WIP Wednesday: I Have Conquered #10bythen

I like challenges, and I usually attack them with vigor. #10bythen has been good to me this month...in fact, I just shipped off submission eleven. Granted, it was an old story which sat unloved in an editor's inbox for nearly two years before I pulled it...

In the past month, I've made submissions to The Zombie Feed, Clarkesworld, Fantasy, Gloom Cupboard (a poem!), Whidbey Writers Workshop Students' Choice Award, Pedestal Magazine, Three-Lobed Burning Eye, Scape, Trembles (another resurrected story), and Ghostology. I have three pieces of flash ready for editing, including a rather chilling (at least I think so), story inspired by Jeff VanderMeer's brilliant short, "The General Who is Dead", and bog mummies. I have two more short stories, about 3K each, which need editing, too. One is destined for submission to Kevin J. Anderson (Blood Lite 3), but I won't hold my breath that lightning will strike twice. The other is weird and haunting, but not horrific. Literary markets, here comes "The Emperor of Empty Spaces".

And, for the record, all of the markets to which I've subbed this month pay, at least a token sum. I don't like to make official decisions, but it looks like I've but my fiction where my thoughts are.

Thanks to Mercedes and all the #10bythen crew. I needed a kick in the pants, and October has been an awesome run of writing (so far). With five stories waiting in line, time to hit the edits, eh?

The Contest at the End of this Post

Do you want a free copy of Zombie Haiku by Ryan Mercum? There is a contest to win just that at the end of the post.

Last night, Aimee and I went out with another couple (on a school night even!) and I had two martinis. TWO! Thanks to older, wiser heads, I also had a glass of water and some Advil before hitting the sack, so I'm doing okay. I can already hear the cries of "Lightweight!" and I will not shrug them off. I am a lightweight. Have been for the last few years. Funny how kids will do that to you...

"Gary Sump's Hidden City" is the story of the day at Everyday Weirdness today. I wrote this one on a lark while reading Secret Lives by Jeff VanderMeer. I highly recommend Secret Lives; I laughed and felt disturbed in equal measures.

So, for the contest: See that little dude in the title above? He's from a fairly famous painting. I'd like to give him a name. I'm going to let Owen, my five-year-old, pick from entries sent by my dear readers. The winner receives:

I've only read the book once, so it is in excellent condition. Also, there will be a little something for the first person to correctly identify the painting from which the little guy hails.

Happy name hunting.

Oh yeah...the contest entries must be in by Sunday (1/25/09) at noon (my time) CST.