This is kinda-sorta an "author's notes" post but without the spoilers. After a few months of quiet, I have a flurry of writing news. Horror d'oeurves features my flash piece, "Slips of Yew," a title I lifted from Shakespeare's "Scottish play." Okay, Macbeth. I guess it isn't bad luck to reference Macbeth in writing, just theater. Or is it theatre?
When I used to teach Macbeth, I'd show the rather grim and bloody Roman Polanski version. Yes, some moments are silly (e.g., a sleepwalking (in the nude) Lady Macbeth). Thanks for that, executive producer Hugh Hefner. Like anyone slept in the buff in a drafty Scottish castle, but I digress (again). The third of three witches in the film was younger than the others and Polanski/his writers chose to make her mute and assign her lines to the other two. "Slips of Yew" was born as I imagined her voice.
Imagine the excitement when I warned a room full of high school seniors (mostly boys) that we'd see nudity when I showed them the "something wicked this way comes" scene. Now imagine the shock and revulsion when the nudity was a cave full of old hags. Awesome. Those were the days...
Anyway, "Slips of Yew" to Horror d'ouerves marks my third official professional sale (5 cents a word or better)--fourth overall if you count a contest I won a few years ago. Unfortunately, it, added to my other professional sales, runs 1,000 words short of the ascribed 7500 word count/3 pieces threshold to be an active member of the HWA. So be it. I'll keep writing. Thanks to editor Shane Staley for picking up my little bit of darkness.
There's more, too, like "Lucky Numbers" in Dark Moon Digest #16. What's the skinny behind "Lucky Numbers"? Let's just say it might not be a good idea to cast a mask of your recently deceased loved one (post burial, even). And because everyone loves cover art:
The issue isn't officially out yet, but will be soon. Speaking of soon... I'm up at
Every Day Fiction again on Wednesday. More
soon.
My surreal little tale His Name Carved on Empty Space is available to read at Every Day Fiction. And in other news, apparently ARCS for Theatre have arrived at my house (you are forgiven UPS man), but I can't touch (or lick) them as I'm in work. Is it home time yet?
It's time to get back on my hamster wheel and be a productive little critter for the next twelve months, or until Christmas. Christmas sounds good. Actually, Christmas sounds awful--cold and too much food and dark nights. If only it could be summer forever.
I've had a fantastic break from work, been to lovely and sunny places - I
♥ Wales - actually that statement isn't news as I've always loved Wales, but this year the sun shined and actually burnt. Burn is not good, especially when you're at an age were you should know better than to turn lobster red in the sun. Thankfully, the kids returned home pasty. My niece rubbed so much suntan lotion into her skin she was like a slippery eel.
We played in the sea, someone got pooped on by a loose-bowelled seagull, I won a big fluffy chimpanzee and a slightly-less fluffy dog and lost a fair few pounds in the process (the jangling kind), I griped about the price of candy floss (cotton candy) - £2.50 - what!!!! But thankfully, the candy floss on this side of the border was cheaper so I did have a bag or two in almost as sunny England.
I read, read, and read some more. Nearly a hundred short stories (Interzone, Black Static, The Zombie Feed, Never Again, Spook City, BFS Journal, Postscripts), devoured a graphic novel (Anya's ghost) novellas (Unearthed, The Door to Lost Pages, No Traveller Returns) and novels (Water for Elephants, The Robe of Skulls), meaning I've made a dent in my to read pile. Albeit a tiny dent.
Writing-wise, I edited and edited and edited
In the Broken Birdcage of Kathleen Fair, I completed a new short story
Disregarding Rabbit Holes, started work on another short that is as yet untitled, and cut some words from the unfinished second draft of my novel
The Ghosts of Folding Time and started layering in extra spookiness and removing a giant robot. And my story,
His Name Carved on Empty Space, was accepted by Every Day Fiction (and will be published this Wednesday). There was
Theatre and
Nowhere Hall and
Barbed Wire Hearts news, one of which involved the posting of signature sheets which I am eagerly awaiting delivery of.
If I owe you an email, I will get back to you very, very soon. My inbox is awash with goodness. Now to twitter... I mean, put my head down and write.
It's good to have some writing news to share (what with the on-going reconstruction of my house).
"What Julie's Dad Doesn't Know" is live today at Every Day Fiction. Give it a read, eh?
You can read my journeyman story, "Soul Marbles", at Every Day Fiction today. I use the word journeyman because a few top-notch flash markets have held it for "final review" and then rejected it in the end. I'm glad it finally has a home.
