Mile Marker #27: 3 Short Story Placements in 2 Months and Some Upcoming Site Updates!
Hello, hello, party people!
I can officially make some announcements I’ve been dying to make: I have THREE upcoming short story placements!! (But wait… there’s more!)
Horror Over the Handlebars: “19 Miles from Millstone, June 17th, 1988”
The first is in Obsidian Butterfly’s Horror Over the Handlebars anthology, which I previously mentioned but can actually plug now that the website’s live. (Check it out here.) It’s planned for launch in May!
My short story “19 Miles from Millstone, June 17th, 1988” is about two preteens (baby gays) who dump their bikes in the woods to explore an abandoned theme park in a Connecticut forest… only for things to be very, very much not what they seem. And for things to go wrong very, very quickly.
Cosmic Horror Monthly: “The Pit and the Pensioner”
The second, which I’ve also mentioned but can officially plug now, is in Cosmic Horror Monthly. (Link here.) My short will be featured in one of their issues between June and December. (More updates when I know more!)
That story is called “The Pit and the Pensioner” and I originally wrote it for a submission call to a “cozy horror” anthology. I ultimately didn’t get in, but that’s totally fine with me because I got to work on it more and then shop it around — and it paid off!!
“The Pit and the Pensioner” is about a little old lady who lives in a sleepy Northeastern beach town, spending her days watching the birds; feuding with the parking attendant, Maureen; and feeding unsuspecting tourists to a giant hell pit, who happens to be her best friend. I had so much fun writing that one and giggle every time I reread it, so I am just so delighted that it’s found a home.
Trace Fossils Review: “Carrion Birds”
And finally… an oldie-goodie contest almost-winner (twice now) got picked up by Trace Fossils Review! This new online outlet (plus an annual print anthology) is a home for the weird and the wonderful, and I couldn’t be happier about belonging there. I’ll be featured in the inaugural Spring issue, expected in mid-May.
That short is "“Carrion Birds,” written back in…2021? I believe? It’s a very dark, actually short short and probably the closest thing to literary fiction I’ve ever written. It examines the relationship between the media and tragedy through the media circus following the 20-year anniversary of a small town’s only tragedy. I wanted to know what happens to people after the flashbulbs die away, and I love what this story has become after multiple rounds (and years!) of revision.
The best part? I got all of these acceptances within two months of each other, in the same two-month stretch that brought me my admission to the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. (No I have not stopped screaming; no I don’t think I ever will.)
It’s been an amazing 2024 for my writing so far, and I’m feeling new confidence in my skills and experience that I haven’t felt in a long time.
Which brings me to…
Upcoming site updates!
Now that I am transitioning away from working full-time and into being a student full-time, the site’s going to undergo a few changes, mostly bio updates and back-end things that won’t be suuuper noticeable. The content, however, is going to get a facelift!
I’m still going to write my “mile marker” personal updates because I’m shallow for accountability and announcements (likely twice a month like I’ve been doing), but expect deeper dives into my writing process, tips for new writers, tips for finishing the damn book, and how to apply to grad school.
(One of the most helpful articles I read about grad apps when I was in the thick of it was a breakdown of someone’s successful statement of purpose, so I want to do that too for anyone jumping into the application trenches. I’ve got some other stuff up my sleeve, but more on that later.)
In the meantime, I’m also planning to officially start an email list, likely with monthly (or even less often) newsletters. Waaaay in the future, I’m looking at fancy add-ons, like “how to” e-books and self-paced courses.
If you’ve been with me since -checks notes- March of 2021, I thank you for sticking with me this long. I’m excited to boost this website into the resource center I’ve always wanted it to be… and spam pictures of my travels when I finally get to drive the entire Alaska highway in August!
Til next time,
Mags <3