Childhood dream achieved

In which Bill has been bouncing off the walls like a hyperactive 8 year old ...

I have held my tongue (keyboard) for a few weeks now, partly because the Army taught me never to believe anything that isn't in writing, and even then, don't count on it until it happens.

Well, the contract is signed, and the anthology has been announced. I'm not naming it here until I am one hundred percent sure it is ok for me to do so, but I can at least say that my short story Burn It With Fire is getting published this month.

I’m also 30 pages into the draft for another short that popped into my brain about 2 am yesterday. Whether I will get it complete in time for the anthology prompt that sparked said idea, I don't know.

For the other short fiction writers out there: when you are submitting to an anthology, especially themed ones, how long do you like to give your self to write it in? How often do you complete or fail to complete a submission, and if you miss the deadline (for open calls specifically) do you finish the story anyway and shelve it, or do you immediately drop it in the DNF binder and move on to the next story?

Lastly, I am having greater than normal hiccups with my Internet access. Should be resolved soon (TM) but in the meantime, Substack will have to survive without me. :D You're welcome 😁