Is it speculative? I'll leave that for you to decide (and you will have to decide). As always, I appreciate the read, the rating, and any comments, good or bad, you choose to make.
I'm off to our "league" forensics meet today. It would be nice to bring home the banner...
"Cookies" is posted at Every Day Fiction. I could have predicted the response. No, it isn't a story for "everyone".
Hammer away, folks. At least it's Memorial Day Weekend and I won't have to face that much abuse.
My story Leviathan's Moving Theatre is today's story over at Every Day Fiction. I'd love it if you could head over there, read it and comment on the Every Day Fiction site. And to celebrate (okay I'd have been doing it anyway), I'm spending the day at the beach with my little niece, my little nephew and my big hulking nephews. Finally a nice summer's day hits England.
In other news, Cate and her new laptop sat up in bed until way after midnight last night working on a short story. Laptop for the win.
The folk at Every Day Fiction have listed the Table of Contents for May. My story 'Leviathan's Moving Theatre' is up on Sunday 24th, and next month you can also read stories by Aaron Polson, Jonathan Pinnock, Robert J Santa, and Joshua Scribner.
May's Table of Contents
May 1 John Jasper Owens - Alice After the Mall
May 2 Frank Byrns - A Familiar Face
May 3 Michael John Burrows - Less Than a Foot
May 4 Oonah V Joslin - Taken for a Ride
May 5 H. Lovelyn Bettison - Weekend Special
May 6 Megan Arkenberg - Carpathia
May 7 Mari Ness - The Otter
May 8 Wayne Scheer - Growing Up
May 9 Frank Roger - Blockers
May 10 Elizabeth R. Browne - Pop
May 11 Alexander Burns - The Squeeze
May 12 Robert J. Santa - A Life Undone
May 13 Paul A. Freeman - Manna from Heaven
May 14 Nadia Jacobson - Photographic Memory
May 15 Aaron Polson - To Make Things Right
May 16 Angela Carlton - The Man Named Ray
May 17 Bosley Gravel - A Gift
May 18 John Woodington - A Letter to the Girl I May or May Not Have Slept with Last Night
May 19 Patsy Collins - Fireworks
May 20 Robert Swartwood - Incomplete
May 21 Nancy Wilcox - Jacko’s Bar
May 22 Nicholas Ozment - The Bride’s Tail
May 23 Elizabeth Crocket - Angela’s Choice
May 24 Catherine J Gardner - Leviathan’s Moving Theatre
May 25 J.C. Towler - Purse Things
May 26 Diane Hoover Bechtler - Choice Snow
May 27 Lydia Ondrusek - Shift
May 28 Sister Blister - The Cedar Fever Defense
May 29 Jonathan Pinnock - Ignorance of Chemistry
May 30 Joshua Scribner - Portals
May 31 Trevor Foley - After I Built a Time Machine
The key to getting an acceptance: stop obsessing about them and they roll in.**
Okay, crawl in might be a more appropriate word. After two rewrites (yep, you read the math right) Leviathan's Moving Theatre has been accepted by Every Day Fiction. Publication date as yet unknown.
*Title guaranteed to anger Publishing Gods
**Not guaranteed to work.
It's not every day you get an acceptance - because frankly that would be a) weird and b) very tiring (I mean, trying to complete a story a day to keep up with your quota - Phew!) - but I did get one today from...
EVERY DAY FICTION, who have accepted my flash story 'Burying Sam'.
I am so happy I could probably go without chocolate for a whole day - but I won't.
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Lovely piece, Cate. As I commented over at EDF, the imagery was just magnificent.
(The UPS man is one of my favorite people.)
Thanks, Aaron. And I hated the UPS man yesterday when he lied to me and didn't bring my books.
Awesome story, and surreal as ever. Or is it magical realism? :-P And how could you forgive the UPS man? A pox on him, I say!
Look on the bright side, Gardner... some of us are going to have to wait till December for us to touch/lick/ read them. ;-)
As I posted on Everyday Fiction:
Surreal indeed! And strange. And fantastic :)
Super cool and super strange. Lovely work, Cate.
Thanks, Anthony. I'm the forgiving sort. Although the UPS man who comes into work (different guy) said he was a little afraid to come in today. I must be really scary.
You're so deprived, Simon.
Thanks, Danielle
Thanks, Deborah
I've often been called that, Cate. Or something spelt almost the same. ;-)
Wonderful story - I've commented over at EDF, Congratulations on this, Cate.
Excellent!