Read it, now edit

The submissions window for Lust in the Dust has now CLOSED, which means it's time for me to go into overdrive.

Sexy Little Pages likes a fast turnaround on acceptances and rejections, so my job now is to make that choice of 9 stories. Already I'm feeling bad.

Why? Because I'm going to be rejecting some perfectly great stories, for various good reasons - they don't quite fit the theme of the anthology, or I've reached my quota of zombies, or they aren't right for this publisher (but they'd do fine elsewhere). One of the stories I love, but we're really not sure it'll get past the Apple censor. Two of the stories, both of them dramatic and well written, have essentially the same plot twist ... and I can't choose both!


And I'm aware, because I'm on the other side of this so often, that those authors have poured hours of effort, their heart and soul, into their creations. So it feels cruel saying Sorry, No.


It's a tough job ... but I guess someone's got to do it. Pity the editor, folks.