Missed my own Deadline

Well I missed my self imposed deadline for my Zom-Com novella, which is on its way to becoming a Novel. Most definitions cut off the word count for a novella at 40,00 and I'm already at 46,000. Novel or Novella I wanted to have draft number one done by the end of June, but its looking more like first of August. For my beta readers who signed on to read in June, I apologize, and I hope you can still read in August. If not I understand.

My wife is doing a brilliant job of reading as I write, adding input that is definitely making it stronger. I feel pretty good in my ability to write action, dialogue, and keep a story moving, but sometimes I get way to focused on those things and I forget to develop the characters. My wife is a MFT, therapist, and can easily spot when a character is not acting true to life, not exhibiting the appropriate emotional response, or just plain turning into a robot.

On the short story front I recently sold a short story to a new magazine coming out in August. It's a reprint, so I'm kind of excited about it but not ecstatic. It's the only thing I've sold in 2009 so far and none of my new stuff is getting picked up. Withersin Magazine held a story of mine for a second read, but in the end it did not make the cut. In the last month I've gotten rejections from Podcastle, Psuedopod, Flash Me Mag, Nossa Morte, Fantasy Magazine, and I've had stories with Brutarian and Murky Depths since the beginning of the year and neither are responding to queries. Anybody know if those last two are still kicking?

When not writing I read, and I recently finished Carrie Fisher's Wishful Drinking. Very funny, extremely blunt, and full of odd trivia - Did you know Cary Grant took LSD? Currently I'm reading William Shatner's Get a Life. Its a kind of history of Star Trek conventions and his journey to get to know and understand Trekkies, and or Trekkers. I'm about halfway through and really enjoying the read, and I'm beginning to come to terms with the fact that I'm a bigger Trekkie than I ever realized. But that's okay, becouse it would seem, as luck would have it, that I am married to one. My wife and I recently had a heated discussion about who is the best Captain in Star Fleet. I'm on the Kirk side of the argument, she is for Jean Luc Picard, all the way. I see her points, but my problem with Picard is that Patrick Stewart is just to fine an actor. He just dosen't have any Shatnerness.

Oh well, when not writing or reading, I've been re-watching my favorite Zom-Coms for inspiration - Dead and Breakfast, Boy Eats Girl, Undead or Alive, Fido, Dead Meat, Black Sheep, Return of the Living Dead I and II, Dance of the Dead, Night of the Living Dorks - I've pretty much seen them all, but if you have any recommendations please send them on over.

That's it for now. Take care, and remember to aim for the head.