The Doldrums

I've got so many projects and so little energy for any of them.

Darn you seasonal allergies!!!

On another note

Two rejections followed in short order by a contract. My story "the Un-Kosher Golem" will appear in Baconology: Fried Bits of Horror by Library of the Living Dead Press.

Yay!

Rejections Still Sting

I just heard from the folks at Tor.com that they're going to pass on "Closing Time at Galaxy Video." That wasn't unexpected, Tor is a hard market to crack.

I also received a rejection from James Roy Daley for "Gilgamesh", my submission for his Zombie Kong anthology. His note was friendlty and encouraging, and suggested that he liked the story but that it just wasn't a good fit.

Rejection is easier these days than when I first started out. I think my first rejection was a form letter from Omni magazine for a flash fiction story I wrote in college. I was so crushed by that and a few other rejections that I stopped sending stories in for about 20 years.

Rejection is part of the business. Since I started writing again I've had more than 20 stories accepted, and that affirmation helps a lot. It also helps when you get an encouraging note with the rejection and (IMO) shows a lot of class on the editor's part. Just the same, even the kindest rejection still stings, and I find myself wondering if my stories are complete rubbish and whether I should just stop.

If you've ever felt this way, I can sympathize. My only advice is what I tell myself: "Don't quit. Keep writing and keep sending those stories to people who might reject them. When an editor gives you encouragement, take it to heart. When an editor gives you criticism, take that to heart too and learn all you can from it. But as long as there are stories in you that want to be told, don't ever give up!"

News

Because I don't update this silly thing enough.

First, good news on the weird westerns front. The long delayed TALES FROM THE CAULDRON is moving ahead again with a new editor. That means that "Trail of the Brujo" should see print in the near future. That is a story in which gunfighter and monster-hunter Mysterious Dave Mather takes on a centuries old sorcerer. Also, another Mysterious Dave story called "Wolfers" has been picked up by LEATHER, DENIM AND SILVER: LEGENDS OF THE MONSTER HUNTERS.

Also, MORE TALES OF ZORRO is out from Moonstone and the book looks great. It features two stories of mine, "Zorro and the Bruja" and my collaboration with Richard Dean Starr, "Just Like Magic."

If you notice a similarity in a couple of the titles (eg Brujo/Bruja) that's not accidental, but I'll leave you to figure out what metafictional connection there could be.

Green Hornet Review

Dr. Wesley Britton of Bookpleasures.com has posted a nice review of The Green Hornet Chronicles.

There's a deserved nod to Richard Dean Starr's story and overall praise for what I agree is a a very nice anthology.

That's my opinion, at least, even if I am "just a fan."

;-)

My Interview

I was recently interviewed by First Comics News about the Captain Action / Green Hornet crossover story I'm working on for Moonstone.

Fun Stuff!

BTW, the picture is the Green Hornet accessory kit to convert the Captain Action toy to the Hornet. I only ever had the Batman accessory kit, but this still brings back fond childhood memories.

Winter Special

I'm doing a short, but historic, prose story for Moonstone's Captain Action Winter Special.

"Reflections in Green" will feature the first ever crossover story of Captain Action and the Green Hornet.

The story is a lot of fun to write (though I keep wanting to make it longer than the format will allow). It's also nostalgic for me as I can remember when both characters came out in 1966. Captain Action was the original superhero action figure, and my favorite toy. The Green Hornet was right up there with Batman and Star Trek as my favorite TV show, though, sadly, it went away after one season.

There's another connection besides my childhood fandom. The Captain Action toy had a set of disguises you could buy to transform him into a whole variety of superheroes including The Green Hornet.

It's amazing the cool ways things come together sometimes.

The story is still in progress but here is the cover by the talented Reuben Procopio.