Another sale

I got word via email last night that Ray Gun Revival has agreed to buy my short story "The Silver Dollar Saucer". It will be published on-line in its pdf format. Ray Gun Revival publishes fiction in the tradition of the classic pulps, and I had pegged them a month or so ago as a possible venue for the story.

"Silver Dollar Saucer" is one of my older unpublished stories - it's been kicking around about three and a half years - but I'm not surprised it took a while to find it a home. It's an uncommon combination of a western, steampunk and space opera. It has gotten good comments over the years - and was even approved to be offered as an Amazon Short (the deal fell through because Amazon only sells shorts for authors who have books on Amazon, and I didn't qualify) - but it didn't fit well with anybody. For an imaginative genre, s-f publications can be very hidebound in only enjoying fiction within their individual narrowly defined boundaries. I don't think that way. For example, when I was publishing fiction on Sentinel S-F, I specifically said I didn't want any Lovecraftian crapola, and then David Marshall sent me a short called "The Scrawl of Cthulhu". I thought it was funny, and I published it.

In addition to straddling a few genres, "The Silver Dollar Saucer" starts and ends (in a way) in Texas, another strike against it. It also has some very funny moments and wise-cracking. I don't know how many times I've gotten rejections saying my stories were fun. I got one just this week. I guess s-f isn't supposed to be fun. So I knew the story would be a hard sell.

I'm very satisfied it found a home, and I have asked Ray Gun Revival for permission to publish the editor's comments upon acceptance. Talk about blowing my own horn!

This will be my 39th publication since June 2003.