Last week I referenced a short story being picked up for an anthology, and as of today, at 11:30 pm Central, I can announce the anthology is The Perfectly Fine Neighborhood from French Press!
(Hopefully) Avoiding Nepotism
When the anthology was announced, I was excited. I’d loved the world building in The Perfectly Fine House. So to hear that Kozeniewski and Young were planning an anthology was exciting. It was a world rich with possibilities to explore as every function of society was integrated with the souls of the deceased. Politicians, retirements, businesses, religions, economies, history, social justice - the novel sold me on how the acceptance of ghosts in the world would radically change the way humans lived and viewed life.
There was so much to work with, but despite my excitement, I didn’t feel comfortable submitting. Kozeniewski and I were already working on a book together, and I feared given that we had been open about that, any acceptance of my story would be seen as favoritism. Beyond that, I personally wouldn’t feel like I had accomplished anything, and instead I would worry that I actually wasn’t good enough and was only included because I knew Stephen. So I decided to not submit.
However as the deadline approached, an idea scratched at the back of my brain, begging to be released onto the page. So two weeks before the submission deadline, I gave in to that begging voice and strung together 5,600+ loosely related words to write what is now titled Lay, Lie, Lie. A quick pre-read/proofread from a friend and some rapid edits, and I submitted. I wasn’t sure what to expect, as I usually like to step away from a project for a period of time before coming back for a final edit. Given I’d started so near to the deadline, this wasn’t feasible.
In an attempt to avoid favoritism, I addressed my email to Kayleigh Dobbs, rather than Wile E. Young or Stephen Kozeniewski. I had never interacted with Kayleigh before, so I felt that was my best opportunity at impartial review. Technically I don’t know Wile E. well either, but I did once send him a link to Casper the Friendly Ghost erotica, which was just the Communist Manifesto… but that’s a different story… one I remember only scant details of.
The Perfectly Fine Neighborhood is schedule to release in October and includes stories from Jeff Strand, Brian Keene, Candace Nola, and of course myself, as well as many other talented folks
The full line up is as follows:
"The First Ghost" by Stephen Kozeniewski
"Jurisdiction" by Bev Vincent
“The Blue Mausoleum” by J.C. Smith
"Auld Lang Syne" by Wile E. Young
"A Most Unpleasant Task" by Jeff Strand
"Click" by Candace Nola
"The Perfectly Fine Family" by Ryan Breadinc
"Fiduciary Duty" by Zachary Rosenberg
"Addict to Slaughter" by Shane Burnham
"Incorporeal Tax" by Annie Knox
"Where the Heart Is" by Brian Keene
"Lay, Lie, Lie" by Gavin Dillinger
"Playthings" by Kay Hanifen
"The Perfectly Fine Storm" by D.C. Hill
"The Last Word" by Kayleigh Dobbs
No media recs this week. I’ve got edits to do!
I'm glad that you did submit your story.