Wednesday's Writing Update: November Stats, December Goals, and New Anthologies Available

Happy Wednesday!

My review of Karen Amanda Hooper's Tangled Tides can be found here.

Phew, I'm glad November's over. Time to sit back and relax, right? Well, not quite. Here are November's stats:

Submissions: 1

Rejections: 1 (Although they said they wanted to keep my story in mind if they have other anthologies)

Acceptances: 0

Word count: 76,136 (Thank you very much, NaNoWriMo)

Pages edited: 103

Also, last week, two anthologies with my stories became available. My horror story "Wishes" is in Under the Stairs, published by Wicked East Press. To purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Pill Hill Press Book Shoppe. My friend and critique partner Christine Rains also has a story in this anthology.

My flash piece "Snow Storm" is in Daily Flash 2012, published by Pill Hill Press's imprint Daily Flash Publications. To purchase: Amazon and Pill Hill Press Book Shoppe. My friend Nicole Zoltack also has flash pieces in this anthology.

I have a lot of things I want to do in December, so if I get a fourth of them accomplished, then I'll feel like I'm ahead. *laughs* First up, I'm finishing my NaNoWriMo book two, The Last Prophetess. I'm continuing edits on The Phoenix Prophetess and I plan to start editing/revising Starred on December 15th. I also have some short stories to write for The Foxwick Chronicles: Women of Foxwick and proceed to do what I can to self-publish it in January/February. If time allows, I'll also begin working on my paranormal thriller with romantic elements titled Confessions of a Telekinetic.

I do have a client's manuscript I'm editing, but I quit my editing job for the small publisher I was working for. I hated to do it, but between that and doing work for individual clients I wasn't getting enough time for my own work. Plus, I can make more money for individual clients than what I was getting paid from the small publisher. So my main focus will be on my own work, and I'll take on a client here and there to supplement my income and keep my editing skills sharp. I do like to help out. :)

So what are you up to this December?

Wednesday's Writing Update: Anthologies, Submissions, Vlog, Acceptance, and More

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

It seems like the past week was busy. First, look to your left on the blog. Yep, I have over 300 followers. Wow. Thank you. I'm so humbled by this. You see, I started the year out with less than 50, so I'm still trying to process having so many followers.

Second, I had two short stories come out this week.

The first one is "Folding Hope" in Stories for Sendai. The paperback version is now available on Amazon here. The Kindle version should be coming shortly. We're having the official launch on June 30^th, so if you are planning to purchase a copy—you really should...it's great—then purchase it on the 30^th, so we can increase the exposure of this anthology on Amazon. 

The second one is for my "Phantom Kisses," published under my pseudonym Cherie Wolfe. It's a paranormal erotic piece published by DFE Quarterly in their Erotica Quarterly, Vol. 1 Issue 3. To purchase a copy, you can click here. It will soon be on Amazon and other distributors soon. 

I submitted three short stories on Monday to various anthologies, and I have ideas for about three more I want to write and submit within the next month. Of course, I'll have short stories for Raven and the Writing Desk, which has my part II of our three-part story up now. 

Of those three short stories, I heard back from one Tuesday night. My horror story "Wishes" finally has a home! Wicked East Press accepted it for their Under the Stairs anthology. 

I'm working on Virtuoso again, but it's been slow going to find time. I have review books to read and review, questions to write for interviewees, and the general blog posts here and there and other things. I still hope to get a lot done this week and over the long holiday weekend. *crosses fingers* I will also pick up more editing assignments after the holiday weekend.

By the way, did you see my first vlog entry yesterday? If you did, what did you think? I know the sound/picture didn't mesh well, but we'll blame it on my webcam. I might eventually do another one. Also, if you don't have time to watch the entire thing, you can watch the first couple minutes and hear how I pronounce my name and the inspiration behind "Folding Hope."  

So, what has been going on with everyone else? Anything exciting? Mundane?

Submissions and Kindle

I hope everyone had a great holiday!

Christmas went well. We went over to my Grandpa's house and ate with the family and exchanged gifts. Everything was very nice, although it was a bit bittersweet. It was the first time that we had gathered there as a family since my Grandma died back in September 2008.

On the topic of Christmas gifts, I got a Kindle. It is so awesome! I absolutely love it, and that is saying something from the girl who hates to read books on the computer. I've already downloaded five books on it, and I plan to download book six on Wednesday when I get paid. (Book six will be my friend Aubrie Dionne's book Dreams of Beauty). I read Stephen King's UR first. I had to read it. It was an amazing novella. I wish I had an Ur Kindle. Unfortunately, I can't download things on Kindle at home, since I live in the middle of nowhere. Then again, it is probably a bit fortunate, too. If I could download things all the time, I would rack up thousands of dollars in books. It would not be good. *laughs* It is easy to read on a Kindle, just like reading a paperback book. *huggles Kindle* I'm currently reading Stephen King's Under the Dome on my Kindle. Just because I have one doesn't mean I won't read real books anymore. I'm reading Michael Cricton's Pirate Latitudes as well in hardback. *sighs* I really miss Michael Cricton. He was my favorite author of all time.

