Today was a very interesting day, indeed. I finished the first draft of book three of my trilogy, only to discover that there is at least one, and possibly two more books in the story arc…sigh
Try as I might, I just couldn’t come up with a satisfying ending that precluded a 4th book. And don’t get me started on the volume of short stories based in that universe that keeps harping to get written. All I want to do is get back to my Superhero book…grumble
Also, for those who care, and have been reading about the contests that I have submitted entries to…there is some news. I received a voicemail from the PNWA folks that my short story submission, Bearing Witness, is a finalist. I can’t begin to tell you how surreal listening to that message was.
To have the very first story that I entered into any type of contest make it that far seems a bit absurd. That’s like someone picking up a guitar, playing a few chords, and getting signed to a record deal. Completely ridiculous. At best, I had hoped for something along the lines of “It wasn’t horrible” or “You should keep trying”.
It will get even stranger if I were to advance even farther than one of eight finalists. I mean, that alone is more than I ever had any realistic expectations of. Still, maybe it means I don’t totally suck at this whole writing thing, and I can live with that. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to meet my future Agent at the conference, or find an Editor who actually wouldn’t mind reading my stuff and helping me make it better. But…the cynic in me can’t help but feel like the universe is just messing with me.
I guess I’ll find out in mid-September when I attend the PNWA Conference in Seattle. At the very least I’ll get some solid exposure to the industry and rub shoulders with professionals. Who knows, I might even make some connections that will be valuable down the road. I’ll keep you posted as to the outcome.
