The Youthful Face of Unemployment

Today's Press Enterprise (main newspaper in the Inland Empire, Ca) is running my essay (Op-Ed piece) in the opinion section. Originally titled The Youthful Face of Unemployment, the editors changed it to Tattoos Torpedo Job Interviews. The new title is more to the point, which is what an opinion piece needs to be, and I guess its the fiction writer in me that keeps trying to create mystery with titles, the exact opposite of what a newspaper whats to do. Its hard to switch gears sometimes. But I was a bit curious why they removed a paragraph with statistics from a source that gave support to my position. I can only conclude that an opinion editorial needs to be just that, opinion, not facts. Too many facts and it sounds to much like a news story.

Not sure if this is something to worry about, but the subjects of my essays, may indicate that I am in danger of becoming (or I am already) a grumpy old man. My last essay, Put down the phone and be a parent criticized young parents for being over involved in cell technology and ignoring their children. Kind of a grumpy old man point of view. Oh, well. Change happens. We grow, we learn, we age, and some of us become grumpy in the process.

Both essays are available online in Text and Audio

1. Tattoos torpedo job interviews May 27, 2009 - ... Tattoos torpedo job interviews. Download story podcast. 10:10 PM PDT on Tuesday,May 26, 2009. By KEVIN ANDERSON. ... Kevin Anderson is a resident of Menifee. ...
   
2. Put down the phone and be a parent Feb 14, 2009 - ... parent. Download story podcast. 09:06 PM PST on Saturday, February 14, 2009.By KEVIN ANDERSON. ... it. Kevin Anderson is a resident of Menifee. ...

There is a typo in this mornings Tattoo essay (first person to catch it gets a cookie) Even professional Copy Editors are human. And here is the missing paragraph from the Tattoo piece. Still not sure why they cut it.

But it is reversible, and when done, has measurable results. Clinic Officials at a North Hollywood Medical Clinic, offering laser tattoo removal, recently reported that 80% of those that have tattoos removed were able to get better jobs and were more likely to receive promotions at current jobs.

I think I found a topic for my next piece. Pet Piercing - pros vs. cons.

Popping Kernels

I got some nice news this morning in an email from Withersin Magazine. My Flash Fiction story - its about 1600 words - is being held for a second read. Not a home run, but I'm on base, and looking to steal. WM will make their final decision by mid June, and if I make it in, it will be my second appearance in the magazine. They ran my story "Liberation," in 2008, with some outstanding, and creepy artwork by B.A. Bosaiya. If you haven't picked up a copy of WM, its worth checking out. It's one of the most intelligent Speculative Fiction magazines in the small press today.

In other news - I've recently tried to increase the amount of my submissions. I think I've been putting all my eggs in to few baskets of late, so I'm going back to the philosophy I utilized when I first started writing, that of having as many kernels in the frying pan as I can. The theory being that eventually, one will pop.

Currently I have submissions in at: Flash Me Magazine, Brutarian, Murkey Depths, Sinister Tales, Withersin, Uncharted Sky, and Pseudopod. And I hope to send out at least two to three more this weekend. Something has got to pop.

Another interesting thing that has happened recently, is an invitation to submit some stories to a company that produces some edgy audio drama. I don't want to give out to much here in case it doesn't go anywhere, but if something I send them pops, with them, I'll definitely blog about it. It does sound interesting and I'm very intrigued at the possibility of having a full cast audio production of some of my stuff.

I'm still plucking away at my novella and hope to have the first draft done by the end of June. I'm really considering producing this one, or having it produced, as a podcast novel. But first, before I get ahead of myself, I need to finish the damn thing. Then off to the beta readers. Speaking of Beta readers - I need some. Anyone interested please let me know. I need people that have an appreciation for Zom-Com, or at the very least, have a sense of humor.

If you enjoyed Blood, Gridlock, and PEZ, Fear Factor, or Framing and Mounting Fairies, then I could very much use your thoughts on the new novella this summer.