So my query letter was one of the 12 chosen for the Jericho Writers Slushpile Evaluation next week. I’ll get to see whether its a good letter or not and what needs fixing if not. That’s going to help immensely. If you’re still struggling with your query letter, here are some tips for you to…
The Submissions Grinder suggests that I may wish to submit my velyr PI humorous story to Analog or Asimov’s magazine. They pay around 8 cents a word for short stories, which would net me around $400 – not bad for a few hours of work There are a few markets paying even more, and I’m…
I’ve sent off three stories so far: The Insecure Writer’s Support Group for their “Dark Matter” anthology, Shoreline of Infinity with a humorous story about velyr at a sci-fi convention, and On The Premises with a story about smells. I’m also working on a story (due tomorrow of course) for my 12 Stories in 12…
Working on a short piece for the Insecure Writers’ Support Group’s Annual Anthology – it’s sci-fi with a theme of “Dark Matter.” You know there are velyr, right? I’ve got a scout Ship that comes out of hyperspace too close to a pulsar. The EM burst shorts out their Augmentation and they have to figure…
Two of the agents I pitched to this weekend wanted to read more. That’s fantastic – keep your fingers crossed they want a full manuscript! What’s the secret to a good pitch? I’ll give you some tips and tricks I picked up over the years for pitching your book. Here’s my pitch in case you’re…
This is from the new first-person POV chapter: “What in Raiji’s name is it?” I peer over my friend Amr’s shoulder at the desk monitor. I — even after all these centuries the concept startles me at times. I am separate from Amr, from the rest of his triad here in the scanning room of…
This is a short prompt-driven story for a writing challenge I’ve joined. The prompt is Red Lipstick: “Will you shut up and put the damn stuff on already?” Tel ran a hand through his hair and glared at his drummer, blue eyes narrowed. Jason’s brown eyes blazed right back. “I didn’t sign up for this,…
Got another form rejection letter this afternoon … On the other hand, I signed up for another virtual writing conference in August. It has pitch sessions with agents and publishers, so maybe I’ll get lucky with one of those…
So I found a new (online) conference — The Jericho Writers Summer Festival of Writing. For around $40 a month, you get 3 solid months of writing webinars and mini-workshops. They’re based in the UK, so I don’t know all of the authors — but I do know Neil Gaiman! So far we’ve had some interesting…
Here’s a short sample of a scene I’ve been working on. Tell and Lontano are flying to Atlanta, Georgia to record their new album with the band. “I could definitely get used to this.” Tell dropped into the window seat and stretched out his long legs. He peered out the window at the tarmac, squinting…