maybe the hallucinations I have from the sleep deprivation will be good fodder for future stories.
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