Hey, would you look at that.
All of the stories published in Flash Fiction Online last year have been collected into one convenient anthology, including my story Copy Machine.
The anthology has a gorgeous cover, and look at that! My name is right there on the cover. First time I’ve made the cover of anything. Is my name becoming a draw? 🙂
The anthology is available in Kindle, Nook, and PDF format.
A new story today at Every Day Fiction, An Engineered Product.
This story tackles the future of food production. What sort of futuristic developments might arise by genetic manipulation of our food? On the other hand, maybe things really were better in the old days.
Also, I just realized this is my first published story with a fart joke in it. Ladies and gentlemen, I have well and truly made it.
If you get a chance, leave a comment or click on the stars at the bottom to rate it.
For the past 5 years I have been writing these posts on my “writing anniversary” of March 1st. Everybody runs them in December or January, so I liked being different. However, all of my tracking software tracks these things by calendar year, and it’s a bit of a pain teasing everything out, so I’m giving in.
It helps that this has been far and away my most successful year, even with only counting 10 months.
This year:
Stories Written: 5
Number of [Submission-Ready] Words: 14,000
Number of Story Submissions: 104
Number of Rejections: 94
Number of Acceptances: 8
Postage Costs: $3.85
Revenue: $578*
*$3 not actually paid yet
Total:
Stories Written: 31
Number of [Submission-Ready] Words: 118,600
Number of Story Submissions: 372
Number of Rejections: 354
Number of Acceptances: 12
Postage Costs: $124.68
Revenue: $850.70
Oh my goodness, where to even begin.
I thought I had finally cracked 100 rejections in a year, and I certainly will in a full 12 months, but only technically 94 since March. However, twice as many acceptances this year as I’ve had all time, and correspondingly twice as much money this year as I’ve had all time. (Side note, 4 of those acceptances will be published in 2015).
But the numbers don’t tell the full story.
I’ve had stories translated into Galician and Polish. I attended my first con and did my first reading. I had a story performed as a play, and a story hung in an art gallery. I had a story selected for a Year’s Best anthology (still squeeing).
It’s been quite a year.
On a smaller note, a few things that felt pretty good as well: I sold a second story to a single publisher for the first time (whoops, haven’t even announced that one yet, as it just happened on the 31st – watch this space!), I sold a very long story for a big chunk o’ change, and I also sold the trifecta of horror, fantasy, and science fiction this year. All of these things feel so good because they’re just excellent validation. Each one helps to combat my imposter syndrome in some small way. When my brain says, “You can only write short,” or “you can only write SF,” or “nobody thinks that’s funny”, or “when this publisher comes to their senses and realizes you are a worthless puddle of goo, you will never sell another story to them,” I can point to that and say, “Nuh uh, brain! Nuh uh! Lookit that right there! I’m not a worthless puddle of goo! I am a puddle of goo that is WORTH something!”
I am a puddle of goo that is worth something.
Carving that on my tombstone.
And then literally turning into a worthless puddle of goo.
I am very pleased to announce my story, “Grant My Powder Be Dry and My Aim Be True” will appear in an upcoming “SHORTS” anthology from The Novel Fox.
This is both the longest story I’ve sold, and also I think the first straight up fantasy I’ve sold. Magic, gods, sword fights…well, here’s the synopsis:
A man awakens naked in a forest with no memory and no clues to his identity. he displays mysterious powers during a fight with bandits, and the swordswoman Lyse agrees to help him discover who, or what, he is. The answers may be more than they bargained for, when strange warriors capture them for unknown purposes. In time, the two learn that gods sometimes control the world less than they like, and the world is a changing place. Some gods prefer things the way they were.
As always, I will let you know when the book is available for purchase.
So, the table of contents for “The Year’s Best YA Speculative Fiction 2013” was released today…guess who’s going to be sharing a TOC with Neil Gaiman?
That’s right! My story “Random Play All and the League of Awesome” from OOMPH: A Little Super Goes a Long Way was selected as one of the best young adult stories printed in 2013. Obviously that feels pretty good (especially receiving the email out of nowhere), but now that I see the full table of contents, it’s a little overwhelming! People I know, people I admire, and people I didn’t think to have my name alongside.
Did I mention Neil Gaiman? I am *literally* listening to The Ocean at the End of the Lane RIGHT NOW.
Here’s the full table of contents:
Selkie Stories Are For Losers – Sofia Samatar
By Bone-Light – Juliet Marillier
The Myriad Dangers – Lavie Tidhar
Carpet – Nnedi Okorafor
I Gave You My Love by the Light of the Moon – Sarah Rees Brennan
57 Reasons for the Slate Quarry Suicides – Sam J. Miller
The Minotaur Girls – Tansy Rayner Roberts
Not With You, But With You – Miri Kim
Ghost Town – Malinda Lo
December – Neil Gaiman
An Echo in the Shell – Beth Cato
Dan’s Dreams – Eliza Victoria
As Large As Alone – Alena McNamara
Random Play All and the League of Awesome – Shane Halbach
Mah Song – Joanne Anderton
What We Ourselves Are Not – Leah Cypess
The City of Chrysanthemum – Ken Liu
Megumi’s Quest – Joyce Chng
Persimmon, Teeth, and Boys – Steve Berman
Flight – Angela Slatter
We Have Always Lived on Mars – Cecil Castellucci
I am so excited right now, you have no idea. I guess you’re supposed to act all gracious, like you’ve been there before and whatnot, but screw that! I’ve got over 300 rejections, I’m savoring the wins for all they’re worth.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be over here, shouting from the rooftops.
Shane Halbach 