( Read more... )

I get to check off my goal for 2012 about appearing in another major essay anthology: it's official that my story, "Book Brain," will appear in Chicken Soup for the Soul Boost Your Brain Power! It's out on May 22nd ( Read more... )

A year ago today, I posted my 2011 goals. Now it's time to see what resulted.

1) Begin querying for Normal by late January. Keep five queries in circulation at all times.
Note that the goal didn't say "get an agent." To me, that was just setting myself up for failure. It was enough to do what I COULD control: send out the queries. I sure didn't ( Read more... )

LiveJournal is amongst the living! Hooray! Yahoo! I'm not planning on leaving this place, despite the aggravations this week. The denial of service attack is not their fault. If it's for the same reason as the last attack, it's an effort out of Russia to silence political bloggers. These attackers WANT a mass exodus to drive LiveJournal out of ( Read more... )

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant." ~ Robert Louis Stevenson
I have returned, physically if not mentally ( Read more... )

Things are looking good for 2011's goal #6:

Aim for another essay publication in a major anthology like Chicken Soup.I found out yesterday that one of my stories is a finalist for a new Chicken Soup for the Soul book for preteens. Being a finalist means there's still a slight chance of being cut from the book, but I won't know for sure until June ( Read more... )

My story, "Lessons from my Grandparents" will be featured in a special hardcover gift book from Chicken Soup for the Soul. On an interesting note, the book is only going to be released through Wal-mart and Barnes & Noble, and each will have a different title. I mean, DUDE. I can walk into the local Wal-mart and find my book on a Christmas display? ( Read more... )

The week has been spent on Normal and editing older published stories for republication. I have to say, I've been so focused on newer works that I've mostly ignored the reprint aspect. In some cases, the markets are few because of word count (such as under 500 words or over 6,000) but I'm tweaking so they might find publication again ( Read more... )

Yesterday an email from Chicken Soup for the Soul informed me that one of my essays is in final consideration for a Christmas anthology. This made me very happy, and not just because of the potential publication. The essay itself was a gift for my Grandma, speaking of how she taught me the joy of Christmas. She's almost ninety and she's struggled ( Read more... )

I thought this was a great article about being published in Chicken Soup for the Soul. The odds of getting in an anthology are downright scary. Three to five thousand entries, and only 101 get chosen! Geez. Getting into my two books feels like winning the lottery, but I'm still hoping to hear good news on some of their recently-closed deadlines. * ( Read more... )