Susan Forest

I think I’ve said before, but I’ll say again–my family laugh at me when I tell them about great rejections I get, but I got another good one this week: Sure, Tor is not buying the manuscript I sent in, but I did get some compliments from their editor. But the best part is, I asked if I could send in a future project, and was told yes, and that I can use the current email address I have, rather than try to meet a Tor editor to speak face-to-face at a conference. To me, that’s a great rejection.

So, I just came back from Edmonton, where I had two days alone in a hotel room while my husband was at meetings. My own, personal writing retreat! Edited my Green Man story and submitted it on time, and began editing another story I’d written and had critiqued, but never revised. Hope to get it done and in the mail this weekend.

Aside from writing (and submitting) a complete short story and making a good start on a second, travelling to Washington to write with other like-minded people has been great. This is my fourth year at the Rainforest, and it was great to meet up with old friends and acquaintances, and meet new authors as well. My two daughters were completely starstruck that I met one of the writers for “Portal.” Good times!

Here I am on my writers’ retreat in Banff, with six other writing friends–including Robert J Sawyer–and I have submitted the story I wrote last week, plus one other that I had edited but not submitted, last fall. So many deadlines coming up around the end of this month! So, I am putting on a real short-fiction push!

So much to tell! First, my good friend, Barb Galler-Smith, used to live in San Diego (her parents still do) so she had a minivan and knew her way around, and took several of us to restaurants, to see a lighthouse and to the beach, as well as to the San Diego Zoo (very cool).

Then, the panelling was really good–I took in lots, but still missed panels I wanted to see (like the one on stupid people). My panel went fine–I sat next to Shawna McCarthy!

And I reconnected with old friends and new–David Coe, Walter Jon Williams, Michael Cassutt (bought his book), Dave Smeds, and others. One highlight was being in a small group at a party where Connie Willis told hilarious stories of dinners-out gone awry. Okay, lots of name-dropping, but really, it was so great. And, I met two agents and two editors, got requests for partials and one full. With 3 books ready to go, I was able to respond to them all.

I can’t believe I haven’t posted in a month! So much has happened–at When Words Collide, I was approached by a small press editor and asked to consider doing a collection, at Renovation, Stan Schmidt gave me a lovely compliment and asked for a story–AND Liz Gorinsky requested the full manuscript of my novel for Tor, and when I got home, I got an email from Drabblecast asking if I’d like to sell them reprint rights for a podcast for “Orange!” Busy month! Now I am busy digging out, trying to get life under control again–editing for Edge, editing my own story for OnSPEC and sending out short stories. Got to get back to writing!!

Yes, two weeks of holiday–a motorcycle trip with stunning views of the Rockies was fodder for not only writing ideas (have to think when you spend 8 hours out of communication with EVERYTHING on a motorcycle) but about 15 sketches–and a great trip to visit relatives down east. In spite of that, I did finish the first draft of a 9,200 word novelette that I am quite pleased with. Edits, then submit!

Got my short story revised and sent out to the workshop for this summer. Next up: copy edits for my last Edge novel and communicating with my next Edge author! Then, got to get some short fiction out on the market.

So, my beta readers now have the novel, so it’s back to short fiction. I have a piece completed for the workshop with Walter Jon Williams this summer that needs a last read through before submitting prior to the end of the month. Then I want to submit to a couple of markets I have my eye on. That should keep me busy until my beta readers come back with revision suggestions for the novel.

To Turnstone Press, in Winnipeg. Wish me luck!