On other news, I finished writing another short story. I wrote two short stories in December. The first one is called "Defying Gravity," and it is a sci-fi romance story. Here is what it is about:   The Persean linguist, Linia, is excited about her people's first intergalactic space mission. Yet, when they attack their mortal enemies, the Medusans, Linia's world is turned upside down. The SS Perseid is sucked into a wormhole. Linia wakes up to find herself moments from crashing and the crew dead. She finds herself in worse trouble when she crashes. She lands on the unfriendly planet, Earth,and is captured by the Earthlings. Imprisoned underneath the ground,she has to find a way to escape and meets a friend along the way. Can they get out before they become an Earthling's dinner?

I plan to submit "Defying Gravity" to Pill Hill Press's Fire and Ice anthology as soon as I get a chance to edit/rewrite it.

The other short story is called "Cat and Mouse." It is a heists and capers short story. Here is what it is about: Rose is an international art thief, who is responsible for stealing six famous works of art. When she plans to steal a Dali painting during Venice's Carnival, she finds herself up against the detective who has hounded her since her first caper. Can she get away? Or is the game up?

"Cat and Mouse" was submitted to Emerald Tales "Carnivale" issue.

I also submitted "Wishes" today to Pill Hill Press's Four Horsemen anthology's Death section. "Wishes" wasn't originally written for that anthology, but I thought that it would fit under the Death heading, so I decided to do a bit of a rewrite and send it in today.

I still have "Eclipse" and "Soul Survivor" out there in submission world. I hope to hear back from them soon, or I'll have to be sending an email and inquiring about their status.

I've been looking through anthologies and the like to see what short stories to write next. I think my next one will be a thriller short story called "Grave Mistakes" for Emerald Tales "It was a bright and sunny day" issue. I have the story in my mind for the most part, so I thought I should write it next. I also need to get back into finishing the rewrites/edits for The Phoenix Prophetess, so I can start writing book two. So much writing to do and so little time.

And, I must resist the urge to read my Kindle all day.

I will be blogging a year in review soon. I hope everyone has a great new year!

Acceptance and Rejection

Today I received a message from Diana Lyles, who is a multi-talented person, who runs Scribblers and Ink Spillers. My historical horror short story "Io Saturnalia" was accepted into the third issue of Emerald Tales, and it will be published on December 1, 2009. I am so excited that "Io Saturnalia" was accepted. For one, after receiving a rejection letter yesterday, it is always nice to receive an acceptance letter the next day. For two, I really loved writing "Io Saturnalia." It is most likely my best short story to date. For three, the "Winter Solstice" edition of Emerald Tales comes out on December 1 of this year. It means that people can buy and read one of my stories before 2010 when my ebook and YA fantasy short story are published. Here is the link to Emerald Tales: http://www.scribblersandinkspillers.com/emeraldtales.html. I'll put up another blog post and everything to remind people when it comes out. "Io Saturnalia" will be in print and electronic versions, and it'll only cost $5 for the magazine. It's definitely worth it!

Unfortunately, I had to mention my rejection letter. My horror story "Wishes" was rejected from the Dead Bells anthology. I had made it until the end of the final, final cuts. Here is what was said:

Good morning, Cherie,

I want to thank you again for your submission of "Wishes" to the Dead Bells Anthology, and for the work you put into the story. It has certainly been a hard decision making process for this anthology.

Unfortunately, we won't be including "Wishes" among the those in Dead Bells. The story was definitely close and I enjoyed reading it both times, but when it came down to it, it just didn't fit with what we are working towards.

Best of luck with your future endeavors.

Sincerely,
--
Jodi Lee
Belfire Press - http://www.belfirepress.com
The New Bedlam Project - http://www.newbedlam.com
Dead Bells - http://www.jodilee.ca/deadbells


I wasn't quite as disappointed as I originally thought I would be, and I wish the anthology success, even though my story wasn't accepted. "Wishes" is a great story though, and I hope to find another place for it elsewhere.

I currently only have a few stories out there that I'm waiting to hear back from, including the Eve anthology, Sorcerous Signals, and Abandoned Towers. I should have already heard back about "Hell Has No Fury" and "Eclipse," but the editor of the Eve anthology and Sorcerous Signals seems to have disappeared from the earth, since I've heard nothing from her since June. I need to send out my stories elsewhere, but it'll have to wait until after NaNoWriMo.

