HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13TH, Y’ALL!
Make sure you set out some cookies and milk for Jason Vorhees tonight.
Also: happy almost-spring-equinox, when nature starts to wake from its slumber in earnest, and we remember that being alive isn’t always a suck-fest. Well… almost always.
I come to you with news, and good tidings! I mean, something good is bound to happen, right? Everything else is going to shit, so we might as well celebrate with a fiddle jamboree while Rome burns to a crisp.
First of all: the bad news. I’ve gotten a TON of rejections lately. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, though. The 26 rejections I’ve received so far this year are only a fraction of the 74 pieces I’ve submitted. Which means, there’s plenty more where that came from! I kid, of course. Rejections are just the present saying it’s not the future yet… or something like that. I don’t quite remember. But I’ve learned a tough truth from all these editors that don’t want my stories: I’m not for everyone. I read you loud and clear, publishers! Loud and clear.
Yet, I persist. I’ll tell you more, too. I have secretly set a goal for myself — a CHALLENGE, even! In 2026, I have vowed to submit at least one story per day. That seems excessive, you’ll say. Bold and insane! “Mike,” you’ll plead in an imprecatory way, “that’s a total of 365 submissions! You’ll never make it, aiming so high! Think of the children!“
Well, to that I say… I do think of the children. And they’re fine, trust me. And another thing: 365 subs a year doesn’t mean 365 original stories written and submitted. As stories get rejected, I will turn right around and submit them again to the next press, magazine, or anthology. I’m just that ambitious! And yes: sometimes I take a second (or 32nd) look at my story after a rejection, examining why it didn’t make the cut. Too much humor? The ending fell flat? Must I punch up the climax? Punch out a character? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, I go to work, polishing and altering the piece to my absolute satisfaction. But then, into the flue and on the hot coals it goes! Let’s try again and see if we’ve got it right this time.
There’s one story, a supernatural witchy dramedy set in the 1980s, that’s been rejected 8 times. EIGHT, people! That’s the most times any of my stories have gotten rejected. Yet, this latest rejection might have helped me crack the code. The editor gave more personal feedback that they tend to share, and disclosed his reason for rejection. And something clicked. Of course! I instantly jumped into the doc.x file and added the exact thing that was missing. I heightened the story’s dramatic climax, upping the stakes and sealing the protagonist’s emotional arc. I then submitted the tale to a 9th publisher. Surely now… no?
IN OTHER NEWS
And now: less sad news! I’ve gotten a TON of stuff published this month. And there’s plenty more on the way! Let’s examine it all in turn, shall we?
- My body-horror story “The Blight” appeared in Carnage House #10 by Carnage House Publishing.
- My sci-fi mystery tale “Trouble on the Artemis” appeared in the Hidden Villains: Duos anthology by Inkd Publishing.
- My horror drabble “Shattered” will appear on Trembling with Fear by horrortree.com on March 15th.
That’s a lot of pubs for one month, right? And there’s quite a few things coming down the pike, too. I’m pretty excited to have such a diverse roster of work seeing the light of day. My first extreme horror piece? Check. My first science fiction mystery rom-com? Check. Another drabble that helps get my name out there? Check, indeed!
There’s plenty more experimental and unusual work to surface this year, believe you me. But for now, I’m basking in the diverse, weird, wonderful worlds I’m creating. March is a mixed bag of cold wind and warming sun, but for now, permit me to indulge in a poetic observation: the air is fresh, the grass is young, and the days are elongating like our national debt. What’s not to love?
Have a great month and take care, reader friends!
MR