Latest Submissions: I just submitted a short-story for the October issue of eFiction Magazine.  The title of the piece is “Christmas”, for lack of a better name and for no other reason than it takes place at Christmas.  If it gets accepted, I look forward to your opinions about the title and the story itself.

Until then, what do you think of the synopsis: In response to his mother’s dying regret that their family was not close, Jay Endow and his wife, Jayne, track down his estranged brother, Paul, only to discover that his brother exists in a world of dark secrets, the least of which may be that he is a serial killer.

Buttressed by my positive experiences with eFiction, I’m going to try hawking some of my short stories to actual paying markets.  It would be nice to be paid.  On the other hand, I like eFiction because it is a non-profit and any money earned from subscriptions goes to various charities supporting literacy.

Any Tomorrow: The Calling: So far the feedback has been very positive.  For instance, Maggie Duncan, author of Rarely Well-Behaved, posted, “Lol. I’ll tell you this isn’t usually my cup of tea, but you’ve sucked me in. ;-D You’ve made the physics completely understandable without talking down to the reader, and I’m already wary of those shimmers!”.  She later wrote that Any Tomorrow: The Calling has “brilliant moments in it”, the “descriptions and characterizations are excellent, as is your attention to historic detail”, and that she was “fascinated by the intersecting universes and want to know what happens with Dr. Linder and the warriors”.

I know that others have downloaded Any Tomorrow: The Calling and I expect to hear from them in the near future.  I also expect that there may be a review of Any Tomorrow: The Calling in the October edition of eFiction!  I’ll keep you posted.

Any Tomorrow: The Curse:  I previously posted a graphic of the cover art and have had some very positive feedback on it.  I had intended to publish the eBook this past weekend, but it was Labor Day, the weather was beautiful, and the yard was beckoning.  Instead of publishing, I helped my wife build a new garden.  I have no other excuse.  Soon, very soon, I will begin the publication process and get the files onto Amazon and Smashwords.  I promise.

What I’m reading:  The Autobiography of Mark Twain, Vol. 1.  I’ve started to work my way through the hundreds of pages of introductory material.  As tough as it is, I think that the background is essential to putting Clemens’ words in the historical context of his life.  I am a fan of Mark Twain, and the autobiography is filling in the gaps in my knowledge of Samuel Clemens.

I have also restarted Peter Turchi’s Maps of the Imagination: The Writer as Cartographer.  I mentioned this book in an earlier post, fell away from it, and now I am into it again.  Turchi’s insights into the writer’s craft are absolutely fascinating and so dead on.  If you’re looking for something that’s not your typical “how to be a writer” book, consider this Maps of the Imagination: The Writer as Cartographer.

If you have comments about this or any of my posts, please leave a comment by selecting the Leave a comment or Leave a Reply links.  I look forward to your comments.
© Copyright 2011 by Kevin Fraleigh.