Fertility of Ash in Necessary Fiction

Sometimes you noodle a story and then sleep on it for years and noodle it and submit it and fiddle until it ends up at an amazing place and you are surprised and so happy for the set of words who could. “The Fertility of Ash” is one of those, which started out as a prompted contest story (drama, forest fire, and mechanical bull – wait really, mechanical bull, yes, good gracious…) and I loved it so. Laney too. I also met some nice people while writing it and added that to the good memories.

All to say, that I am so pleased for this little story and so grateful to Necessary Fiction for making a nice little nest for it to rest in.

The Fertility of Ash

photo credit Lucas Myers (Unsplash)

Janus the Two Faced God and Two Stories (two)

A little like an echo in the room, two stories are out with Janus Literary. Like two sides of a coin, two slices of bread, two choices of dessert.

“Countess Herzinga’s Alchemy” is a drabble with magic and birds and birth. https://www.janusliterary.com/2022/06/29/janna-miller-countess-herzingas-alchemy/

“No Matter How Much Time Has Passed, Some Houses Don’t Die” is a micro with teeth, and analogies, and political ramifications, and well, Nazi ghost houses. It is about complacency and packaging. https://www.janusliterary.com/2022/06/29/janna-miller-no-matter-how-much-time-has-passed-some-houses-dont-die/.

Grateful to Janus Literary and the writing community!

End of the year wrap-up

It’s good to take stock, to turn the gaze backwards to get the level of the landscape. To determine exactly how much time I’ve spent staring at the computer screen. Actually, it’s been a great writing year, regardless of the state of the time portal.

Two things that have happened over the last month are simply astounding, for me personally. I was asked to be guest reader for SmokeLong Quarterly (https://twitter.com/SmokeLong/status/1466526373871337479) and they also nominated my piece for Best Microfiction (https://twitter.com/SmokeLong/status/1462548564853227520). Yep. Unbelievable. If I think about it for too long, I can’t feel my toes.

I’ve also been a little silly and collected some stats for the year, which are below. Just for funsies.

End of Year Stats – 2021

Short Stories:

Submissions – 111

Rejections – 103

Acceptances – 8

Publications – 6

Stories written – 38

Noms – 1

Other awards and near misses – 4 longlists/HMs

Novels:

Agent queries – 18

Agent rejections – 13

3 requests (including pitch contests)

Two passes and edits of IITAOFA 

17K written of War Island

Other Lit Involvement:

Blog editor for LSQ

Guest reading for SLQ

lotsa beta reading

Took three workshops

Active in 3 writing/reading groups

I’m looking forward to writing in 2022, to channeling the joy that writing brings and the community that supports it. Wishing the same for everyone. Love to all and Happy New Year!

orange cat wearing blue and white striped shirt illustration
Picture by Anna Sushok on Unsplash – https://unsplash.com/photos/WmtH0ysU65A