The Bramble Path

I didn't post up stats for April, in part because Life Happened, and in part because very few writing/response type things did.

But May has been a very different matter. 

On May 4th I got word that Ruthless Peoples Magazine will be publishing my poem, "Adamsesque Outing."

Then, two days ago I found out that Strange Horizons is taking a flash length story of mine, "The Ghost of Onions."

And today I heard from the Escape Clause anthology.  They're buying what is probably my favorite of all the stories I've ever written, "Outside These Walls."


Pretty good inspiration to get back to work on writing :)

The last week has been interesting. 

First, I found out that two of my poems received Rhysling nominations,  "Some Random Hero" in the short category, and "On Waking" in the long category.

Two days ago I got word that my poem, "Scars," had sold to Dreams & Nightmares.

Earlier today I heard that Paper Crow will be taking three of my poems, "For Our Entertainment," "The Fool of the World," and   "Bleached."

And, as of this evening, the Aurora Award ballot is up on the  website for Anticipation  (this year's Worldcon, and also this year's host  of Canvention) and my poetry book, Through the Window: A Journey to the Borderlands of Faerie, is on that ballot, in the Best Work in English (Other) category.  Of course, it's up against On Spec, and Neo-Opsis amongst other powerhouses, but it's nice to make the ballot.

So... a good week all round :)

I have a pair of poems up in the latest issue of Silver Blade,   "Time and the Fey Lady's Lover," and "Alone by Moonlight."

I also have a story up at Mindflights, "The One With the Waggly Tail," which is rather a favorite of mine :)


Better still, I'm back to writing.  I wrote a shortish poem a few days ago, and today I madly scribbled down a flash story that haunted my dreams last night.  Now I'm reading my way through the crits coming in for the thing, and trying to come up with a title that works.  That's a good thing :)

My family has been battling revolving illnesses for the past month and a bit.  First there was a cold that made the rounds of all of us, then, as the last family member got better, the first ill came down with a nasty chest bug, that spread round the house again.  Jamie was the worst off, missing a week of school for the first cold, then, after a week back, being out for almost two weeks with the chest thing, followed by a nasty ear infection just as I was about to send her back to school again..   She was at school for a grand total of three days before she picked up some sort of stomach flu.  Corin got it Friday (making him miss his fencing test today), and now David has it.  I'm not feeling great, but hoping I avoid the worst.

In amongst all this I did get the March issue of Spaceports & Spidersilk in, hopefully not too adversely affected by everything.  And I wrote next to nothing this month, but I did sell two poems.  Sort of.  Even that was a bit of a mucked up situation, but maybe it will work out.

Happy February.  Bah.  Humbug.

I've already posted one entry about award season, but I left out one award, an important one I think.

The Aurora Awards are administered by the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association, and are sort of a Canadian version of the Hugos, in layout at least.  Any Canadian citizen or permanent resident is eligible to nominate works, and this year all nominations and voting can be done online.

I have discovered that my illustrated poetry collection,   Through the Window: A Journey to the Borderlands of Faerie  is eligible in the professional category Best Work In English (Other) - 2008.

If any Canadian would like to see a pdf of the book for Aurora consideration, please let me know, either by placing a comment here, or by emailing me at mtentchoff (at) dccnet (dot) com

Also, if anyone, of whatever nationality, is interested in reviewing the book for a blog or ezine or somesuch, I'll gladly hook them up with a pdf as well. 


Note -- The following Information is needed if you are interested in nominating Through the Window for the Aurora:

Author: Marcie Lynn Tentchoff
Tite: Through the Window: A Journey to the Borderlands of Faerie
Publisher: Double-Edged Publishing
Publishing Date: August 2008

When I went to gather up my stats for 2008 I realized that I don't keep as detailed records as most people, which is bad.  Therefore, I'm going to try to post monthly records of everything from stuff written, to subs out,  to sales.  I'll admit that I find it hard to know how to talk about poetry subs, since they are sent out in batches of up to five poems, so  for the sake of these records one submission refers to one submission package, however many individual pieces are in it.  Likewise, since no one expects every poem in a submission package of up to five to sell to that market, in these records a rejection is a response where the market buys none of the poems sent in one submission package.


