Shimmer, damn you, continues to tantalize with another nicely worded personal rejection.  At one point, E. Catherine Tobler referred to one section of the story thusly: “This felt like a skillet over the head.”  I appreciate the honesty, and I can handle it, believe me.  Given that I’ve got 209 rejections in under a year, no doubt she’s not the only one.  I really like Shimmer.  I’d really like to be in.  I’ll keep working on it.

Pulp Modern ain’t buying what I’m selling, but asked for more.  So I complied.

My story does not meet the needs of Electric Spec at this time.

Black Warrior Review has read my submission &c.

Jobbed will pass.

South Dakota Review thanks me &c.

The editor at Dirty Noir sent me the most congenial rejection I’ve ever received, three paragraphs long.  The next thing to being accepted, really.  He encouraged me send again, and I already have.

(I should note that I once received a rejection from Flywheel that was just as congenial, actually; David James Keaton, the editor, said he was arguing on the phone with a co-editor about the piece.  That’s not only congenial, it’s downright heart-cockle-warming.)

Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show thanks me &c.

Onirismes studied my story, then sent me a rejection with someone else’s name attached.  I will say that when I notified them of this, they acknowledged the mistake.  Though they didn’t take the story.

Clarkesworld thanks me, but &c.

Smokelong hopes I find a better fit elsewhere.

Not One Of Us wins the brevity prize – one line that they won’t be using this story.

My story “Gateway” is up now at Dirty Noir, a new crime, neo-noir, dark fiction, sexy pants webzine. “Gateway” is a bit of hot St. Louis, something I thought of while I was just down there, memories of heading across the Mississippi river to the “East Side” to buy beer in high school (and other things too).

They’re looking for dirty realism + noir of all kinds, under 1000 words. Happy to be up here for the launch issue with Eddy Rathke, McKay Williams, David James Keaton, and Andrez Bergen. Hop on over and give it a peek. If you DARE.