Hello, reader friends! Here’s the latest update from me, and you’ll never believe my latest development. Turns out, I’ve gone literary on you!
That’s right. All this time you thought I was a horror hound, a sci-fi stan, a fantasy freak, and a comedy connoisseur. Well, no more! Because in the last week alone, I’ve been published by not one but two literary magazines, with stories of non-speculative, character-driven literary fiction. That’s right! Weep, for I have sold out to the Man.
Or maybe it’s not that dramatic? These are just stories I wrote, with compelling narratives and character arcs, which serious editors read and decided to accept. I don’t know, maybe you can be the judge. Let’s look at who’s published me and what they think.
“Slaying the Hydra” was published in Across the Margin literary and cultural magazine
Despite the fierce-sounding title, my story “Slaying the Hydra” contains no actual hydras and zero slaying. It’s a wholesome tale about a high schooler named Reya, who struggles to make a life decision when visiting a career fair at the tail end of her senior year. Enter the loving grandmother, whose sweet demeanor and incisive perspective breathes new life into our heroine.
I absolutely love this story, despite its YA-fiction elements (which were largely unintentional). It’s earnest and hopeful in a way most of my stories aren’t. But I had a hell of a time trying to find takers for it. I submitted it to 6 different publishers (anthologies, literary journals, etc.) before it caught anyone’s eye. That is, until the editor-in-chief of the New York-based Across the Margin lit mag sent me, among other things, this message:
“We love this story. If still available we would be thrilled to publish it.”
I’d say that’s an acceptance, wouldn’t you? What a rush, to finally meet someone who adores this simple human tale as much as I do. Go ahead and give it a read, it’s free! And once you have, check out my other new story…
“Boss-Lady” was published by The Brussels Review international literary journal
This outcome was a straight-up shock to me. I’ve been very motivated to submit stories to various European publishers — mainly around the United Kingdom, due to the whole English language thing — and it took me by surprise to find out that Belgian literary journal The Brussels Review accepts English-language pieces, and from overseas authors, to boot! I submitted this story, which I was at the end of my rope with, and waited with bated breath. Turns out, the Belgian editor resonated with my Ukrainian-born critique of American corporate culture, and the soul decay it’s liable to cause. Who knew?
Let’s roll it back, though. I originally wrote “Boss-Lady” for a British horror podcast about a year and a half ago, and it got rejected with no explanation. It also proceeded to be rejected by others, taking 4 total attempts to get publisher appreciation. This is a very personal story to me. While writing it, I was temporarily promoted at work into an interim manager position, which played havoc with my impostor syndrome, but also caused a lot of anxiety about supervising people who I’d viewed as peers and friends prior to this change.
This story was born as a fictional worst-case scenario of my potential career trajectory. There are no horror elements in it, except maybe the corporate pressure toward upward momentum contrasted with the sociological pressure to “stay real” and “don’t forget the little people.” There’s also a couple of character choices I played with that were fascinating to me, and I really went for it.
The editor of The Brussels Review must agree, because this is how he described the story in their promotional materials:
“A sharp, unsettling portrait of ambition, this story traces a woman’s rise into management—and the subtle moral compromises that follow. What begins as alienation turns into calculated control, revealing how easily empathy can give way to power in the modern workplace.”
Stop it, you’ll make me swoon! I’m honestly not used to getting such incisive analysis of my work, and it being from an international publication admittedly feels good. I’m glad my work is connecting with audiences the world over, not just in the good ol’ US of A. Speaking of which, a fun fact: this instance marks the fourth continent on which I’ve been published! I’ve had Black Hare Press in Australia buy 10 of my stories, I’ve been published by Wicked House Press in India (Southeast Asia) twice, and my remaining 20+ acceptances all came from the US or Canada. Now that I’ve bagged Europe, I just need to cross Africa and South America off my list, and then I’ll collect the whole set! (Unless there are publishers in the Arctic or Antarctica. Hmm…)
Anyway, that’s all a roundabout way to say: my story “Boss-Lady” has been thoroughly vetted for your reading pleasure and edification. Best of all, you can read it for free right now!
“The Siblings by the Fireplace” was published in Noncorporeal IV: Phantom Dusk by Inkd Publishing
Before I go, I feel like I need to reestablish my spooky cred. Yes, I’ve gotten some literary fiction placements lately, but at my core, I still gravitate toward more ethereal themes. Enter Noncorporeal IV: Phantom Dusk, an anthology of ghostly tales from my old friends at Inkd Pub. This book just dropped this week, and it’s a doozy. I am especially partial to a little story titled “The Siblings by the Fireplace,” which may have been penned by yours truly.
Yes! It’s another shameless plug, but that’s to be expected. This isn’t just a rote horror offering, either. I wrote “The Siblings by the Fireplace” specifically as a PG-rated spooky ghost story with melancholy and nostalgic vibes. By design there is nothing horrifying or even scary about it. The twin siblings who star in the tale, Frances and Edgar, must spend a snowy December in their grandparents’ house in upstate New York. The setting is the 1920s, and the siblings discover a family secret that has been haunting their family for generations.
This one almost reads like a Middle Grade story, with its 10-year-old twin protagonists leading the charge with compassion, humor, and curiosity. And while it’s not exactly surrounded by PG-rated tales in this anthology, I can promise you that I fully delivered on the premise of telling a supernatural (even noncorporeal!) tale with my offering.
The book is available to order on Barnes & Noble (Nook or paperback), Amazon (paperback), or as an eBook from several digital outlets. I earnestly hope you can enjoy this one for what it is: a heartfelt story of discovery and healing. Wow, I really have gone literary, haven’t I? Disgusting.
Stay safe and take care, reader friends!
MR