I Don't Remember Who I Bribed, But -- I'm In Print!!!

Yes so, as I alluded to in my last post, it's now official: My short story "The Collector" is appearing in the most recent issue of the speculative fiction magazine, Space and Time (Spring '18 issue #131).

This is indeed a big milestone. I've had a tough road these past 5 to 7 years ... lots of personal problems to deal with, mostly of the failed marriage variety and trying to piece together my life in the aftermath. I've mostly kept quiet about this aspect of my personal emotional makeup, especially on other social media platforms outside of Blogger, and with good reason. Yet perhaps the most regrettable fallout from all that was my lack of writing output during this time. I've tried to write, and in fact did pen several short stories from start to finish (with "The Collector" being one such result), but to be honest it's been like pulling teeth. I used to look forward to writing each night after returning from work, or on the weekends when I could truly devote most of my day to it. I was content, and gratified by the noticeable progress I was making. I had even sold a few stories to several token and online markets back when I was married. Nothing big, but I was still proud of that progress all the same. And when it all came crashing down around me, and my lost of self confidence -- and all that doubt -- would gnaw and eat away at me?

Yeah, I hate to say that I succumbed and just could not go on writing. And yet, that yearning to be creative and express myself was still there. Hence, why for a time all I wanted to do was get lost in my photography. Making pictures allowed me to get out into the world and walk around, clear my head, and see things around me instead of within me. More importantly, it allowed me to still create.

Does that make sense?

And in all that time in which my photography started to improve greatly, and I was getting more opportunities to shoot, I was still shopping around what stories I had already written. I've received numerous rejections, let me tell you. So many that I could say I've lost count. I haven't, because I actually keep a spreadsheet of all my submissions and when, where, and how they were rejected. But the point is: I still held on to that writing bug in whatever way that I could. And now something good has happened that I cannot let go to waste. After so many years, I've done it. I finally sold another piece. Why is this so important? Well besides the fact that it marks the first time my work will appear in a physical, solid printed medium that you can honest to god hold in your hands ... it reminds me that I haven't lost the ability to write something meaningful. Meaningful to anyone else? I'm not being that pretentious, no. But meaningful to myself? Yes. "The Collector" is a story I'm extremely proud of. I don't think that it represents the best of my talents, but it does illustrate to myself first and foremost that I can indeed write for what speaks to me. I can pull myself out of that doubt and self-pitying misery and write just for the fun of being creative, of expressing a poetry of the soul that hearkens back to the man I've always been. Before, back when I was married; and after, when I was divorced and had to find my own place to live. I'm still both people -- the same person. I shouldn't let external shortcomings affect that joy to be found in doing something fun and special and creative. I shouldn't forget to just write, dammit!

And that's what I intend to do. If I never sell another piece again, that's not really the point. If no one visits this blog anymore or comments on anything I put up here. That's not the point. The point is that I need to simply be me, that I need to shut up and. just. write.

And in the meantime to enjoy, however briefly, this one big moment that I will never forget. It's a small thing to most, but it's a milestone all the same. And I'm happy about it!

For those who have been asking me about where to purchase this issue of Space and Time, Issue 131 should be hitting magazine racks this week. I don't know for sure, but that's what I suspect. I've already received my contributor's copies, but I plan to visit a few Barnes & Nobles in the city over the next several days to see if I can spot any "in the wild." Having purchased the magazine from there before, I know from experience that the publication is often in the "Literary" category of B&N's magazine section. Most often it's grouped with other like-minded mags such as: Asimov's, Analog, and Fantasy & Science Fiction, but also other speculative rags like: Mystery and Romance. If you see these titles, then Space and Time will be somewhere among them. Right now, last winter's issue is still in good supply, so if you happen to see both that and the Spring issue on offer, do yourself a favor and pick 'em both up!

Alternately, you can simply go to the website's subscription page, scroll midway down, and order the current issue to be shipped to you in the mail. That's an option, too!

You're Not Seeing Things

Yes, it's me. That's right . . . I'm back! And I'm still alive as you can see. It's been a very long time since I've posted -- since August 2016, in fact. Almost two years ago! Blame it on whatever you want: life's obstacles, ennui, creative black holes . . . the death of blogging. I don't rightfully know. I guess blogging just didn't hold much appeal to me for a while there.

And you know what? I can't honestly say that the draw is back, or that blogging is really worth my time right now. However, I do want to try at least. Maybe I can get back to my old ways of simply putting out there whatever's going on in my brain at any given moment? I know, right -- ACK!!! But I promise, I'll try to tone it down a bit. Heh, heh, the operative word here is: try. So, yeah, I'll not be back to the old output of 6 or 7 posts per week anytime soon; more like only 1 or 2. If that. We'll see.

But in the meantime, how have things been going for you all? Please reconnect with me in the comments below, if you're so inclined. Health-wise, I'm doing great at least. I've never felt better. Despite getting older (I'll be 42 at the end of the summer. HOLY CRAP!), I definitely feel young in spirit and body. That's always a good thing. And on the career front, I've actually been promoted to manager and am a heck of a lot busier at the office than I used to be. I was also able to get in quite a bit of travel over this time period, with some very exciting international trips to both Panama and Morocco last year. What a time I had visiting both exotic locales! And I'll get to them, separately, in other posts still to come in the near future. Don't worry. On the personal side of things, the divorce from several years back still hangs over my past like a dark cloud . . . but I've mostly moved on now. It's really remarkable how much has changed over these past 5 years since my life hit rock bottom. Thanks, mostly, to my family and my closest friends. And maybe even, yes, to VIEWERS LIKE YOU!!!

Ha ha, sorry 'bout that. I couldn't resist.

As for my creative endeavors, well I've admittedly been very lax on this part of my life on account of the daily 9-to-5 and a few interpersonal issues I won't go into at the moment. Perhaps at a later date. I've tried off and on to get back into writing, but so far I never seem to be able to gather up enough steam to make it through a project anymore. It's something I'm actively working on, however, and in fact part of the reason I wanted to return to blogging was to get back into the groove of things. Flex the old writing muscles, so to speak.

Although, I do have one other bit of good news on that front:

Achievement Unlocked: Story Sold!!!

I'm happy to report that I've sold one of my short stories, "The Collector," to the speculative fiction magazine: Space and Time. Huzzah! Let the rejoicing begin!

I used to read this magazine a lot when I first graduated college. It's been around since just before I was born, but I didn't discover it until I was browsing through the mag racks at a local Barnes & Noble in downtown Manhattan during one of my lunch breaks. I picked it up for the catchy cover, of course. And because it was in the section with all the other big-name Speculative Fiction magazines of the time: Analog; Omni; Asimov's; The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction; etc. Those were good years to be young and possessing so much free time! *sigh*

Anyway, this is very exciting news for me to say the least! Due to personal struggles in recent years--the details of which some of you already know--I've been way behind in my writerly output. Wouldn't you know, but it's very hard to find inspiration when your life's going all topsy-turvy. It's been 5 years since my last sale, believe it or not. Something I would be ashamed of only if, in fact, I had been writing in all that time. Which I was not. Not regularly, anyway.

Still, it's a good feeling to know that things are *finally* starting to return to normal for me on the creative front. And I'm very happy that it was this particular story, "The Collector," to help me clear away the cobwebs as I get back to the grind of fiction writing again. This story is very dear to my heart, and features the first time I've ever written in the 2nd-Person narrative (think those old choose-your-own-adventure books for reference; "you open the door to the hidden room...").

"The Collector" is a tale of what happens when an ancient enemy of Mankind falls in love with a mortal woman, and has to chose between duty and happiness. I wrote it a few years ago, revised it a couple of times, sent it out to various places last year, got it rejected by all those places, sat on it for a few more months, polished it off some more, and then finally found a publication willing to buy it off me.

