If at first you don't succeed...

I also submitted another short story to an anthology today, a story that's been bounced back to me more times than a very bouncy thing. And I can't quite put my finger on why—the story itself is a personal favourite, with lots of hidden depth and character development, and an ending I think refreshingly real for a fantasy tale. But do editors like it? Not yet. :-)

It's worked its way down all the appropriate pro markets until now I'm almost giving it away to the 'token payment' Johns.

I suppose all writers have at least one story that bemuses them in their ability to place it somewhere. This is submission number twenty-five for this story. Twenty-fifth time lucky, perhaps?

There may be eye strain ahead...

I submitted a short story today. Nothing unusual in that, you might say, but in actual fact I haven't submitted much of late. Why? I don't know, really, I just seem to go through such lean patches where not much takes my fancy.

I like writing stuff fresh for a particular project rather than merely recycling old stories hoping to hit an acceptance. This story was written for the Weird War anthology.

Weird War Anthology

I liked their comment about wanting stories featuring unusual protagonists. It inspired me to write a story pretty much with no obvious protagonist. Instead it centres around a British street in world war II, and brings the war to the inhabitants of that street, sometimes brutally, sometimes subtly, but always dispassionately. The result is a story with no heroes but lots of victims, and mirrors how I tend to see warfare anyway. I'm gambling this will elevate it from the slush pile. Of course, the gamble, as always, is that it might run totally flat with the editors. If they want Rambo characters then I'm done for. Time will tell.

I'm also psyching myself up to review an anthology which came to me as a PDF file. Had I paid more attention at the time I'd have not taken the review on, as the thought of reading 240 or so PDF pages on a screen fills me with dread. Coming fresh from reading 30k words or so from Shock Totem's bi-monthly flash competition, I anticipate eye strain ahead.

All out of love

I think I've fallen out of love with blogging. I mean, does anybody actually read the thing anyway? And if not, then surely it's just a load of old blather.

Birthday...

It's my birthday - I'm fifty today. And it's odd, because I still feel about sixteen in my head.

I didn't want a fuss, so a quiet day is in order; a few beers and a meal planned with the family is all it takes.

This is Mary's Moon and Black Static issue 22

Black Static issue 22 is now available.

In this issue is my story "This is Mary's Moon", the 'sister story' (in that it grew from the same seed before going its own way) to my tale "The Spring Heel", published in Haunted Legends anthology and itself gathering favourable reviews.

The artwork, by Dave Senecal and shown above, is rather special.

Also included is Pete Tennant's fabulous review of Burying Brian, in which Pete says such nice things as: "…the gentle humour that informs this work, the self-mocking way the characters have about them and the beguiling prose with which Pirie captures their actions and attitudes." and "…you marvel at Pirie's ingenuity and his ability to continually find some phrasing that will put a smile on the most curmudgeonly of faces…"

And as if that's not enough of me, there's also an interview in which I discuss amongst other things the battle of the sexes. If you want to know who won, and the fight was dirty I can say, then you need to buy Black Static 22.

It's available at: Black Static

Burying Brian Amazon review

Well, a rather spiffing customer review of Burying Brian has surfaced at Amazon.com.

The review can be read here: Amazon.com

How long?

Dear me, is it really that long since I wrote anything in here?

Tut, I say; tut and procrastination.

The biggest news on the writing front is that not only does the next (hopefully) issue of Black Static include a short story of mine named "This is Mary's Moon", but it also carries an interview with me, and has a review of Burying Brian.

Even jokingly I'd never dare suggest to them they rename it the Steven Pirie edition. :-)