So, for January:

Poems written: 4
Articles written: 1
Subs sent: 11
Rejections: 3
Subs still out: 6 (17 poems and 1 article total)
Stories sold: 1 
   
     "The One With the Waggly Tail" to Mindflights

Poems sold: 9

    "Midnight" to Star*Line
    "Riding Herd" to Star*Line
    "Safe as Houses" to Star*Line
    "Sun-Kissed" to Sybil's Garage
    "Blood Waltz" to Goblin Fruit
    "A Nuclear Winter's Carol" to Murky Depths
    "Nesting" to Space & Time
    "Nostalgia" to Kaleidotrope
    "Holes" to Kaleidotrope


January is always an unusually high sales month, for various reasons, including the fact that it's the start of the Star*Line winter reading period.   My writing stats for the month  were far lower than I'd intended, mostly due to a nasty flue type bug circulating through my family. Next month i hope to write more poems, and start on a YA novel that's been nibbling away at my brain for a long while.

The award nomination time of the year is once again upon us.  I've put together a file of my Rhysling eligible poetry from 2008.  If anyone wishes to read and consider the poems, just let me know.  Likewise, if anyone has poetry they would like me to read and consider, I'll gladly do so.

I have a lot of eligible poems this year (in part because of my Through the Window collection) but not many are online. Here are a few  links:

Some Random Hero  at  Strange Horizons  (June 23rd 08)
Princess at Ideomancer (June 08)
Hag-Rid  at Goblin Fruit (Winter 08)


The Preditors & Editors readers poll is also open. There are some great stories and poems nominated, including a poem of mine.  If you enjoy such things and have the time you might want to check out the poll and follow the links to varied and interesting works.

The HWA Stoker Awards are in the last two weeks of the recommendation round.  I've read some great eligible books, anthologies and collections and collections  this year, but I want to put in a quick and very heart felt plug for Heaven's Bones by Samantha Henderson, which I believe is eligible in the First Novel category.  The book is an excellent and very dark work, and I'm afraid that HWA members might not think to include it in their consideration.

I haven't kept track of how many submissions I've made, or rejections I've received. That information is scattered through my records, and I could probably figure it out, but I'm going to skip it for this year and try to be better organized next.

Writing:

stories - 2
poems - um...lots.  Another thing I didn't really keep track of :(

Editing:

Spaceports & Spidersilk - 4 issues
Mindflights - a year's worth of poetry
Aberrant Dreams  - another year's worth of poetry, then (recently) retired as poetry editor 

Sales:

2 stories
2 drabbles
48 poems

Publications:

Fiction -

"That Boy" to Bits of the Dead
"River of Stars" and "Timeless" to The Drabbler #10

Poetry -

Plague                                     Oddlands #2 (June 08)
Star Fall                                   Oddlands #1 (March 08)
Heat Thief Tanka                   Space & Time   (Oct 08)
On Waking                              Not One of Us   (Oct 08)
Berry Picking                          Hungur               (Fall 08)
The Mourning Glory               SDP Current Events (July 08)
Some Random Hero            Strange Horizons   (June 08)
In Sunshine                            Helix          (July 08)
Pure of Heart                          Kaleidotrope (Oct 08)
Star Chanty                             Scifaikuest    (August 08)
"Membrane mirrors" tanka   Scifaikuest    (Aug 08) online
"careful quilting" haiku          Scifaikuest     (Nov 08) print
Shears                                     Abyss & Apex Issue #27: 3rd Quarter 2008
Near Bailey's Pond                Mythic Delirium fall 08
Farm School                           Kaleidotrope (April 08)
Schooling                                Star*Line July/Aug 08
Unearthed                               Star*Line Sept/Oct 08
The Homeward Journey       Scifaikuest May 08
Tears of the New Girl            Beyond Centauri (April 08)
Fearsome                               Beyond Centauri April 08
the aprentice's fib                  Beyond Centauri (April 08)
The Real Reason Ogres Died Out Beyond Centauri (April 08)
Shelter                                     Beyond Centauri (April 08)
Not Dealing Well                   Not One of Us Home and Away antho (Jan 08)
Settlers                                    Hungur (Spring 08)
Sand Castles                         Illumen (Spring 08?)
grave dust haiku                    Scifaikuest (Feb 08)
The Changeling's Song       Aoife's Kiss (March 08)
Tailed                                       Starline (May 08)
Paper Cut                                Starline (Jan 08)
Here There Once Were Dragons   Dreams and Nightmares 79
Your Fairy Goth Mother         Aeon 14 (June 08)
Holiday                                    Aeon 13 (Feb 08)
Smoke and Shadows          Tales of the Talisman (Spring 08)
The Root of it All                    Champagne Shivers (Winter 08)
Princess                                 Ideomancer (June 08)
Furious                                   Mythic Delirium 18 (Winter Spring 08)
Abandoned                            Tales of the Talisman (Summer 2008)
Hag-Rid                                  Goblin Fruit  (Winter 08)

