2020 Year In Review - Publications

2020 has been, by most counts, hot trash. But, it's also the year that upped my submission game. I set a goal of 100 rejections--I have 128 rejections and 6 publications to show for 2020 & I'm damn proud of all of it.

​Nothing gets published without taking a chance and submitting work. This year I submitted 17 stories to 175 different opportunities. 128 (and counting) told me no. When I share this number, often times people are stunned and/or angry on my behalf. While I appreciate the sentiment, please know that I was well prepared for all these no's. It's just part of being a writer. Regarding the 100 rejections goal, it's a bit of a numbers game. The average acceptance rate is about 3%. So if you submit 100 times, mathematically, you're bound to get about 3 acceptances. I was lucky enough to get 6.

The Lottery House - Meg wins the lottery and tries her hand at buying happiness.

Resolute - A woman in her twenties is sure she doesn't want kids and has to convince her doctor.

The Tower Bells - A daughter struggles to find time to say goodbye to her sick mother. (Featured in Vol. 2 Iss. 2)

Velveeta - My grandpa was a man of few works and this is a short memory in his honor. (The magazine is currently updating their website, so I'll update this with the new link when I have it.)

Ovarian Instinct - what happens when you listen to your body but doctors don't hear what you're saying. A creative non-fiction piece about my struggled with getting my hormones balanced.

Separation Squared - My quarantine story about a couple that was in the process of separating when stay-at-home orders went into effect.

Thank you to everyone who has taken time to read my work, past, present, and future. I'm grateful to all of these publications for giving my stories homes in the world. And a special thanks to those that graciously read my work long before it's done and provide thoughtful feedback. These stories wouldn't exist without all of you.

Cheers, everyone.