There are readings, and then there are readings

Last week I made my debut appearance at Enigma Bookstore in Astoria, Queens, New York. The sci-fi /fantasy shop and community center has been open only a few months, but it's already the go-to place for spec fic fans of all ages.

I was joined by fellow Candlemark & Gleam author Leonard Richardson, who read from his hilarious  gaming novel Constellation Games, which I heartily recommend if you enjoy humorous sci-fi, video games, or generally silly geekiness (and ain't that what we're all here for?).

My next reading takes place on Monday, October 21, 7:00pm. I'll be at one of my usual haunts, the Rough & Ready New Works Series at the Alchemical Theater Lab, 137 W. 14th Street in Manhattan. Suggested donation is $10, well worth it for an evening of play and screenplay excerpts, shorts stories, and often a song or two. My contribution will be a flaneur story called "A Long Way Down Broadway." Don't know about flaneur stories? Well, stop by and find out!

A Writer's Joy: The Editor Who "Gets" You

This week my story "Rain Puddle Man" was published in the e-zine Spaceports & Spidersilk. The October issue is full of Halloween stories for kids, and you can buy it here.

When the editor, Marcie Tentchoff, emailed me that link, I started reminiscing over my relationship with that publication, and with her specifically. She's chosen to publish six or seven of my stories over the past three years. In fact, of all the stories I've submitted to her, she's rejected only one. It was the first one, and I was very green; she was absolutely correct in calling it seriously flawed.

Marcie is an editor who "gets" me. I've been incredibly lucky to find a few such advocates already in my short career. That kind of partnership is a huge boon to a writer's self-confidence. Statistically, I suppose it's as unlikely as a successful love affair, since it's all about taste and personality and world view. Those three elements are very tough to match between two people.

An editor who "gets" you doesn't necessarily always buy your stories, but s/he always sees what you're aiming for and appreciates what you've tried. And s/he is always eager, even impatient, to see your next submission. I hope every writer gets a chance to work with an editor who's so in tune with his or her vision. It can make all the difference.