A while back I wrote here about how I’d taken a break from writing and submitting short stories to concentrate on selling my novel THAT OCTOBER and begin work on a new novel.

Since that time, I’ve found myself back in the short story business.

In 2024, I submitted a sword-and-sorcery story to a call for submissions. It got turned down. I subbed it to another and a curious chain of events followed. This second call for subs resulted in an initial rejection, along with a request to leave my story parked in their hands in case they were able to use it. Then early this year, a definitive “no, we aren’t able to use it.”

Then, about a week ago, a reversal of fortune: They’ll use the story after all, later this year.

I’ll tell you about the story when and if this works out.

And just about the same time, I was contacted by a well-known and respected writer who asked me if I had a short story that might work for an anthology he’s putting together. I didn’t have a story, but I had an idea for a story.

A couple of weeks later, I turned the story in, 7,500 words of it, and it looks like a go. I’m really looking forward to this. I like the story and the anthology should be excellent.

I’m delighted with both of these circumstances.

So next time I decide to shy away from a particular type of writing, I’ll know that it might not be the end. It might not even be a hiatus.