Dragon on Noise Phactory

No new short-shorts, I'm sorry to say (the novel I'm working on has metastasized, while job, house, and family situations have all come to a rolling boil) but here's a little side project: a collaboration with a sound technician. We've recorded a half-dozen microfictions (OK, one of them is microfact) and he's in the process of adding sound effects.

There are 4 pieces up so far: "Chihuahua Racing," "Bears Think They Know Everything," "Love Potion," and "The Pain of Withdrawal." In the near future, look for "Postmodern Prometheus" and "Grow! Grow! Grow!"

Check out Noise Phactory for some aural pleasure.

My Writing Life

Five years ago, the publishing company Daw sent me a letter explaining that my novel had "passed first read" and was under consideration. I sent follow-up queries in 2008, 2009, 2010 asking if they had any plans to actually publish it, or reject it, or what.

This week, I received a carefully worded and apologetic letter from the acquisitions editor. He didn't come out and say he wished me the best of luck placing my work elsewhere, but that's what he meant. And it was still the most attention my novel has gotten from an editor :(

On the plus side, my short story "Dog in the Machine" is out in the 17th issue of New Myths and you can read it here!

NaNoWriMo

I do have a short-short in the works for November, but I'm also doing NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, also known as "30 days and nights of literary abandon." If you'd like to find, follow, or friend me there, my username is "Echina." Best wishes to all writers :)

Two and Counting

I sold another short story!

"The Dog in the Machine" will appear in the December issue of NewMyths.com. It's the heartwarming tale of a reformed supervillain, his talking dog, and an elaborate plot to save the world from itself.

Special thanks to KJ Kabza who helped me understand how to cut a peripatetic narrative almost in half to reveal the shimmering transect within.

First!

Obviously, this blog has been on hiatus for a while as I'm busy with a lot of other projects, but here's some good news for my few loyal fans: after 5 years of supporting myself solely with my (non-fiction) writing, I have sold my first short story! This is amusingly ironic, as I was coming to the point of despair regarding even publishing a piece of fiction, let alone selling one. So the fact that my first publication is also a semi-professional sale is somewhat reassuring.

The speculative short story "Spin Free" will appear in the January issue of the journal Bards and Sages.

New Format

Funny thing, the Internet.

This blog has been defunct for over a year, and yet it averages a dozen hits a day. Approximately 50% of you are looking for information about "flash fiction," "micro fiction," and "short-shorts." That's OK. I wrote that little essay defining these terms myself. My master's degree in fiction wasn't completely useless! Approximately 50% of you are here because you have Googled "wrestling erections." That's OK, too, My buddy Comrade Kevin wrote the (very short) book on that. Sometimes, terribly straight young men find themselves in a state of tumescence while wrestling. From my understanding, it's a not uncommon occurrence. If you are worried about getting a hard-on during wrestling practice, worry no more. It's perfectly normal!

I'm a hermit who lives under a rock, and maintaining an active community of writers writing for love may have been beyond my ability. But here's this blog, and here's me.

Possibly, I'll forget all about it in a day or so. But maybe Raincoat Flashers has a spark of life in it.

I'm dispensing with the writing prompts and the contest aspect. I'm a-gonna post my flash fiction here. Do you write flash fiction? Send it along and if I like it, I'll publish it too. Want to talk about books, writing, publishing, education? You can contact me at littledragonblue@gmail.com.