My second sale of 2019 went live at midnight on January 1st, 2020, with Syntax&Salt’s final issue. (A short, sad-but-sweet tale of ghost cats, corporate life, and learning to move on.)

This year I’m dialing back on the submission goals to focus on editing and finding my way. 2019 was rough–a lot of work for very little effort–and while I know the adage that “every overnight success is 20 years in the making”, it’s cold comfort sometimes. Five magazines closed while I had submissions there.

Five.

There’s so much out of my control that it’s overwhelming, sometimes.

A Quiet Afternoon closed with a very respectable 75 submissions. We’re still deciding the acceptances, but we are pleased with the results so far and excited to begin Phase Two of the anthology (copy-editing and design).

I’m currently at 25 queries for Space Crazies, will probably go for a nice round 100, and then stop. I don’t know if I will bother querying Fletcher & Cooper. I will edit it and send it off to beta-readers who are excited for it, but beyond that, probably nothing. I don’t know if I have it in me to watch a fifth novel fail. But we’ll see.

Oh yes and I am still on anti-depressants and that reminds me I need to get my dose checked.

As ever, I’ll do what I can. I haven’t given up yet. Even baby steps are forward progress.