Rejection is hard to deal with. I’ve found it especially difficult to receive rejections for stories I write with specific markets in mind. I take time to tailor a tale to the specifics I think an open call is asking for, then get met with “this isn’t a good fit.” That’s tough.

But I press on and write. And I submit. Then write, submit, repeat. Sometimes it’s a tough gig. Some months I receive rejection after rejection, but I have confidence in my ability to spin a yarn and turn a phrase, and I have a deep love for the craft of writing, so I push forward and write another story, delve into a new chapter in one of the novels I’m working on. And you know what? All that hard work, all that drive, it does pay off eventually.

In the past six weeks I’ve received five very encouraging emails. One was actually a series of emails with Casia Schreyer of Schreyer Ink in which she has opted to publish my collection of horror-sci-fi “Figures in the Forest and Other Stories.” More on that later, when a publication date in is view.

Three more messages were story acceptances. “High Steaks” will be included in the Reach for the Sky anthology forthcoming from Rogue Blades Entertainment, “Flowers for Phoebe” has been accepted for inclusion in the Rejected anthology, a charity collection for author Erin Crocker, and my story “Shadows” will appear in When the Sirens Have Faded, forthcoming from A Murder of Storytellers.

This glimpse of current success is a testament to nothing other than perseverance. Writers write. I’m a writer and I spend hours each week toiling over the craft, speaking with characters, reworking plots, searching for themes, trying to build the best stories I can with what tools I have. Sometimes it doesn’t go well, other times things move along smoothly. The key is to keep pressing on, just keep putting one word after another until a story appears, and then fixing it.

So, if you write, keep writing. You’re hard work could very well pay off. And please keep these upcoming books in mind. I’ll release publication dates when I have more info.