Man, what a fucking year, right?
Now, with that out of the way, here are some highlights.
The Good:
I sold my epic fantasy novelette, “A Glass Kiss for the Little Prince of Pain,” to the excellent magazine, Beneath Ceaseless Skies. This is a piece I’m incredibly proud of, and so thrilled to have out in the world. The opening gambit in a planned Cold Empire Triptych, BCS was the perfect place to introduce everyone to this world of memory magic, elemental golems, and giant, stone serpents. I’m currently working on a novel set in this world a century or so after the events of the above story, so the enthusiasm I’ve seen in the world has made me quite ecstatic at providing more of the world to readers.
My twin brother got married to an amazing woman, and the day could not have gone more perfectly. I didn’t stumble during my Best Man’s Speech, and even made some people weepy, which I take pride in.
I sold my magical realism short story, “Bear Language,” to Fireside Fiction, with special guest editor, Daniel Jose Older, who is one of my favorite authors and people in this industry of ours, as well as Fireside editor, Brian White, whose dedication to providing amazing, timely fiction is unparalleled. Another story I’m very proud of, “Bear Language,” should be out sometime this winter, and I look forward to introducing you all to Joanna, and her propensity for other languages.
I finished the second draft of my novel Magnetic, which was critiqued by my writing group, Altered Fluid. AF is a collection of incredibly talented writers, in whose company I feel honored, and still a bit nervous, if I’m being honest. But they propel me to great heights, and inspire me to become an even stronger writer, to try new things, to give my heart fully to a story, and encourage me when I’m down. It is a privilege to work with them, and an even greater one to give them my first finished novel, and ask them for their help. The critique, while stressful, has proven successful, and with their thoughts and help, I am now re-outlining the story for a third draft of the novel. It will be a different sort of beast, but of a similar caliber. I’m hoping for a finished draft by autumn.
I sold my short story “Salamander Six-Guns,” to the ever wonderful Elise Catherine Tobler at Shimmer Magazine, a market I’ve been hoping to break into for some time. The last story I finished writing at Clarion, I finally found the time to edit, revise, and re-tool this scaled tale, and am very happy it has found a home at Shimmer. A story of two men, magical guns, and dragons from another world, it is also about love, grief, and endurance in a world that wants to kill you.
I have been recently promoted at work to a position that is at once scary and new, as well as fascinating and fun. I won’t go too much into it, but it is an opportunity I am thrilled to have with the fine people at Underscore Marketing, and I look forward to pushing myself further.
The Bad:
::gestures to the world around him, especially the current state of United States politics::
What else need be said? In the words of Hamilton, “the world’s turned upside down,” and it is now a time to fight with more grit and determination and volume than ever before. The fight has always been fought, of course, but now we must all fight: I will do my part in 2017, and I hope you do, too.
Without getting too deep into it, this autumn I made a very difficult decision, and it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I could disarm a bomb today, wrestle a shark tomorrow, and it would still prove the more difficult of the three. I am working through it, and something inside of me is resetting like a broken bone, but it is a fragile, tentative thing. We’ll continue on, as we must, and hope the healing continues for all.
Goals for 2017:
Survival.
But on a smaller scale:
Selling more stories. Writing more stories. Losing weight. Taking more time for mental health. Taking more risks, stressing about little stuff less. Saving money where I can. Finishing Magnetic’s third draft. Finishing Empire’s Arrow’s first draft. Possibly submitting to an agent? Time will tell, as it always does.
Let’s see what this year brings us, yes?
Yours,
Martin Cahill
Martin Cahill 