Earlier this year I entered a collection of my short stories into a competition. I reflected at the time that it was a handy thing to do, preparing a complete manuscript, because it helped polish them up so they felt fresher. In addition, arranging them together enabled me to see their flaws and similarities, as well as differences. It also helped to identify themes and commonalities.

Yes. Story published & I get paid? Synapses blown.

A month or so ago I found out my collection didn’t win the competition. Such is life. But I did immediately deconstruct the collection to send out stories from it separately. It’s been a few weeks and lo and behold, one has already been accepted for publication and is available now. Please visit Deadman’s Tome for a dark (free) read.

For a neat surprise twist at the end: the more people read it, the more I’m rewarded with actual money. Cool huh?