Thanksgiving was lower key than I planned. For most of the weekend, I slumped on the couch, alternating between pitiful whimpers and pained moans. Between the little men hammering inside my skull, the sundry aches and soreness of the rest of me, and a queasy tummy from popping Tramadols*, I only managed to venture forth from the house once.
Hobkin and fosteronfilm took turns sitting with me and being comforting, of which I am verily thankful for.
I think a weather-related pressure change is the culprit. I’m better now, although my sinuses are still giving off threatening twinges, and my shoulder is one shrug away from becoming (once again) a knotwork of “ow.”
*How in the name of anything holy could anyone even consider using Tramadol recreationally? I took two 50mg pills, twice a day—less than the maximum dose specified on the bottle, let me add—and even the thought of food made me turn green(er).
Writing Stuff
Less writing got done than I’d hoped over the holiday weekend, but then, I usually accomplish less than I plan to over holidays. Good intentions, foo.
Received:
• Contract from Llewellyn Press for “A Nose for Magic.”
• 253-day cordial pass from Aberrant Dreams.
• Invite from squirrel_monkey to submit to a Russian themed anthology she’s editing. It’s the next (I assume) in an anthology series, forthcoming by Prime Books, each drawn from a different world mythology (the first being Japanese Dreams which includes my story, “The Tears of My Mother, the Shell of My Father”—due out this monthish). Of course I said “yes.” I love world folklore/mythology/fairy tales, and this will give me an opportunity to explore in greater depth Russian fairy tales, which I’ve always adored.
New Words/Editing:
• 1000 words on my last (*sniffle*) Writing for Young Readers column: “Happily Ever After.” I thought it fitting that the topic for the final one be “endings.” Did several clean-up passes and sent it off to the editor.
And thus, I set down another hamster and bid it a teary farewell.
Published:
• “The Raven’s Brocade” in the December issue of Cricket:
I’ve said it before, but it bears saying again. I really love seeing my stories in Cricket. The artwork which accompanies them is always so wonderful.
Illustrations for “The Raven’s Brocade” by Nicole Wong
253 days for a reply? Holy crap. That’s something I’ve never understood, and probably never will. I’ve done some editing–the now-defunct PROJECT M: Zine–and I used to just take a weekend every couple weeks and read every submission we had. I know some magazines have a higher submission rate than others, but that’s a LONG time to have to wait.
I can’t remember the magazine, but I once got a rejection for a story I’d submitted a good 2 years earlier. I’d forgotten I even sent the thing in and had already sold it about a year earlier.
Apropos of nothing, Project M Zine was lovely and you were great to work with.
Why thankya.
Why thankya.
Apropos of nothing, Project M Zine was lovely and you were great to work with.
The sad thing is that it’s not even close to being the longest RT that I’ve waited on. Hell, I’ve got something currently out which is pushing the 21st month. (It’s to a market I’m dying to break into and in the final round of consideration or I’d have pulled it already.)
If it’s a market I’ve sold to before (like AD, here) or one where I’ve been told that my ms is under serious consideration, I’ll wait ’till the cows have put up strip malls and a recreation center before I pull it, although I really probably shouldn’t. I once waited four years before withdrawing a story from Dreams of Decadence. The editor strung me along for two years with a “quite like it and will likely buy” comment and then another two after that when she said she wanted it—as I waited for the contract which never came. I finally pulled the story (after it was obvious DofD and DNA in general had gone belly up) and sold it the very next month to a pro market. Yeah, not the cleverest marketing strategy on my part, but eventually alls well that ended well, I guess.
That’s my thinking, too–as long as you’re getting positive feedback from the editor, I’ll let them sit on a story as long as it takes. But if I haven’t heard anything at all within a year of submitting, I’ll pull it.
I’ve often wondered if that’s too long a wait, too, considering I could be using that time to send it elsewhere sooner, but more often than not, I end up forgetting it’s even out there in the first place.
That’s my thinking, too–as long as you’re getting positive feedback from the editor, I’ll let them sit on a story as long as it takes. But if I haven’t heard anything at all within a year of submitting, I’ll pull it.
I’ve often wondered if that’s too long a wait, too, considering I could be using that time to send it elsewhere sooner, but more often than not, I end up forgetting it’s even out there in the first place.
