Waiting...

Waiting For Answer by Can Atacan

"The waiting is the hardest part," Tom Petty sings, and while he's not talking about the response time for submissions, I'm sure fellow authors can relate to waiting for "the call."

After two years, I finally submitted Exterminating Angel to a publisher. It's been about a week and a half since I hit SEND, and I've no idea what to expect. While I hope they'll accept it, the pragmatic part of me has also listed other publishers in case the first one doesn't work out.

So far I'm keeping with my promise to submit at least one story a month. Yesterday, I submitted four stories on spec for a possible collection. I've no idea of the response time, but am glad the publisher is willing to look at them.

And then there's the contest I entered back in December. The results won't be known until around August. (I submitted early, which is recommended with contests.) At this point, I'm debating entering another one, but this time I won't make the "Early Bird" deadline. Have to look at the screenplay and see if it's ready. If I do enter the contest, that will be March's entry, and I'll be on track.

On an unrelated note, "Family Tradition" placed #5 on the Preditors and Editors Readers Poll for Short Horror Story. I hope that helps generate some interest in my dark fiction suspense story.