As they say, perseverance pays off!

Space and Time Magazine marks my first foray into semi-pro payment markets, which typically pay 1 - 5¢/word on short stories. Before now, all my sales have been to so-called "token" markets, which usually don't rate per word, but instead only pay a nominal amount of between $5 - $35 per story. Which ain't bad when you're starting out, and I guess you have to start somewhere. But it had always been my goal to keep advancing my game up the pay scale as I practice my craft, and so I have done just that with this sale. I love progress!

Also, my previous sales have all been to electronic-only markets. Which means: online sites only. This recent sale will mark the first time a story of mine will appear in an honest-to-goodness print publication. And that, my friends, is very nice!

And there you have it. The good news I wanted to share. I've known about this for several months now, but only today did I read through my contract, sign it, and send it off to the publisher. So I guess that makes it official! I had to write a little author's bio as well, which was certainly surreal for me. So much has changed since the last time I had to write one back in 2010. Wow!

As of right now, there has been no specific issue number or date relayed to me for when exactly my story will appear in Space and Time. This has yet to be determined by the publisher. But once that changes, you'll definitely be the first to know about it here on The Bimillennial Man.

And, one last thing: Thank you to all my regulars here, silent or otherwise -- some of whom are part of my crit group -- who have always supported me and suffered through some early drafts of previous stories I've shared. It truly means a lot to me. You all do!

Onward and upward, y'all!

My Latest Story Is Now Up And Readable!

Well, actually, this is one of my older stories. But after shopping it around for almost a year now, someone's finally bought and published my sci-fi short "Minutemen."  That somebody being Afterburn SF magazine, the same folks who were kind enough to publish one of my first fiction sales ever, "Enemy of My Enemy," back in early 2009.

"Minutemen" came about after me daydreaming, as I often do, about consciousness and orders of magnitude thereof. As a kid, one day I came to the determined resolution that even tiny creatures like ants and roaches had a conscious, and that therefore I should not kill them. Even to this day it is hard for me not to empathize with living creatures of any kind -- be they insect, animal, or even human. And while I do occasionally exercise a bit of pest control around the house, I still feel bad when I do. Spiders, however, I *never* kill. I like spiders. They're calm, patient, and strike only when they must. They prefer to live in dark corners and to be forgotten about, which is fine by me.

In any event, ever since I was a child I would wonder what the tiny bugs are thinking. Do they feel pain? Do they see us bigger folk as gods? Do they sit around the cockroach version of a campfire and tell stories about us? And, in turn, is there some great, omnipotent being out there in the universe that regards us the same way as we do ants? Are we just one big collective annoyance to God, scurrying across His cosmic linoleum kitchen floor? Or are we, instead, instruments of His own agenda? Tools, in fact, that are bereft of His all-encompassing empathy?

Perhaps all of the above. If so, I can't think of any greater irony in the universe, can you?

And so, I bring you the latest incarnation of all this interesting daydreaming. I hope you read the story and like it, even if it's a little weird for your tastes. "Minutemen" is the tale of Earth's first line of defense against a mysterious interplanetary enemy invasion.

And the title, if you can figure it out, is a triple pun . . .

CLICK HERE to read the story.

And please, please, PLEASE leave me a comment letting me know what you think. I live for feedback, if you must know.

Three's Company . . .

Got an exciting e-mail today notifying me that another one of my short stories has sold, to Afterburn SF magazine in fact. Some of you may remember that I sold my first story to Afterburn over two years ago, called "Enemy of My Enemy", and which saw publication in Feb. 2009. This will make it three now, the number of stories I've sold and had published.

I couldn't be more proud to have my short appear in the magazine. They do quality work over there at Afterburn. Check them out by clicking the link above. Plenty of great stories to read from a variety of wonderful writers -- some of them of the newbie persuasion, others more seasoned. So I'll be in outstanding company.

