Here we are…. 2024 is almost over and what do I have to show for it?

I guess the biggest news would be winning the Santa Fe Writers Project Literary Awards with my short story collection, Bitter over Sweet (out November 2025 with special copies at AWP in LA).

I will admit that this year most of my brain has been dealing with the windfall, and fallout, of this amazing opportunity. I had to learn about marketing and branding and subrights - all things that were entirely new to me (even with a short story collection and an Novel in Flash already published).

I mean I kind of instinctively understood branding. I have been “working” on that since I got this website and built up my social media (which with the recent exodus from twitter has been failing but we do what we can).

Other than my book being accepted, I have had 25 acceptances this year with 28 publications. I think that’s pretty decent. Not one of my best years but not one of my worst.

I have scheduled pubs for spring from some of these acceptances because you know how that goes. Sometimes stuff gets accepted in summer and won’t get published until spring the following year, especially with the higher tiered mags. The Threepenny Review accepted my work in January and published it in print in fall.

I think that’s also the reason why I have less pubs and less acceptances because I have been submitting to harder to get into mags so that’s a risk I was willing to take.

I am at 197 rejections for the year as of writing this. I’m worried I won’t hit my 200 goal before the 31st. I am hoping for some last minute rejections being sent between Christmas and New Year but maybe everyone is taking a break or they don’t want to send rejections during the holidays, which are both valid reasons.

Also, I had 183 rejections in 2023 so I had a lot more rejections to acceptances this year than last. I think my acceptance ratio, according to Duotrope was about 15% last year and this year is closer to 13%.

Just thinking of all of this makes me tired lol

On to some good news! My Mythic Micro Anthology with Mythic Picnic should go live around the beginning of the new year. I hope that you are able to read this collection I have curated filled with wonder, joy, and maybe a little darkness, but most importantly a little light in the darkness that may be your twitter feed.

Finally, I forgot to mention the other big thing that happened this year… my AWP fundraiser. I haven’t hit my goal, but honestly, at this point, I have enough to cover everything that’s needed: plane fare, hotel, conference costs, transportation, and a few meals here and there.

I want to thank all of the amazing friends and fellow writers who have donated their time and money to my fundraiser. You are amazing!

I also want to say thank you to all of the editors and readers at the magazines who have accepted my work, and also to those who rejected my work, because you all are doing the work and I know most of you are also writers.

Okay… I think I have run on long enough. I hope that if you celebrate any holidays during this time, that they are going well and that you have time and space for yourself when things get too overwhelming.

Sending light and love and creativity now and into the new year! See you next week!