Poetry Collection:

Through the Window: a Journey to the Borderlands of Faerie  (Double-Edged Publishing)


There were a few very nice reviews of my work this past year, the most recent being a review of Through the Window in my local paper, much of which can be found online at: http://www.coastreporter.net/madison/WQuestion.nsf/CRentertainment/6B70D70B4FCFE5258825751C007E55EE?OpenDocument

The Year's Best Fantasy & Horror had a pleasant write up of my Sometimes While Dreaming collection from 2007, and three poems from that collection made the honorable mention list.  Sometimes While Dreaming also made the preliminary ballot for the Stoker Award.

In some ways, the biggest plus of 2008 is that I started writing stories again.  Only two, but both sold to the first markets I sent them to, so there's some proof that I can still do it.  My resolution for 2009?  More fiction writing, both story length and longer. 

My first order from the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab arrived yesterday.  I'd ordered six imps (sample size vials) and the lab through in an extra two as well.

Over all I ended up with:

Eclipse
Arkham
Aelopile
Dragon's Claw
Ode on Melancholy
Scherezade
Black lily
Namaste

I'm new to this and not trying to give a full review, but I can say that of the three I've tried so far,  Arkham just doesn't seem to work for me (I'll try it again when I'm not just getting over a cold), Dragon's Claw was very nice (I really like sandalwood), and I'm in love with Scherezade, but it's really, really strong.  It clings to everything I wear and touch.

I let my daughter try the Eclipse (she was fascinated by the name) and it was lovely and warm on her, all almonds and spicy vanilla.  I look forward to trying it myself.

Okay, I'm hooked :)

I've been slushing for the past three days.   For various reasons there has been quite a pile to go through, and the size of it has served to concentrate certain common problems that I see over and over again in submissions.

And so, with roots in my own frustration, but also in the hope that someone out there may gain something from it (though, really, the people reading this are not the ones who make these kind of mistakes) here is a list of my favorite new "Thou Shalt Not"s for submitters.

Please don't :

-- send me masses of poems that in no way match our content or guidelines, usually addressed to "Editor."

-- send me even more (as in 8-10 at a time) unsuitable, non-genre poems after I respond with a gentle reminder to read the guidelines.

-- have your spam blocker set to reject my response

-- have an auto response set up that informs me (when I respond to your sub) that you are busy and not reading mail that does not relate to your latest work in progress.

-- respond to my rejection with a list of reasons as to why I'm a bad editor for not buying your work.

-- write and submit form, rhyming poetry (which I love and am definitely looking for) if you are not willing to spend as much time perfecting the meter as the rhyme.  To me there are few things better than well done _strong_ rhyming poetry,  but the inherent hazard  in such forms is that every error, both in rhyme and meter, shows in a truly glaring way.   Also remember that form has to work with content, and does not take its place.

Rant complete...for now.  Sorry for interrupting your regular (and far more enjoyable) reading :)

I've been reading people's descriptions of BPALs, and i have to admit that I'm getting really... interested?  Enthralled?  Dangerously curious?