The sad thing is that it’s not even close to being the longest RT that I’ve waited on. Hell, I’ve got something currently out which is pushing the 21st month. (It’s to a market I’m dying to break into and in the final round of consideration or I’d have pulled it already.)
If it’s a market I’ve sold to before (like AD, here) or one where I’ve been told that my ms is under serious consideration, I’ll wait ’till the cows have put up strip malls and a recreation center before I pull it, although I really probably shouldn’t. I once waited four years before withdrawing a story from Dreams of Decadence. The editor strung me along for two years with a “quite like it and will likely buy” comment and then another two after that when she said she wanted it—as I waited for the contract which never came. I finally pulled the story (after it was obvious DofD and DNA in general had gone belly up) and sold it the very next month to a pro market. Yeah, not the cleverest marketing strategy on my part, but eventually alls well that ended well, I guess.
253 days for a reply? Holy crap. That’s something I’ve never understood, and probably never will. I’ve done some editing–the now-defunct PROJECT M: Zine–and I used to just take a weekend every couple weeks and read every submission we had. I know some magazines have a higher submission rate than others, but that’s a LONG time to have to wait.
I can’t remember the magazine, but I once got a rejection for a story I’d submitted a good 2 years earlier. I’d forgotten I even sent the thing in and had already sold it about a year earlier.
Sorry TG Day was painful, and WOWZA! Gorgeous Art!
Thanks, sweetie. I hope your Thanksgiving was hella better than mine!
Thanks, sweetie. I hope your Thanksgiving was hella better than mine!
Sorry TG Day was painful, and WOWZA! Gorgeous Art!
That’s weird. Tramadol did absolutely nothing for me, didn’t even dull my pain. Tried it with the tylenol and without on docs orders and in the end moved on to a different thing I think in the same class that actually numbs the arthritis in my ankle quite a bit!
I’m usually quite susceptible to medication. Tramadol used to knock me totally out to the point of making me fuzzy-headed and groggy the following day. But recently, it’s only barely taken the edge off . . . in addition to making me queasy. Not really a good tradeoff, there. I might need to petition my doctor for something with more oomph.
I’m usually quite susceptible to medication. Tramadol used to knock me totally out to the point of making me fuzzy-headed and groggy the following day. But recently, it’s only barely taken the edge off . . . in addition to making me queasy. Not really a good tradeoff, there. I might need to petition my doctor for something with more oomph.
That’s weird. Tramadol did absolutely nothing for me, didn’t even dull my pain. Tried it with the tylenol and without on docs orders and in the end moved on to a different thing I think in the same class that actually numbs the arthritis in my ankle quite a bit!
Oh, Eugie, the artwork is just BEAUTIFUL! 😀
Thanks, Maggie! I am muchly enamored with it.
Thanks, Maggie! I am muchly enamored with it.
Oh, Eugie, the artwork is just BEAUTIFUL! 😀
Glad you’re feeling better
Hurray on the feeling better front. Suckage is defined by spending a holiday weekend whimpering in undesired pain.
As for the Tramadols, well, I’m sure there are people out there who enjoys recreational queasiness. They probably have a website all chock full of pics that I think I’d rather not see.
Re: Glad you’re feeling better
Glah. Thanks for that mental image! I actually brought up Google to see if I could find this potential website, but then wisely reevaluated.
Re: Glad you’re feeling better
Glah. Thanks for that mental image! I actually brought up Google to see if I could find this potential website, but then wisely reevaluated.
Glad you’re feeling better
Hurray on the feeling better front. Suckage is defined by spending a holiday weekend whimpering in undesired pain.
As for the Tramadols, well, I’m sure there are people out there who enjoys recreational queasiness. They probably have a website all chock full of pics that I think I’d rather not see.
Oh, I love that illustration!
On an unrelated note, when I first read your entry, I thought you said Hobkin and took turns sitting on you.
Hee! As it happens, Hobkin does like sitting on me (as well as with me), but yeah, not so much 
.
Hee! As it happens, Hobkin does like sitting on me (as well as with me), but yeah, not so much 
.
Oh, I love that illustration!
On an unrelated note, when I first read your entry, I thought you said Hobkin and took turns sitting on you.