News 3/10/11

Thought I should take a moment and fill you in on the latest with me. It's been a while since I've done that and, in case anyone wants to know, here it is.

I finally signed the contract for my first book deal Monday after three months of negotiations and delays. "The Worker Prince" will be released in August from Diminished Media out of Hudson, Michigan. YAY!

Meanwhile, I am on chapter 4 of the first sequel in the series. Things are going well, about a scene day, with a few breaks to do other stories and such. This week, I am a sponsored attendee at Rainforest Writer's Village on Lake Quinault, Washington. I hope to get more than my usual writing done. Lots of cool people here, including Kat Richardson, Mary Robinette Kowal, Jennifer Brozek and several Twitter friends. Good to be with them.

I also sold my first story to an anthology this week. It's "Cats & Dragons" from Dreamzion Publishing and comes out in April. Yep. It's a fast edit by my friend Dana Bell. So I'll soon have an anthology to see you with my story "Amélie's Guardian" about a dragon's friendship with a little girl. It's told in fairy tale style and, I'm told, a moving story.

I just submitted a story with a newly developed comedic character to the "Wicked Weeds" anthology edited by Jaleta Clegg. It's for Cyberwizard Productions, on the companies which was interested in my book. This story is about a demolitions expert named Duncan Derring with a ship name Trini, after the words for TNT. It's told in a noir style and was a lot of fun to write. I'd like to do a whole series. In the story, Duncan has to save a passenger liner from doom amidst space tumbleweeds.

I have stories currently out to The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Port Iris Zine, Daily Science Fiction and Tales Of The Talisman, which makes five submissions total.

I am hoping to finish two short stories here: one a revision, the other half complete, so that I can send them out as well. Hoping for my first semi-pro and pro sales very soon.

Beyond that, the "Space Battles" anthology is a go but held up negotiating a contract with the publisher. So once that's completed, I'll move things along with the invitations to writers. Also, I am trying to sell my "World Encounters" anthology which has commitments from some name writers.

Lastly, waiting to hear this month if I got accepted to UTEP's MFA in Creative Writing.

That's pretty much the latest on my writing. For what it's worth...