Category: Publishing

  • Spring 2024 Author Update: Writing, Publishing, and More!

    Spring of 2024 Author Update. Image of the author (blond white woman wearing glasses) standing in her kitchen, looking sheepishly into the camera.It’s been way too long since I last posted anything here. Since late December, to be exact. Even longer since I posted any kind of an author update. Sorry about that.

    Trust me, though, it’s not because I’ve been sitting on my butt eating chips and watching Netflix (okay, I’ve done a bit of that) or trying to become a TikTok sensation (Gods no, I don’t even have an account). Truth is, I’ve been deep in the trenches of personal creativity and professional commitment these last two months. Between the endless whirlwind of teaching that never seems to slow down and my attempts at–you know–writing, there’s been little time for much else. But it’s been good, and I have things to share. Spring 2024 Author Update

     

    Getting Back into Gear with My Creative Writing 

    While December is my “rest and recover” month following my fall trimester of teaching, January is the month when I get back into my creative writing by diving headfirst into the Codex Writers‘ annual winter Flash Fiction Challenge. Holy wow, did it kick my ass back into gear. Four new pieces of flash fiction later, and I’m feeling like I’ve been through a literary boot camp. I won’t lie; I’m not exactly throwing a parade for the stories I churned out, but damn, it felt good to shake off the cobwebs and get those creative juices flowing again. After a three-month hiatus from writing, finding my way back to my keyboard always feels like trying to start a car in the dead of winter—frustrating, but oh-so-satisfying when it finally roars to life. 

     

    2023 Continues to Bear Authorial Fruit Spring 2024 Author Update

    Spring of 2024 Author Update. Picture of the Cover of the Metaphorosis Magazine Best of 2023 Anthology. I have jaw-dropping news—at least, it made my jaw drop. My short story, “A Wielder Does Not Know Regret,” was chosen for the Metaphorosis Magazine Best of 2023 Anthology. Can you believe it?! My first professionally published story, picked to be in a “Best of” anthology! I’ve always had a soft spot for this story, even though it’s a bit out there. Getting this nod has been a huge confidence booster for me, squashing those nagging doubts that I’m a hack and reaffirming my identity as a competent author. I bought three copies of the anthology, because this definitely feels like a milestone moment in my writing career. One copy, I gave to my parents (which my mom loved and my dad… well, I think my creative writing adventures confuse and irritate my dad, to be honest). Another, I donated to my school’s library. The third copy is mine. Just for me. To put on my bookshelf and look at and think, “Hell, yeah, I did that!”

    Then, just when I thought things couldn’t get any more amazing, my flash story “Between the Mountain and the Sea” landed a spot in the Metastellar Best of 2023 Anthology! The publication date for that anthology hasn’t been released yet, but still. Two of my stories making it into “Best of” anthologies in the same year? It feels kind of surreal.

     

    First Story Sale of 2024

    Spring of 2024 Author Update. Stylized illustration of the nose of a WW2 plane emerging from a bank of clouds. Across the side of the plane's nose is written "A Pharaoh's Curse to End the War, by Katherine Karch."2024 is off to a great start. My story, “A Pharaoh’s Curse to End the War,” found a home in issue 19 of Unnerving Magazine! After what felt like an eternity of revisions and rejections, I was giving serious consideration to shelving this one. It’s a campy horror story about zombies on a plane (sort of) and these days most magazines have negative interest in zombie stories. But just when I was ready to give up on it, Unnerving’s editor Eddie Generous decided to give my splattery tale a chance. The story dropped on March 13th, 2024, and with a killer graphic to boot. I’m delighted. Horror is what drew me to writing in the first place, so this feels like a major goal accomplished.  You should go read it. It’s free!! Spring 2024 Author Update

     

    Current Writing Projects

    As for what I’m up to now? Well, I’m elbow-deep in revisions for another horror story that’s been stubbornly resisting publication as a flash piece. I’ve got a hunch it needs more room to breathe, so I’m ditching the flash format and expanding it into something meatier. Whether I’m actually improving it or just muddling it further, only time will tell. Meanwhile, I’m also working on a sequel to “The Portal in Andrea’s Dryer,” featuring more ridiculous adventures with my favorite quartet of gal-pals. Think precognition, parental anxiety, and some dubious dairy products. It’s shaping up to be a fun piece. You should go read the first one.

     

    So, that’s the scoop from my corner of the universe. What have you all been up to? Any personal victories, minor or major, that you’re itching to share? Let’s celebrate our triumphs and face our challenges together, shall we?

     

    Until next time, keep chasing those dreams, no matter how elusive they may seem. Cheers to writing, to creating, and to living this beautifully chaotic life.

  • Fall 2023 Writing Update: More Publishing Success and Some Winter Fun

    It’s been a minute since I last posted, so I figured it was time for a quick fall 2023 writing update. This has been a whirlwind year of publishing progress and milestone moments.

     

    My Clarion West Fundraising Efforts

    My fundraising efforts for Clarion West were partly successful. Though I didn’t meet my $1,000 target, I did raise over $500 for them – a feat for which I’m pretty damned proud. The whole experience was fantastic. I learned a lot, had fun, did a ton of writing, and helped out a very worthy cause. I definitely plan to do it again next summer. 

     

    Published Stories and My SFWA Mentorship

    Image from the website of Radon Journal, Issue 5Excitingly, my flash fiction piece, “The Colony Ship’s Companion,” found its way into Radon Journal, and “The Portal in Andrea’s Dryer” graced the pages of Uncharted Magazine. That brings my total number of stories published in pro- or semi-pro magazines up to four (all four of which came in 2023).

