New Story – The Temple Maiden – Live on Gone Lawn!

My new flash story, The Temple Maiden, is now live on Gone Lawn, Issue 13.

Please read it by clicking here: http://journal.gonelawn.net/issue13/Deminski.php

Once again, many thanks to Yarrow Paisley for her editorial encouragement and acceptance of this piece.

Fyi – many of the details in this story are based on a trip I took to Oaxaca, Mexico in 2011. Photos of this trip are here: https://cdeminskiphotos.shutterfly.com/oaxaca

I saw, and photographed, many of the items mentioned: black pottery specialized to that region; the turquoise encrusted skull in the museum highlighting artifacts from Monte Alban. Also, I personally climbed the pyramid mentioned in the story and visited the church at the top.

A permanent link to this story is on the Published Stories page of this blog, so you can easily find it and read it again if you like!

New Story Accepted by Gone Lawn!

I got some wonderful news today from Yarrow Paisley, one of the editors of Gone Lawn. They have accepted my flash fiction piece The Temple Maiden for publication in Gone Lawn, #13.

And in my acceptance note, Ms. Paisley wrote, “The writing is lovely and mysterious, withholding as much as it offers to view, and it’s just the sort of piece we enjoy featuring in our little mag!”

Wow, thank you! Yes, you better believe I’m proud enough of a comment like that to want to share it. 🙂

As with all stories, when it goes live I will post an announcement with a link here, and then the permanent link will go on the Published Stories page.

Finally, this piece is a milestone for me. It is the 30th item I’ve had published since I began re-investing in my writing 3 years ago. It’s humbling to even think of all the editors who have supported me to get to this place.

 

 

New fiction up on Failbetter!

Given the generous support of editor Thom Didato and editorial staff at Failbetter, my very short micro-fiction work “Holocaust” is now live and available for your reading pleasure!

Please give the story some readerly love, by clicking the link:

http://failbetter.com/49/DeminskiHolocaust.php?sxnSrc=ltst

It’s a funny thing about this work… I wrote it several years ago, and the piece was accepted over a year ago by Failbetter and is now getting some public sunlight.

It’s ironic to me because the entire story is about 200 words. But writers need to cultivate patience to get their works published, and I’m extremely pleased this piece is seeing the light of day.

A permanent link appears on my Published Stories page.

Enjoy!!

New Story: Ozone, accepted by Camroc Press Review!

I’m extremely pleased to announce that my short fiction work, Ozone, has been accepted by Barry Basden, the editor of the Camroc Press. This is the very first appearance of any of my work in Camroc, although I’ve been trying for quite some time.

Camroc Press is especially known for intense emotional work, and for me Ozone was an attempt at a level of emotional honesty made public that I find uncomfortable. It was not an easy piece to write, and bit by bit I’m coming to terms with how to “reveal” this part of myself to readers.

Barry has told me the publishing que is backed up about six months, so the publication date on this piece is tbd; it’ll be much later this year. When the piece comes out, I’ll put up a post with the link so you can see what I attempted. In the meantime, a placeholder will go on my Published Stories page as a reminder it’s on the way.

Thanks.

P.S. As a follow up to my previous post, I’m nearly over my second terrible cold in two months, although I admit my appetite hasn’t returned yet… I fly west today and have already packed all my vitamins!

New Story: For Art’s Sake Accepted by Word Riot!

Huzzah!!

My flash fiction work, For Art’s Sake, has just been accepted by Kevin O’Cuinn, fiction editor at Word Riot.

This is a new milestone for me, a third piece of flash being pubbed in the same journal: Woo Hoo! (Deep endebted thankfulness to Kevin, as always.)

The pub date has not yet been determined but when it’s published I’ll let you all know with a joyous announcement and link for your reading pleasure. For now, a placeholder will go on the Published Stories page…

Thanks!

New Story Accepted by Pure Slush!

Hi everybody,

Great news has come in over the wires from Matt Potter, editor of Pure Slush. He’s accepted a flash fiction piece called Recyclables for his February issue, with a theme of “the office.”

As usual, I will post an announcement and link when it goes live.

Thanks!

Carol

New Story Accepted by Atticus Books – Atticus Review!

Breaking news came in over the wires just moments ago: Jamie Iredell from Atticus Books / Atticus Review wrote to let me know they have accepted my flash fiction story Stuff I Buy Online for publication! 

