A Writer’s Notebook: not really a notebook, just a passed note in class

Maybe you’re young enough that every note you’ve ever passed in class was in the form of a text message. But not me. I remember when all passed notes were on intricately folded sheets of notebook paper, often torn out of spirals, and handed cupped palm to cupped palm below desk-level or handed off inContinue reading “A Writer’s Notebook: not really a notebook, just a passed note in class”

Smile like you’re up to something

Over at Jersey Devil Press, we’re at it again. What, exactly, we’re up to, though, is a little harder to pin down — this issue is all about ambiguity! But let’s just say we’ve got the end of the world to worry about, ghosts to interview, cat entrails to clean up, and loads of otherContinue reading “Smile like you’re up to something”

A Writer’s Notebook: Texas and a chapbook introduction

I just spent all morning working on a chapbook I can’t submit because I misread the guidelines — the press was asking for more than half the stories be unpublished. My chapbook contains mostly published stories. I’m a victim of my own success, I guess? Anyway, I was just beginning to revise the introduction forContinue reading “A Writer’s Notebook: Texas and a chapbook introduction”

Jersey Devil Press announces its first-ever novella contest

Heads up, writers and readers: Jersey Devil Press, the magazine I work for, is announcing its first-ever novella contest. Which is awesome for two reasons: 1) Even though novellas seem to be coming back into vogue and lots of publishers are dabbling in contests of one sort of another, they still don’t get the attentionContinue reading “Jersey Devil Press announces its first-ever novella contest”

A Writer’s Notebook: story opening from an old notebook (Retro #3)

It’s been busy this week, what with the website relaunch and all. So I’m back to old notebooks (ridiculous misspellings and all). When Samson — for he only went by his stage name now — heard from the hospital staff that all the vomiting and bloody diariah was from a rupture ulcer, that his pallor and frailtyContinue reading “A Writer’s Notebook: story opening from an old notebook (Retro #3)”

Not-really-new publication

About a month ago, I was thrilled to have my story “Barefoot in the Guadalupe” appear in Red Dirt Review. (Editor John G. Hartness was extremely kind in his comments on the story, which made the publication all the cooler.) Now, the collected issue of Red Dirt Review — Volume 2 — is available in print orContinue reading “Not-really-new publication”

Big news for teen authors!

Today, One Story magazine, one of the finest, most respected voices in literary publishing, announced that they are launching an offshoot just for teen authors, One Teen Story. I’ve been a huge fan of One Story since I first met publisher Hannah Tinti at an AWP conference some six years ago. And I’ve been aContinue reading “Big news for teen authors!”

Merry freakin’ Christmas (don’t worry, we do Thanksgiving and New Year’s, too)

It’s been a good week for publications. On Monday, my story “Barefoot in the Guadalupe” appeared in Red Dirt Review, and the same day I got word that I’ll have a story in Scintilla sometime in the future. Then today, Jersey Devil Press‘s special Holiday Half-Issue my colleagues and I have been working on turned upContinue reading “Merry freakin’ Christmas (don’t worry, we do Thanksgiving and New Year’s, too)”

Who’ll get me a book I ain’t read….

Oh, where to begin? It seems like the publishing market — or, at least, the small press and indie lit markets — like to work in tandem, with everyone publishing stuff all at once. It’s like our literary periods are in synch or something. I say this because a lot of my friends and acquaintancesContinue reading “Who’ll get me a book I ain’t read….”

New publication

Just a quick note about a new story of mine, though “new” is a bit misleading — I actually wrote the first draft of this one something like a decade ago and have been revising and retooling it ever since. A while back I finally got it where I wanted it, and it’s been makingContinue reading “New publication”