Category: News of Note

It seemed time to do a quick update on the writing. My wife’s broken leg back in early March threw us all for a loop, and with two young children in the house on top of things, it certainly made for a hectic and exhausting time. The writing took a backseat for a while, but I seem to be back up to nearly full speed now. I’m still not quite at the all-cylinders-firing level of productivity I’d like to be at, but that’s something I’m continuing to work on, and I’m getting there. There’s just no doubt in my mind any more that my own productivity will determine the speed at which I achieve the goals I’ve laid out for myself (goals that are so ambitious and lofty that I refrain in mentioning them, for fear of sounding arrogant to the extreme). This may seem pretty obvious (write more = do better), but it takes a while to develop confidence in your abilities and your potential so that you can fully embrace the idea that there’s really nothing holding you back but your own dedication and discipline. This isn’t to sound egotistical. I’ve got bucket loads still to learn, and always will; it’s just that I’ve come far enough, and achieved enough modest success, to know that any real obstacles to success are within me. It’s refreshing, and sometimes frustrating, when you realize this. It’s refreshing because you’re not shadowboxing with invisible villains any more. It can be frustrating when you’re not doing what you know you need to do.

Simply put, it means this: I know what I have to do to get where I want to go. Now it’s just a matter of doing it. As far as actual writing goes, I’m making good progress on the novel, but it’s a long road. If a short story is a sprint, a novel is a marathon, and I’m still getting used to the difference.

Publishing News:

• “Father Hagerman’s Dog” appeared in the June 2007 issue of Analog. A college student’s attempt to sell a robotic dog to a defrocked priest. A bit light-hearted, this one, and fun to write. (If you can’t locate an actual copy of the magazine, you can buy it electronically through Fictionwise at http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/eBook45191.htm?cached)
• “Road Game,” a suspense story involving road rage and the power of addiction, appeared in the June 2007 issue of Ellery Queen. (If you can’t locate an actual copy of the magazine, you can buy it electronically through Fictionwise at http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/eBook45192.htm?cached)
• “The Dinosaur Diaries,” a coming-of-age novelette that begins when a young man finds Tyrannosaurus rex tracks on his family farm in modern Iowa, will soon appear in Realms of Fantasy. It’s one of the longest and most ambitious stories I’ve sold so far. I was told the August 2007 issue, but who knows if this is true. More news when I have it.

As part of their promotional campaign, Weird Tales has put my story, “Directions to Mourning’s Deep,” online for free. It also appears in issue 344. It’s very short, and quite unusual, so if you have a few moments, give it a shot. Of course, they’d prefer that you subscribe, but I know that’s not always an option for everyone.

It’s been a couple months since I lasted posted — no surprise, I guess, me being the not-really-a-blogger that I am — so I thought I should do a quick update. Of course, there really isn’t much to update, at least not anything I can talk about in detail, but I wouldn’t want anyone to think I’ve vanished. (Well, come to think of it, maybe I would, that might create a sense of mystery, and I do love a good mystery, but I guess by making this post I’ve missed that opportunity, darn it.) My agent went to market with the fantasy novel, and there’s interest brewing from a number of publishers, which could be very good indeed, but we have to wait to see how it all shakes out. It could all end up being a lot of smoke, too, so I’m trying not to get too excited. Needless to say, there are lots of hurdles a book has to jump over, even after an editor is interested in it. Other editors in the department have to get behind it, the marketing department has to get behind it, etc, etc.

Otherwise, work on the new novel progresses, I’m working on a collaboration with another writer on a new short story, I got a rewrite request back from a magazine on another, and I’ve got a number of other stories in various stages of completion. Lots of good stuff. I like being a busy writer more than anything else.

The good news is that I think my productivity is getting back, maybe even surpassing, what it was before my son’s birth back in February. You wouldn’t think having a second child would be that big of an adjustment, but I found it a lot harder to carve out time with two children than with one. Not that I’m complaining. My kids are both a joy and a wonder to me, and I cherish every minute with them, even those minutes when I’m simultaneously changing a poopy diaper while dealing a three-year-old’s temper tantrum, but there’s been a fair amount of mental anguish while I tried to find the right balance again. So let’s put it this way: 2006 was a good year, but it wasn’t an easy year. I’m hoping 2007 is both better and easier.

Anyway, on to 2007. A belated Happy New year to everyone!

Recent Reads:

• Transgressions, edited by Ed McBain.
• Housekeeping Vs. The Dirt, by Nick Hornby

I’ve only been posting once or twice a month in this blog, but I think I’ll try to post a little more often. My reluctance to post has been for two reasons: one, I’m always afraid I’m going to get sucked into this thing when I should be spending that time writing fiction (I’m always trying to cut down my Internet time as it is), and two, I didn’t think I should post unless I really felt I had something worthwhile to say.

Well, I’ve reconsidered. The primary purpose of this blog is really to keep people who care about my work up-to-date. This doesn’t mean I won’t write essay-style posts now and then, but I’ll also include more regular, bullet-style updates. It won’t be daily, but it will probably be more than once a month. That said . . .

Writing News

I made two short story sales this week. My story, “Tommy Top Hat,” will appear in future issue of Weird Tales — who knows when, because though it’s a great magazine, they unfortunately have quite a backlog. The other sale was “Motivational Speaker,” to the DAW anthology Mystery Date, edited by Denise Little. It will probably be out late next year. I also got a rewrite request on a novelette from a Big Market that I’m quite excited about; no promises, since it’s a tough rewrite, but I’m working on it now. I liked the story before, but I think it’s coming together even better. We’ll see.

Recent Reads

• Cinnamon Skin and The Green Ripper by John D. MacDonald. Amazing writer. I’ve decided to read all of his books, not just because I’m enjoying them, but because just about every professional fiction writer I know has told me that MacDonald should be on your shortlist of writers to study.
• Backstory by Robert B. Parker. I’ve only read a couple of the Spenser books, but they’re worth reading just for the witty dialog between Spenser and Hawk.
• Empire Falls by Richard Russo. The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. A great read.

Recommended Websites

• If you’re interested in writing short fantasy, check out the blogs by the first readers for Realms of Fantasy (Slushmaster) and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (Slush God)
• Matt Cheney always has interesting things to say about fiction and other things, whether you agree with him or not.
• If you want see the inner workings of the mind of a writer whose career has been on the fast track, check out Jay Lake’s blog. Lots of good stuff there.