I am such a big fan of the Atticus Review, it is fantastic this piece found a home with them and is my first story published with Atticus.

I don’t have the publication date yet, but I’ve put the placeholder in my “Upcoming Stories” section of my Published Stories page (along with the other piece awaiting a publication date from The Washington Pastime…)

This is my 23rd story accepted for publication, which is gratifying. As always when more information becomes available I will share it with you all, dear readers.

Stories Accepted by Word Riot and The Washington Pastime!

They say lightening doesn’t strike twice, but somehow Kevin O’Cuinn, Fiction Editor of Word Riot has seen his way to accepting another of my flash fiction works, this one titled Cloud Girl. Of course, I’m extremely grateful to Kevin and Word Riot for continuing to support and publish my work.

A while back I wrote some blog posts about a story I was writing about a crack addict that was challenging to write. The subject matter, the characters and the tone of the piece is dark and difficult so I wasn’t sure if it would find a home. Paul Karaffa, Editor in Chief of The Washington Pastime has decided to give The Ties That Bind a chance, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have a longer story appear in their journal. And for the very first time since my short stories have been accepted for publication, I will be receiving a payment; it is a token payment but for me an encouraging and hopeful sign for my own publishing future.

I haven’t been given a pub-date for these pieces yet, but I wanted to let my regular readers know that the extreme summer heat has not stopped these editors from allowing me to continue to make publishing progress.

As ever, when these stories go live I’ll publish the links in a blog post and the permanent links will be added to my published stories page.

New Story Accepted by Prick of the Spindle!

I’m privileged to write these words: Cynthia Reeser, editor of Prick of the Spindle, has accepted my short story The Lottery Winners for publication!

I wrote The Lottery Winners last year, and it’s been making the rounds since September 2011. I’m so glad it found such a great home.

Most of the pieces I write and place are flash fiction, but not so with this one – it’s a short story – nearly 2000 words. I love the characters in this story.

Also, if you’ve been reading my posts about the four stories (including this one) that have been accepted within the last week, please don’t think this is typical for me. It’s not. I’ve never been hit with this much good publishing news at the same time. It’s overwhelming…like a candy store where I’m tasting every jelly bean in the place.

Cynthia says the story will appear in the next issue, so as soon as it’s released…well, you know.

Thanks. 🙂

New Story Accepted by Word Riot!

Word Riot, people. WORD RIOT.

I’m pinching myself…walking around in a daze. I feel elated.

Word Riot’s Fiction Editor, Kevin O’Cuinn, has provided crucial support and encouragement. Without him, this achievement would not be possible.

Kevin has been patient with my submissions (there have been many) and he’s provided the kind of tough-love all writers need from great editors. His guidance – and scalpel cuts – have been a master class in editing. I do my best to use his lessons on each new piece of fiction I craft.

All I can say is editor, friend and trusted mentor only begin to describe how highly I think of him.

The piece Word Riot accepted is called Flame. It’s a flash fiction work, and as soon as I find out which issue it will appear in, I will let you all know.

New Story Accepted by The Northville Review!

Whew! My dry spell has ended, and boy am I relieved.

Erin Fitzgerald, the editor of The Northville Review, has rained down some life giving news to my short story garden. They will be publishing my flash fiction piece There Was An Old Woman sometime in June and I’m thrilled!

When the story comes out, I’ll post the link – and the permanent link will go onto the Published Stories page.

.

In the meantime, Baby Bird will arrive soon. It has a mid-April publication date expected in Foundling Review. Stay tuned for the announcement and link.

Another story accepted by Bartleby Snopes!

Nathaniel Tower, editor of Bartleby Snopes made me a happy woman today by accepting another story from me.

Last year he published The Return of the Lone Ranger, a flash fiction piece. This time around, the piece he accepted is The Paperboy, a story near and dear to me. The Paperboy is a “longer” short story (it’s NOT flash fiction kids, yay!) I wrote the first draft of The Paperboy in 2009. After countless re-writes and refinements, it’s finally found a home with Bartleby Snopes.

The Paperboy will be published in May and I’m so happy about it. I feel validated in some way because I never gave up on this story, and kept at it year after year.

I’ll post the link here when I get it – permanent link goes onto the … wait for it … Published Stories page!

Yay!