On Monday I had my first third party acceptance for a short story submission. The call was for an anthology titled “From the Dragon Lord’s Library,” and the anthology is scheduled for release in late Autumn. I will, of course, keep everyone posted with details as it gets closer.

For those who know me you may know that I’ve been trying my hand at short stories. There are many calls for submission out there, and when one grabbed my attention I flagged it. If inspiration hit, I would write the story and if it didn’t, then I would move on to the next. It has given me the opportunity to express myself in a new medium, short stories instead of novels, and fantasy/sf/horror rather than romance (although my paranormal romance series skirts that fantasy line).

The result up until now has been a fistful of kind rejections (and one curt one). To be fair to the publisher who flatly rejected me, the story I turned in was written in second person, a challenge all around. I love the story, but it isn’t to everyone’s taste. I’ve gotten used to rejection, and often lurk on the Absolute Write Water Cooler to remind myself that rejection is the name of the game. That knowledge made the acceptance I just received that much sweeter. There is nothing quite like seeing the words “I love your story” in print from someone other than friends and family. In addition, the idea that something I wrote will be published is exhilarating. It makes those rejections, kind or otherwise, easier to accept, knowing that another acceptance could be lurking around the corner at any moment.

It keeps me focused, and has invigorated me to tackle more short stories. There are lots of interesting calls out there. Every new one allows me to stretch my wings outside of working on my book series. Each time I see one that intrigues me I wonder “how can I write something fresh to this genre, or this idea?” I am never going to get rich answering these calls, but the writing is fun. In some cases crafting the stories have sparked new ideas, new thoughts for future novels or series. The effort of creating a story is never wasted.

To say I’m elated downplays the emotion. I think anyone struggling to get that first sale, will know how I feel. I hope it’s the start of more to come, but that isn’t a guarantee. I will keep trying. I already have some intriguing new calls bookmarked, waiting for ideas to leap into my head.

Claire