The story I submitted is called "Minutemen" and should be appearing in the July 30th issue later this summer. I, of course, will be more than happy to remind people when the story goes live.

To say I'm thoroughly pleased is an understatement. I worked hard on that story and am so glad it will be seeing the light of day for all my friends to read. To all those who have already read it and provided me their critiques--and you know who you are--I am eternally grateful to you for your help and support. Could not have done it without you guys!

Off to celebrate now.

LIghtning Strikes Twice In One Month

Back around Feb. 2, I mentioned here that my second sci-fi short story to be purchased, "Khan Tengri," was available over at Silverthought online. Although it was being published first, my actual very first sale ever had occurred the previous year.

Well now that story, "Enemy of my Enemy," is finally online as well, over at Afterburn SF. Check it out for yourself if you're curious how my writing used to look 2 years ago. "Enemy of my Enemy" is an interesting story I wrote when I was still new to the concept of writing "for reals" -- and not just something I played around with like back in my high school and college days. Personally, I think I've grown a LOT since this story, yet so far to date I've been unable to sell anything else. In that sense, this story is like a glimpse back in time. I write more fluidly and concise nowadays, but in some ways these two stories are more FUN! I have to remember to recapture this fun in my new works.

"Enemy of my Enemy" is also a cross-genre fiction piece, blending sci-fi action with just the right touch of horror elements. I liken it to the movie Aliens meeting the video game series Resident Evil. Read the story and you'll understand. :)

So this concludes the thoroughly wild and altogether fruitful month of February for me. To wit, all within a few weeks I've gotten two stories published and have also been promoted at my job. March promises to be sweet as well, with our trip to Paris looming around the tail end of the month (right in time for the start of Spring).

I, of course, will be working hard in the meantime to try and add more short fiction sales to my resume. I don't want the month of February to be a fluke in 2009. I'm so desperate to keep the momentum rolling. Of course, I'll keep ya'll updated on that front.

Hope you guys like the story. Please comment here to throw out your opinions. Or just to chat. Or whatever.

Wow, I'm All A-Glow!

Well, as promised, here's the link to my very first purchased short story which is now up at Silverthought Online:

"Khan Tengri"

Scroll halfway down the page to the new short fiction section. My story should be the second from the top. I didn't directly link to it because I want people to see and check out the other excellent stories included with mine in this February update of Silverthought. Give them a read, too!

But of course, read mine first! :) You'll see that there is a "discussion" link underneath my title on the main page. Click on that and leave a comment at Silverthought's message board on what you thought of the story. It requires registration, but it's free. Or, you can comment here in this blog entry. Please leave feedback either way. Us writers are starved for attention, and we need reassurances to coddle our precious little egos along, y'know.

Before you read, however, know that this is sci-fi. If that is not your cup of tea, just bare with it for as long as you can. Or you can turn back now. Be forewarned! :)

A little bit of background on the story:

I wrote "Khan Tengri" 2 years ago, a little after the time I had decided to try this writing thing out for good. I had only been writing for a few months, and this was either my 8th or 9th completed short story at the time. Reading the tale now, I can clearly see that I've improved a bit since writing it. But at the same time it makes me nostalgic for the mind frame I was in back then. I had already felt the sting of negative criticism with some of my earlier works, and so no longer lived in this fantasy la-la land that all my writing gleamed and sparkled. I knew I sucked, and that only time and a lot of work would make me suck less. So with that in mind, I set out to write the type of sci-fi that I liked reading. Because, when all is said and done, why shouldn't I?

Fast forward 2 years, and one major revision later (and a ton of minor polishes based on critiques from friends and workshoppers), and you have the product that sits before you. It's my second story to get purchased, but the first to publish (my first sale is appearing later this month).

It has its problems and setbacks, and is a bit rough around the edges, but I love it!

I hope you enjoy.