I went and took a look at the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab website...and it's huge. Scarily huge.   Assuming i wanted to dabble in this world of mystical scents, what would be the best way to start? 

My new, snazzily color illustrated poetry collection, Through the Window: A Journey to the Borderlands of Faerie, is now available through Amazon. Better still, it's currently on sale! If anyone is interested in a book of poems about the creatures of the Faerie borderlands, or in Michelle A McIntyre's lovely illustrations (one per poem), go take a look!

I have a new project coming out in the next few weeks from Double Edged Publishing. It's called Through the Window -- A Journey to the Borderlands of Faerie, and it's a collection of poetry set on the Faerie border. It will be sort of a mini coffee table book, a 8.5 x 8.5 paperback, with each poem facing a full page color illustration by talented fantasy artist, Michelle J. A. McIntyre.

I'm scarily proud of the book. It gave me a chance to experiment with different forms (both traditional and less so) and to explore different fantasy creatures and their outlook. It seems to appeal to middle grade readers right up to adults, which makes me happy.

Here's a digital version of the cover :)

Your result for The Camelot Test...

Lancelot

Take The Camelot Test at HelloQuizzy

I've fallen out of the habit of posting sales or monthly counts here (not that I was ever strongly in the habit, I guess) but I can say that during the month of June, one of my poems sold to Tales of the Talisman, and one to Abyss & Apex. July is already looking promising.

I also didn't mention that my poem "In Sunshine" is up at http://www.helixsf.com/poetry/Q1_tentchoff_insunshine.htm or that my poem "Princess" is up at Ideomancer http://ideomancer.com/main/ideoMain.htm and has received a really nice review from The Fix http://thefix-online.com/reviews/ideomancer-june-2008/

My poem "Some Random Hero" just went live at Strange Horizons. I'm happy :)

http://www.strangehorizons.com/2008/20080623/tentchoff-m.shtml

May just keeps getting better and better in terms of sales.

Since reporting my two poem and one story sales earlier this month, I've added six more poetry sales, one to Strange Horizons, one to Helix, one to Raven Electrick, and three to Scifaikuest. And today I found out that a piece of flash fiction which has been sitting on the hold pile for the Bits of the Dead zombie anthology has just been accepted.

I could get used to this.

What Is Your Battle Cry?

Running over the mini-mall parking lot, carrying buzzsaw hand extensions, cometh Mtentchoff! And she gives a low bellow: "I'm going to pulverize you until the cops have to tear me off your wraithly spirit!!"

Find out! Enter username: Are you a girl, or a guy ?

created by beatings : powered by monkeys

The last few months have been very slow for sales, with only a few poems being accepted (one each to Space & Time, Not One of Us, and Hungur) but these first few days of May have been much better. Already I've sold two poems this month, one to Ideomancer, and one to Sam's Dot Current Events, and this morning I woke up to even better news.

The fairy tale I wrote in March, really the first piece of story length fiction I've written in years, just sold to Cabinet des Fees. "The Woman of Ebonstone Hill" will be in the Oct./Nov. 2008 issue. I'm happy :)

In editing news, I've been keeping mostly on top of my Aberrant Dreams poetry slush, but this coming week will, for the most part, be dedicated to making my final choices for the next issue of Spaceports & Spidersilk. I've been holding off, hoping for a few more middle grade SF stories/poems to balance out all the fantasy I receive.

In non writing/editing news, I'm neck deep in crazy season, school year wise. Even the extracurricular stuff peaks around now, and my two evil children are in the middle of plays, dance recitals, martial arts belt tests, and skating parties, as well as dealing with normal school work. And, since my son starts high school next year, and is working ahead of his grade academically, the school work is intense, and there are elementary school graduation planning meetings, meeting with high school councilors, and other frazzle-inducing preparations to see to. It's odd, but I don't remember things being quite this complex or time consuming when I was a kid. Have times changed, or is it just me?

The Fix has posted a really nice review of my poetry collection, Sometimes While Dreaming, at: http://thefix-online.com/reviews/sometimes-while-dreaming/