     

     

     

    Screenshot of the homepage for Uncharted Magazine: Premier Publisher of Genre FictionMy summer mentorship through SFWA under Julia Rios‘ guidance wrapped up in early September. The experience was phenomenal. Truly transformative. Julia helped me SO much as I worked to flesh out the  middle-grade steampunk novel I’ve been noodling about with since 2017.  

     

    The Cycle of Balancing Teaching and Creative Writing Continues

    A lab bench in a classroom with various piece of lab equipment set up on it.There are definitely some seasonal cycles at work in my life. For example, fall is a four month season of teaching, coaching, and family commitments. As such, September requires I pause in my creative writing endeavors. The months between August and December require head-down determination and a focus exclusively on lesson planning, grading, and (this year) volleyball. Interestingly, seeing two of my stories in print during my no-room-for-writing fall season has acted as a creative beacon for me. It reminded me that the exact same thing happened last year. I had to put my personal interests down for several months. Yet despite that fallow period, I ended up with four new short stories written and published. As a result, I’m feeling slightly less burnt out than I usually do at this time each year. Perhaps a few months away from writing every autumn is a good thing. 

     

    Upcoming Writing Events and Engagements

    As November wraps up and December approaches, my excitement to get back to my creative endeavors is growing. The Codex Writers’ “Weekend Warrior” flash fiction challenge will be starting up in about a month. It was through that challenge last year that I generated all four of my published stories for 2023.

    Banner posters on display at Boskone 60. One reads, "Boskone, the SF & Fantasy Convention for MidWinter Fun." The other reads, "NEFSA: New England Science Fiction Association."I’m also looking forward to taking part in Boskone – a highlight in the science fiction and fantasy convention scene. That convention is such a shot in the arm for me as a writer. It always recharges my creative energy. I’ve attended as a fan, and as a volunteer, but this year I’m hoping to step into the role of a program participant. With some actual publications under my belt, I think I can do it without feeling like a complete and utter fraud.

     

     

    What Have You Been Up To?

    Now that you’re caught up with what I’ve been up to, I’d love to hear how all of you have been faring. What’s your Fall 2023 Writing Update? Have you found time for writing amidst life’s demands? If so, what have you been working on? Share your accomplishments and triumphs in the comments section so we can celebrate our collective journeys together.

    Until next time, keep writing, keep dreaming.

  • Three Times the Publishing Charm!

    I’ve been grinning a lot these days. It’s been hard not to. I had a big publishing milestone this past April when I received my first story acceptance at MetaStellar Magazine. For someone who has dreamed of being a published author since childhood, that first acceptance really is a very big deal. It comes with thoughts of, I did it! I finally did it! and a sense of unbridled joy and satisfaction that only comes when something you’ve been working at for ages finally happens.

    Header image from the MetaStellar website, which reads: MetaStellar, Speculative Fiction and Beyond

    I remember spending the summer of my 11th year trying to hit a baseball all the way across my yard from between the two peach trees to under the outer most bows of the white pine. In truth, it wasn’t a far distance, but to 11-year-old me it was grand slam material, and I wanted to be able to hit a ball that far so badly. So every day I went out and swung and hit and swung and hit until I was dripping sweat and had to stop. I remember the day the ball soared up in a high and perfect arc, came down within spitting distance of the target. I will never forget the feeling of victory, of bone deep pride and satisfaction that exploded inside of me when I saw that ball vanish into the bows of that pine tree. After weeks of swinging and coming up short over and over again I did it!

    That’s how it felt when I got that email from MetaStellar. I f**king did it.

     

    Once is a Fluke, Twice is a Stroke of Luck

    Cover of the May issue of Metaphorosis Magazine, showing a close-up of a set of wooden shelves with an assortment of items on them inclusing several large shells, some rolled up pieces of parchment paper tied with ribbons, starfish, corals, and other oceanic-themed items.Funny thing, though. A couple of weeks went by and I found myself mentally minimizing my publishing success, doubting it. Once is a fluke, I thought. Once doesn’t mean anything. But then it happened again. Another acceptance showed up in my inbox in early May, this time from  Metaphorosis Magazine. It’s been an amazing spring season. I mean, to get even one story published was amazing, but two? And so close to one another. The acceptances at least; the first one’s coming out in mid-July. I don’t yet know when the second story will be published.  Still, that little voice has been nagging at me. What if this second sale was just a stroke of dumb luck?

     

    Three Times is the Charm!

    Two weeks ago, my spouse and I went to an art opening at the Salem Art Association in Salem Massachusetts. He’s a member and had/still has art in the show. I was still glowing from news of my second story sale, but when Lover introduced me to someone and called me an “author,” I immediately felt compelled to clarify that I was a teacher, not an author. Calling myself an author felt hubristic. After all, I’d only had two stories accepted for publication, and neither of them have even come out yet. 

    Screenshot of the homepage for Uncharted Magazine: Premier Publisher of Genre FictionBut this past Tuesday I got a third acceptance email!  A cozy sci-fi story I wrote back in February is going to be published in Uncharted Magazine!! I can’t believe it. Maybe the next time my spouse introduces me to someone as an “author” I won’t feel the need to demur. 

    In the meantime, I’ve got a story I need to get back to and do some work on, then send it out on submission, see if I can ride this recent wave of publishing success. But I had to take a quick moment and share the news.

    Thanks for stopping by, and as always, happy writing!