I'm Back... From Outer Space!

Okay, it's been far too long since I've updated my blog.  The last two months have been incredibly busy.  I managed to submit my manuscript to the UCLA Extension for a one on one consultation with the very awesome Daniel Jaffe.  Dan provided some fantastic insight on the short story collection that I'm working on, and I hope to continue revising/editing those pieces until I'm satisfied.  Then, maybe I'll begin exploring different avenues of publishing.  Traditional publishers remain the best route in getting a writer some major exposure.  Plus, the publishers will do all the leg work: they'll put the physical (and sometimes virtual) book together and do all the advertising/publicity.  However, there's also the new method of self-publishing, which is not very traditional at all (kind of like Taco Bell's Doritos Locos Tacos...  which now come in Cool Ranch flavor!).  I've heard many success stories with self-publishing, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to embrace this method just yet.  Anyway, I'm waxing poetic about a collection that's far from finished.  Let's discuss something that's more in the present, shall we?

Aside from frantically trying to finish my manuscript, I also spent the last two months editing some of my short stories for submission to different lit mags.  And, much to my surprise, I've been rather successful.  Last week, my short story "Mother" was published in print by The UCLA Beat, an annual magazine put together by med students to show off the creative and artistic sides of the students, faculty, and staff of the David Geffen School of Medicine.  I was told by one of the editors that the entire issue will eventually be available online on their website.  For now, I hope to post some high-res pics of the story soon so that people can read it if they wish to.

I have two other stories that have been accepted for publication in two different lit mags.  Unfortunately, I can't really discuss those in detail until I get more information from the editors.  If everything goes according to plan, both stories will be published sometime next month.

Again, it's good to be back! I'm sure you all (yes both of you) missed me during the silence of the past two months.  I'll return again soon and post "Mother" to the blog, and hopefully, I'll be able to continue posting on a more regular basis once again.