The new magazine Sideshow Fables has just accepted my short story “What Broke the Line.” Huzzah!
I wrote the story, which is about the events that befall an equestrian circus as it travels between towns, a couple of years ago on a random whim. I researched the history of equestrian shows before writing the story. It’s neither fantasy nor silly humor – slightly dark, even, very unusual for me. I liked it a lot but was unsure what to do with it, so I put it away for awhile.
A couple of weeks ago, I decided I would use my new wealth of searching ability (i.e. Duotrope) to find a place to pitch “What Broke the Line.” I edited it up, started looking for markets – and found Sideshow Fables, a brand-new publication specifically for circus-themed fiction. That seemed serendipitous. I sent them the story, and today got a very complimentary e-mail from the editor saying he loved it and wants to publish it. They’re still collecting for Issue #1, which they hope to have out by summer, but thought my story would fit better with Issue #2, which should come out in fall. It will be in print and, I believe, online as well, and is expected in September or October. I’ll post again when I know more details.
May 16, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Congratulations! That’s the way to do it.
(I so would never have found a venue for “The Firebird” if I hadn’t stumbled on Renard’s Menagerie via Duotrope; lots of places looking for fairy tale retellings had rejected it, and I thought I’d give an anthropomorphic-focused zine a try instead.)