Story Sale

Four months into Write1Sub1, and I've sold my first short story!

Don't get me wrong; it's been awesome seeing my microfiction and haiku published this year, and I'm grateful for the W1S1 pressure that's kept me writing. But I've also been writing/submitting a new short story every week, and not one of them has gotten more than a warm rejection, if even that. I've felt that my 2011 stories are some of my best work, but I haven't had much to show for my effort.

So it was with great joy that I received the following acceptance last week from Nathan Shumate, editor of Arcane Magazine:

"Thank you very much for submitting your story "El Diablo de Paseo Grande" to Arcane. I think it would be a good match for the magazine, and I'd like to publish it in an upcoming issue. Attached please find a publication contract."

I had to read that a few times before it sank in that this was NOT a rejection letter. (Guess I've gotten kind of used to those lately.) Contract signed and returned, I was nearly walking on air.

Originally, I wrote "El Diablo" for the Pill Hill Press wicked western anthology, but they weren't able to use it. I fully expected to shop this story around a few dozen times before it found a good home, as I've had to do with so much of my work. But nope, this one was picked up on the second submission – my third Coyote Cal weird western.

In other news, Andromeda Spaceways short-listed my story "Through Grey Eyes" after it passed their second round of readings, and Blackdahlia has published eight of my haiku. Also, a reprint of "When Tomorrow Comes" is up now at The Fringe. Yahoo!

Next up, a week without Internet access...