All's Well That Ends Well

The greatest short story I ever wrote, "Phantom Limbs", has had difficulty finding a home. I sent it first to Aoife's Kiss, a magazine where I had my first story ever published back in 2007. The reply back, from editor Tyree Campbell, was the most enthusiastic response I have ever received, including the phase "oh absolutely, gobsmacking yes!"

However, he suggested that I try sending it to a bunch of publications that could pay me higher rates and give me more prestige, listing them for me. I tried each one in succession, a process of many months. Eventually I went back to him and said he could have it.

Nothing.

Nothing.

Nothing.

Finally, earlier this week, more than a year after our communication, he found me again! I had slipped through the cracks of his busy life. He wanted to know if the story was still available.

Upshot: at some point in the next few months, depending on where he finds a slot, I will be published in Aoife's Kiss and receive $15. Even better, I have a friend in the industry again.

Waking Echoes Appears in an Ad

Happy Valentine's Day!

I've been having a lovely morning and afternoon with only one class, lunch with my new boyfriend (so we're still in the excessively silly & sweet phase), chocolate-covered strawberries, and the promise of cuddles during a movie this evening.

But when I went to check my mail, things got even better. I received an issue of Realms of Fantasy, which perplexed me because I have submitted a short story of mine to RoF before and was turned down, and I didn't recall ever ordering a copy, what with sour grapes and all that. Lo and behold, on the inside cover of the February issue is a full-page ad for several Eternal Press Young Adult titles. As you can see, on the top right corner is Waking Echoes by Donaya Haymond. (Forgive me for the blur, please; I have perpetually shaky hands.)

<--- This is the outside cover, for those of you interested in picking up a copy. You can get one at http://www.rofmag.com/. I like the art.

I must say that I feel somewhat vindicated now, after RoF rejected what I consider the best short story I've ever written, though I understand the problem with the bottleneck between slush pile and restricted column space. Tyree Campbell of Sam's Dot publishing accepted the story, called "Phantom Limb(s)" for Aoife's Kiss, where another story of mine, "The Mormon Bohemian", was published in 2007 and voted Best of Issue. "Phantom Limb(s)" would have appeared in a regular Aoife's Kiss and "The Mormon Bohemian" in an anthology, except that Aoife's Kiss appears to have gone bankrupt - at any rate I can no longer seem to contact anyone involved in it, and it no longer appears in new volumes of Writer's Market. My fairy godmother (my editor/mentor Sally Odgers) tells me that this is a common problem in the fiction industry.

Ms. Campbell said that though she loved "Phantom Limb(s)", she recommended that I send it to a journal that could pay me more, and gave a few suggestions and tips. Realms of Fantasy was one of her picks. I've put my ambitions for the story on hold for now, though I may try submitting it other places later. If all else fails, the protagonist holds a supporting role in my incipient first non-Laconia novel, and I could integrate the story into the book. Or, as Sally once advised, I could try getting a short works collection published.

Anyway, I'm very pleased by this development, and especially honored that Eternal Press chose one of my titles to feature in the spot.