As for NaNoWriMo, I am still doing very well, I think. I am part way through finishing chapter nine, and I have around 21500 words written in nine days. I haven't done my writing for day 10 yet, but I'll keep everyone updated on the status of my novel.

Rejection and other news

I got a rejection for "Eclipse" today from Shimmer. Here is what they said:

Dear Cherie,

Thank you for allowing us to consider "Eclipse," but I'm afraid I'm going to pass.

This hits the basic points of a fantasy story, but moves a bit slow and overall doesn't do anything that is new. We're generally not a good fit for otherworld fantasy. It's not right for us, but I hope you find a good home for it soon.

Good luck with your writing!

Best Grá Linnaea

Associate Editor

--

Shimmer Magazine

www.shimmerzine.com

Personally, I don't know if I agree with what was said. I am going to send it elsewhere, but I haven't figured out where yet. If I still have no luck, then I'll probably try to work on it some more before sending it out yet again.

As for other news, I did receive an email from Jodi Lee about "Wishes" for Dead Bells anthology. This is what she said:

Good afternoon, Cherie,

Thank you for your submission of "Wishes" to the Dead Bells Anthology.

It is my pleasure to let you know I would like to add it to our shortlist, pending a tiny re-write, if you are agreeable.

Unfortunately, I guess it wasn't clear that bodies wouldn't mummify immediately - they would mummify instead of rotting, over time. If you would change those areas in your story, I would be very interested in having a second look.

If you do so, please attach the file to a reply to this email, so it doesn't get lost in the submissions queue. Thank you, and I do hope to see "Wishes" again soon!--

Jodi Lee

Editing Portfolio - http://tinyurl.com/JodiLee

LeeLite Design - http://tinyurl.com/LeeLite

The New Bedlam Project - http://www.newbedlam.com

Dead Bells - http://www.jodilee.ca/deadbells/- Show quoted text -

So as soon as I got home, I made the necessary changes and resubmitted it to her. I'm really hoping "Wishes" gets in. I think it is really perfect for the anthology.

I haven't heard anything back about my four other stories out there. I should know about a few of them very soon. *crosses fingers*

Submission: Wishes

Thanks to the two best readers in the world, I was able to finish up "Wishes" and submit it to Dead Bells anthology. I had a lot of fun writing this horror story, and I hope it has a good chance to being accepted. According to the response email, I should know in a week or two whether or not "Wishes" still has a chance. I am glad yet nervous that there is such a short response time. It means that I'll be checking my email even more often. *laughs*

Currently, I have five short stories out there that I'm waiting to hear back from. Here is what I have:

"Once Upon a December Nightmare" is with Wild Child Publishing. According to their website, they have a six to eight week response time. I should know by the end of September to mid-October. I have heard no response at all from them at this time.

"Hell Has No Fury" is with Wolfsinger Publications for their All About Eve anthology. Their deadline is August 31, and they say it can take up to a month after the deadline to get back to you. I have heard back from them, and my story is being considered, but I won't know anything definite until sometime in September.

"Bella's Battle" is with the Skulls and Crossbones anthology. Their deadline is September 1, and their response time is one month. I should know sometimes in September whether or not my story is accepted. By the way, the day after I submitted "Bella's Battle," I saw the most adorable pirate bumper sticker on a car. I took a picture of it, and I'm hoping it is a good sign that my story will get in.

"Soul Survivor" is with Emerald Tales for their Volume I, Number 2 issues. The deadline is September 1, and I should know by October if it was accepted.

And, of course, I know have "Wishes" out there, and I should know something in one to two weeks.

I also have my short story "Eclipse." As soon as September comes, I'm going to submit "Eclipse" to Fantasy Magazine. They have a week response time, so I should know quickly whether or not it is accepted once I send it.

It's very exciting to have all these things out there. I can't wait for September! I will also be finished with my first novel in September too. It'll be a good month, hopefully.*crosses fingers*

"Wishes"

I finished writing a short story "Wishes" today. It is a horror story, and I plan to submit it to Dead Bells anthology. I'm really excited about this little short story that is 2,771 words long. I love how it ended, and I tried my best to make it very scary. The premise for Dead Bells anthology is that the calendars were wrong and every person dies except the protagonist when January 1, 2010 comes around. The writer then has to write what they think happens to their character.

This is the summary:

Aurora has never been a social butterfly, and when a New Year's Eve party turns terribly wrong, she wishes that everyone would just leave her alone and die. As New Year's Day 2010 comes around and she wakes up, she realizes that all is not right in her world. A freak ice storm has knocked out the power, but it is the terrifying mummified bodies that cause her to worry. Has her terrible wish come true? Or is something else to blame for everyone's deaths? As night approaches, will she even survive?

In other writing news, I hope to get some written in The Phoenix Prophetess today too, since I plan to finish chapter thirty-three this week.