03.03.2008
You ever wake up in the morning with that slightly sickly feeling? Yeah, that's pretty much how I'm feeling this morning. I can't tell if I'm just dry because of the god damned radiator that runs 24/7 in my fucking apartment or whether I am actually getting sick, but either way, something's not right...
But whatever...
The big news today is that I received my rejection from Heliotrope for Drug Enforcement. It came after 44 days.
Now, the guidelines on the site say that they respond within 30 days, so 44 is obviously longer than that. And here's how it was addressed in the letter:
First I want to apologize for any delay, I am in the middle of a move and building a winter home and thus I have been delayed a bit on response time regarding Heliotrope. For that, my most sincere apologies.
He's building his own home? That alone is beyond cool. But moving is one of those things that's always crazy and unpredictable. Honestly, the guy could have responded after three months and that would have been fine. But with a move going on in the meantime, it's more than understandable.
I mean, I'm planning on moving later this year and I seriously doubt I'll have time to write anything once the whole process starts. So reading other people's shit is definitely low priority.
He then went on to say:
Thank you for your giving us an opportunity to read your submission for consideration to be published in the Winter 2008 (issue#4) issue of Heliotrope. Unfortunately, we regret to inform you that Drug Enforcement ... doesn't suit our present needs and we wish you the best in finding a home for it.
Well... if you're going to be so nice about it, okay. Thanks for letting me submit it.
Seriously. No, really, seriously.
This was my first rejection from Heliotrope but, if this is the response I get from them, I totally want to be rejected from them in the future.
This also marks the sixth rejection for Drug Enforcement for a total of 185 days on editor's desks. This makes Drug Enforcement my most rejected piece, hands down. I have a bunch at four, but none at five, and this is the only one at six.
Also, for those of you keeping score at home, this marks my fourth rejection for the year.
Since both Drug Enforcement and Ayla Athena are back from their markets, I think that I'm going to do another line edit on Ayla then follow my plan of submitting Ayla to Fantasy & Science Fiction and Drug Enforcement to Asimov's Science Fiction.
Yeah... that should do it.
On another note, I finished a new story over the weekend called The Legend of Varad Ranjani or Those Close Minded, Short Sighted Bastards on Earth, perhaps my longest title ever but checking in at only 3,700 words. I'm doing line edits now and will add it to the rejection queue once I'm done. I think I can send it just about anywhere.
And that's it, kids. Rejection number thirty-eight is in.