Patrick Scalisi's Blog
May 3, 2012
Happy May everyone! It seems that April showers this year were a bit delayed, as the first few days of May have seen nothing but overcast skies. Spring can't decide whether it wants to come or go, and after freak 80-degree temperatures in March, Connecticut has settled back to the seasonal (and rainy) 50s.
The weather, though, isn't the only reason to stay inside and read. The end of April saw the release (finally!) of my short story "Infected" in the debut issue of Nine: A Journal of Speculative Fiction. The publication of this story was particularly gratifying for me because "Infected" was rejected a record number of times over the past year. You can buy a digital copy of the magazine's first issue HERE. My thanks to the editors of Nine for believing in my story.
Submissions continue to roll in for The Ghost Is the Machine, the anthology of fiction that I'm guest editing for Post Mortem Press. If you've visited my blog to learn more about me or the book, you can find the submission guidelines HERE. As for what I'm looking for -- I want well-written and unique stories that buck convention or at least surprise me. I've gotten lots of great work so far, but I'm particularly interested in getting more tales in the traditional steampunk vein. Submissions are only open until May 31, so get writing, and I look forward to reading your work soon!
The weather, though, isn't the only reason to stay inside and read. The end of April saw the release (finally!) of my short story "Infected" in the debut issue of Nine: A Journal of Speculative Fiction. The publication of this story was particularly gratifying for me because "Infected" was rejected a record number of times over the past year. You can buy a digital copy of the magazine's first issue HERE. My thanks to the editors of Nine for believing in my story.
Submissions continue to roll in for The Ghost Is the Machine, the anthology of fiction that I'm guest editing for Post Mortem Press. If you've visited my blog to learn more about me or the book, you can find the submission guidelines HERE. As for what I'm looking for -- I want well-written and unique stories that buck convention or at least surprise me. I've gotten lots of great work so far, but I'm particularly interested in getting more tales in the traditional steampunk vein. Submissions are only open until May 31, so get writing, and I look forward to reading your work soon!
April 9, 2012
With the exception of one ongoing glitch (the newsletter sign-up isn't working), my newly redesigned website PatrickScalisi.com is up and running. I've been working diligently over the past month to migrate all of my content over to this new site. Everything is as it was in what I hope is a cleaner, sleeker package. The contents buttons have been moved from the left side of the page to the top. I've also made some important additions: There is now a "Portfolio" page, as well as individual pages for each of the anthologies in which my work appears. Feel free to poke around (and let me know if you find any embarrassing errors).
Now onto the news: One year and 29 rejections later, my short story "Infected" has been selected to appear in the debut issue of Nine: A Journal of Speculative Fiction. Watch this blog and my Facebook fan page for updates on the actual publication date.
Finally, submissions have been rolling in for the anthology that I am guest editing for Post Mortem Press. Submission guidelines for the book, titled The Ghost Is the Machine, can be found HERE. Until next month, thanks for reading.
Now onto the news: One year and 29 rejections later, my short story "Infected" has been selected to appear in the debut issue of Nine: A Journal of Speculative Fiction. Watch this blog and my Facebook fan page for updates on the actual publication date.
Finally, submissions have been rolling in for the anthology that I am guest editing for Post Mortem Press. Submission guidelines for the book, titled The Ghost Is the Machine, can be found HERE. Until next month, thanks for reading.
March 20, 2012
Just a brief note to let everyone know that submissions are now open for the anthology that I am guest editing for Post Mortem Press. Submission guidelines for The Ghost Is the Machine can be found HERE. Submissions will be open until May 31.
March 2, 2012
Reflecting on the past few years since I started writing professionally (or at least trying to write professionally), I have had some wonderful experiences and met some great people. Among them are the wonderful folks at Post Mortem Press, whom I've mentioned on this website more than once. In addition to publishing one of my stories in not one, but two, of their anthologies, I have also had a chance to interact with many of my fellow PMP contributors online.
Now, this wonderful independent publishing outfit has deigned to offer me another extraordinary opportunity. Beginning this month, I will serve as the guest editor of a forthcoming anthology to be published by PMP. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared out of my pants at the journey I'm about to undertake, but I'm also looking forward to the challenge. I'll post more information about the anthology — including submission guidelines — as it becomes available.
On Feb. 17, I was also asked to give a talk on writing and publishing to the creative writing students at Stratford High School in Stratford, Conn. (Stratford, I may point out, was briefly the home of Stephen King.) Since it took me until the age of 25 to decide that I wanted to write professionally, I was shocked at the sheer talent and determination of this group, which ranged from freshmen to seniors. A big shout out to them for graciously hosting me and for being such a great and interactive audience.
Finally, I'm thinking about redesigning PatrickScalisi.com. ::Tones of disaster:: The problem with having a website, of course, is that you get comfortable, and like an attic or a basement, you just keep amassing stuff. If you want a change, you have the unhappy task of moving all that stuff that took you so long to accumulate. Anyway, I don't know if it will happen before April, but look for some major revisions in the near future.
Now, this wonderful independent publishing outfit has deigned to offer me another extraordinary opportunity. Beginning this month, I will serve as the guest editor of a forthcoming anthology to be published by PMP. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared out of my pants at the journey I'm about to undertake, but I'm also looking forward to the challenge. I'll post more information about the anthology — including submission guidelines — as it becomes available.
