Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Fireworks and Fruitcakes


Happy 4th of July, everyone. As we commemorate America's birthday and the freedoms we enjoy, a small group of us celebrate another kind of Independence Day -- freedom from bad book contracts. Yay for us!

Inasmuch as Surreal's subs are closed for the summer, I'm slush pile-free for the next couple of months. It's nice to not have to force myself to read a certain number of submissions from bright-eyed hopefuls every day. And yet, I kind of miss it. As anyone who has ever worked his/her way through a slush pile knows, there are often laughs and eye-rolling involved. Sometimes one yelps out an involuntary "WTF?! But it's also true that there are frequent pearls to be found in the slush. One such find that I am particularly mindful of was a hauntingly poignant poem submitted a couple of months ago. The author, alas, is a minor and, unlike PublishAmerica, Surreal has ethics and integrity. I recommended acceptance, and our publisher took it under advisement. She won't announce her decision until subs reopen. I'm hoping "my" baby author gets a "Yes." She truly is gifted.

http://surrealmag.com

Last 4th of July, something really crappy happened. It's the 4th of July again and the signs are in place that it's starting up again. So far, so good, but the day's not over yet.

No comments: