I suppose your average fiction writer tries to throw on helpings of the zazz(tm) into their blog posts in an attempt to prove how hip and capable they are as a literary-type-person. Brother, I’ve got a new daughter, so updates on this blog are razor-focused on the information and nothing else.

Any creative energy these days is channeled into short stories and editing my novel as the wife and I read through my final draft. Final draft — yeah, sure. As if I wouldn’t attack that thing again if some agent or editor was so disposed to give it a serious once-over.

On that front: quiet, but encouraging. I had one almost-bite on the tale, and she backed out only due to workload with prior folks. Got great feedback on my synopsis and query, so that’s great. At least I know I’m on the right path. Currently I’m submitted to a few other agencies and I’m just waiting to hear back. Eventually, Fujita and Barowe are going to leap out of that prose and the conquered Earth of 2159 is going to seduce an agent into giving this crazy tale of desperate rebellion a chance. I am sure of it.

On the short fiction side, there are now three new tales in the wild. These aren’t reprints I am chasing — this is brand-new stuff. Its also written to the highest personal standards I’ve ever subjected my work to. These days, if a tale seems to be blundering along, I kill it. No second chances for trunk stories anymore. No wasted effort. Define trunk story, you say? Easy — any tale that doesn’t have me salivating with enthusiasm, that doesn’t have me crowded around the words like a bunch of kids near an open fire hydrant in an Atlanta summer, hoping to get drenched.

Here’s hoping these stories get you doused, too.

Stay tuned.