On Feb. 17, I was also asked to give a talk on writing and publishing to the creative writing students at Stratford High School in Stratford, Conn. (Stratford, I may point out, was briefly the home of Stephen King.) Since it took me until the age of 25 to decide that I wanted to write professionally, I was shocked at the sheer talent and determination of this group, which ranged from freshmen to seniors. A big shout out to them for graciously hosting me and for being such a great and interactive audience.
Finally, I'm thinking about redesigning PatrickScalisi.com. ::Tones of disaster:: The problem with having a website, of course, is that you get comfortable, and like an attic or a basement, you just keep amassing stuff. If you want a change, you have the unhappy task of moving all that stuff that took you so long to accumulate. Anyway, I don't know if it will happen before April, but look for some major revisions in the near future.
February 1, 2012
Holy crap, January flew by! The first month of the new year is always the fastest, and January 2012 was no exception. Where, oh where, did the past 31 days go?
Of course, the new year held a great surprise for one of my Facebook fans. The first winner of the raffle never claimed his prize, so a second drawing was held, and the winner was Chris Lavoie. Since Chris lives in Connecticut, I was able to personally deliver his free, signed copy of Dark Doorways, the anthology from Post Mortem Press that features my short story "Carousel Gardens." And I won't hold it against Chris that he wasn't even home when I made my surprise visit (something about working a job, keeping a roof over his head, blah, blah blah). In any case, congrats to Chris!
Likewise, good news continues to roll in for Dark Doorways. The anthology -- and PM Press overall -- had a good showing in the Predators and Editors Poll. We've also received a wonderful review on Amazon. If you haven't explored Dark Doorways yet, be sure to visit the top of this page to order your copy today!
In other news, a second draft of the short story I mentioned last month is almost complete. While still lacking a title, I hope to have the latest draft done soon and out to market.
Of course, the new year held a great surprise for one of my Facebook fans. The first winner of the raffle never claimed his prize, so a second drawing was held, and the winner was Chris Lavoie. Since Chris lives in Connecticut, I was able to personally deliver his free, signed copy of Dark Doorways, the anthology from Post Mortem Press that features my short story "Carousel Gardens." And I won't hold it against Chris that he wasn't even home when I made my surprise visit (something about working a job, keeping a roof over his head, blah, blah blah). In any case, congrats to Chris!
Likewise, good news continues to roll in for Dark Doorways. The anthology -- and PM Press overall -- had a good showing in the Predators and Editors Poll. We've also received a wonderful review on Amazon. If you haven't explored Dark Doorways yet, be sure to visit the top of this page to order your copy today!
In other news, a second draft of the short story I mentioned last month is almost complete. While still lacking a title, I hope to have the latest draft done soon and out to market.
January 2, 2012
Happy new year one and all! I hope everyone had a very nice holiday season and that the new year will bring plenty of happiness. Already, 2012 is shaping up to be a promising year on the writing front, so I say bring it on!
First, some contest results. In November, I announced a contest on my Facebook fan page that if I had 100 or more fans by Jan. 1, I would give away a signed copy of Dark Doorways: The Best of Post Mortem Press. Well, I met my goal, and the winner of the contest -- as chosen by random number generator -- is Aaron Cathell. Congratulations, Aaron! For those fans who didn't win, you can purchase the book through Amazon.com in paperback for $15.00 or in Kindle format for $2.99.
To put the final cap on 2011, I'd like to offer the following statistic: I submitted short stories to 61 markets this year. I received 42 rejections, with 10 submissions still pending. I withdrew my work from four markets after those works were sold elsewhere. Despite these numbers, I have placed every story I set out to sell this year except for one. Remember fellow writers: persistence pays off.
In other news, I began the new year with a new short story almost complete. While still lacking a title (and a concluding paragraph), the story is a contemporary piece of science fiction that was inspired by an article I read in MIT's Technology Review. I hope to have the story complete and out to market before the end of the month.
Edits are also underway on my novel-in-progress. With the help of my writing critique group, The Lamplighters is almost complete and ready to submit to agents. I haven't had any luck finding an agent yet, but I hope to continue the search in 2012.
First, some contest results. In November, I announced a contest on my Facebook fan page that if I had 100 or more fans by Jan. 1, I would give away a signed copy of Dark Doorways: The Best of Post Mortem Press. Well, I met my goal, and the winner of the contest -- as chosen by random number generator -- is Aaron Cathell. Congratulations, Aaron! For those fans who didn't win, you can purchase the book through Amazon.com in paperback for $15.00 or in Kindle format for $2.99.
To put the final cap on 2011, I'd like to offer the following statistic: I submitted short stories to 61 markets this year. I received 42 rejections, with 10 submissions still pending. I withdrew my work from four markets after those works were sold elsewhere. Despite these numbers, I have placed every story I set out to sell this year except for one. Remember fellow writers: persistence pays off.
In other news, I began the new year with a new short story almost complete. While still lacking a title (and a concluding paragraph), the story is a contemporary piece of science fiction that was inspired by an article I read in MIT's Technology Review. I hope to have the story complete and out to market before the end of the month.
Edits are also underway on my novel-in-progress. With the help of my writing critique group, The Lamplighters is almost complete and ready to submit to agents. I haven't had any luck finding an agent yet, but I hope to continue the search in 2012.
