Glass Maze Every jumbled pile of person

Lightning Strikes Twice

Holy crap. Weird Tales accepted another one of my stories. If there was an emoticon for “capering around room and hooting like a madman”, I’d definitely be using it right now. But there isn’t. I am struck, once again, by the stunted expressive power of emoticons.

The last time I got published was in high school, in the literary magazine. It was called Ladyfair, a sort of heavily-veiled stream-of-consciousness paean to a girl I was infatuated with at the time. I remember that pretty well, but I can’t remember the girl’s name anymore, or what she looked like. My memory routinely betrays me like that — on any given day, I can barely remember what my high school was called, or what color socks I’m wearing, or how many hands I have. But I still remember that story. So my poor leaky brain is capable of holding onto stuff, if it finds it important enough.

The first Weird Tales story, Creature, comes out in March, in the 85th anniversary issue. I think I’m going to remember that, too.

Congratulations on the sale!

:) Thanks Kater.

That is two! Or is it only bad things that happen in three’s? Well, here is hoping it is good things.

congrats! How about posting this on Absolute Write?

Z: Thanks man.

Keyan: Yeah, good point. I’ve been terrible about keeping up with the group in general. Must delve back into the fray.

Wow! Congrats! Can’t wait to read ‘em.

Hey Betsy! Nice to hear from you.

Congrats on Creature & your 2nd acceptance at Weird Tales!

I’m an aspiring Weird Fiction writer myself with polymorphic hands–early mornings & Sundays they bang out weird prose, but by day they switch interface references in favor of Java code…

I’ve been reading my target pubs religiously, with special attention to Weird Tales & the new writers making their first sales there–Bob Bodey’s Body Parts, Renovations, Creature.

I’ve also been researching editorial process, and would appreciate any peek behind the editorial curtain such new writers can provide. Has your experience with Weird Tales and Ann Vandermeer been along the lines Ellen Datlow describes in an interview?

“Very few stories are so perfect that they can’t use the critical eye of an editor. Throughout my career I think I’ve seen maybe three or four that needed absolutely nothing. Many stories come in that I like a great deal but that I feel need work– from just a light line edit to a major rewrite…Anyway, the first go-through questions and tries to address the more major problems in the story (that is, of course, if I like the story enough to invest the time and energy in it in the first place).”

Any light you can shed on editorial process with respect to Ann VanderMeer and company?