My day started with a mail informing me that a story of mine has been shortlisted for an international anthology. Now we’ll wait for the second round of selection. To quote the poet

Some will win
Some will lose
Some were born
To sing the blues

Journey

It was a good start: in two days two stories of mine have been accepted (well, almost, in one case) counterbalancing the two that bounced back a few days ago.

Meanwhile, I received two other interesting calls:

• one that offers an opening in an anthology about witchcraft and romance – and writing it would be great, because it would allow me to explore a sub-genre I am not very familiar with (and it’s always fun to write out of our comfort zone)
• one that requires a story featuring space, feminism, bicycles and cats. All of them together. I need, like, physically, to write this story.

And I am also doing research.
The background foundation for The Adventure of the Manchester Mummies is done, and I will start writing it tonight, I think. And I am therefore collecting details about the Etruscans – of all things – for a 10/12.000-words historical fantasy novella I am planning because it’s fun writing a novella with a cool character and a weird premise once in a while. We’ll think about selling it later. The novella is inspired (among other things) by this painting by the great Donato Giancola:

And then… ah, no – there’s more (good? Let’s hope so!) news on the horizon, but we’ll wait until they are more solid.
And the bills keep piling up.
But that’s life as a writer, right?