8

I received my 8th acceptance of the year this morning, this for a 1,400-word horror story.

7

My 7th acceptance of the year is a reprint. In this case, the editor contacted me.

Five

I completed my fifth short story of the year, a 1,600-word bit of lesbian erotica I started June 13, 2009.

I haven't written erotica in years, and I have no idea where to submit the story.

6

I received my 6th acceptance of the year yesterday evening, an unexpected request to reprint one of my crime fiction stories. It feels nice when the editors come to me.

Four

I finished and submitted my fourth story of the year. This one's a 7,000-word bit of crime fiction I began writing May 11, 2025.

Three

I completed and submitted my third short story of the year. This one's a 2,600-word bit of crime fiction I began writing on July 13, 2020.

Two

I finished, but did not submit, my second story of the year this morning. It's a 1,400-word bit of horror fiction. Unfortunately, the top horror markets are currently closed for submission and/or it doesn't seem to fit the needs of the markets that are open.

So, into the filing cabinet it goes until I find an appropriate place to submit it.

One

I finished and submitted my first short story of the year, a 2,450-word bit of dark crime fiction that might also be considered non-supernatural horror.

I'm surprised that I'm five months into the year and this is my first completed story.

5

I received my 5th acceptance of the year this morning. This one's for a 3,200-word bit of crime fiction.

3, 4

I awoke to two acceptances this morning: one's a 4,700-word PI story, the other's an 1,800-word science fiction story.

2

I woke this morning to my second acceptance of year, this for a 4,100-word bit of crime fiction.

1

I received my first acceptance of the year this afternoon, this for an 800-word romance.

Eighteen

I completed and submitted my eighteenth short story of the year this afternoon. This one's a 3,200-word bit of crime fiction inspired by a group conversation after dinner at ShortCon.

Seventeen

I completed and submitted by seventeenth short story of the year this afternoon. This one's a 4,100-word April Fool crime story. 

Sixteen, 30

This morning I finished my sixteenth story of the year—a novella co-authored with Joseph S. Walker—and it became my 30th acceptance of the year. Ths one's a bit of a cheat as I'm editor of the project.

28, 29

Since my last post, I've received my 28th and 29th acceptances of the year: one for a short romance and the other for a bit of crime fiction.

27

I received my 27th acceptance of the year this afternoon, this for a 3,600-word bit of crime fiction.

26

I received my 26th acceptance of the year this afternoon, this for a 3,500-word bit of crime fiction.

25

I received my 25th acceptance of the year this morning, this for a 1,400-word bit of crime fiction.

24

I received my 24th acceptance this morning, this for a short essay.

Fifteen

I finished, but have not yet submitted, my fifteenth story of the year. This one's a bit of horror flash I found on my computer than just needed a final polish.

Fourteen

I finished my fourteenth story of the year this after noon. It's a bit of crime/horror flash I found on my computer earlier today. It only needed a slight polish and a title, so not much actual work on it today. I don't yet know where I might submit it, but at least it's finished.

Thirteen

I completed and submitted my thirteenth short story of the year this afternoon. This one's a 6,400-word bit of crime fiction about a mugging gone wrong.

22, 23

I received my 22nd and 23rd acceptances of the year this morning, both for short romances.

21

I received my 21st acceptance of the year this afternoon, this time a bit of crime fiction for a music-themed anthology.

Twelve

I finished and submitted my twelfth short story of the year this evening. This one's a 3,500-word bit of erotic crime fiction written for a open anthology call.

20

I received my 20th acceptance of the year a few minutes ago, the first time in quite a while I've had two acceptances the same day. Anyhow, this one's a 2,100-word cozyish mystery. 

19

I awoke to my 19th acceptance of the year. This one's for a short romance. 

18

I received my 18th acceptance of the year this morning, after making some some small revisions over the weekend. Though this is—after revisions—a 3,900-word story that begins  with a crime, it is more action/adventure than straight-ahead crime fiction.

17

I received my 17th acceptance of the year this morning, this for a 4,000-word PI story.

Eleven

I finished my 11th story of the year yesterday, a 700-word bit of crime fiction. It doesn't seem to fit the guidelines of any market currently open to submissions, so into the filing cabinet it goes. For now.

16

I received my 16th acceptance of the year this morning, this for a bit of flash crime fiction.

I wrote the story in 2013, and it had been sitting in my files ever since its first rejection. Recently, I've been looking through all my unsold stories that are not under submission anywhere, cleaning them up, and sending them out again.

15

I received my 15th acceptance of the year this morning. This one's a 2,100-word bit of crime fiction accepted by a new publication.

Ten

It's been a good day. I finished and submitted my tenth short story of the year this afternoon. It's a 2,800-word bit of crime fiction I started writing last September.

Nine

I finished writing my ninth story of the year this afternoon. It's a 3,600-word action/suspense story, but I've no idea where to send it. The obvious choices are currently closed for submissions. 

14

I received my 14th acceptance of the year yesterday, while I was at Vintage Bookstore & Wine Bar in Austin, doing a panel with four of the contributors to Sleuths Just Wanna Have Fun.

Anyhow, this was for a short romance.

Eight

I completed and submitted my eighth story of the year this afternoon. This one's a 2,800-word bit of crime fiction I began writing in September 2024.

Seven

I completed and submitted my seventh short story of the year this morning. This one's a 6,700-word PI story I started writing in August 2022. 

13

This is embarrassing. I was cleaning off the top of my desk a few minutes ago and discovered that I'd had an acceptance on May 23 that I had never recorded anywhere. Anyhow, this one is for a bit of writing-related non-fiction.

12

I received my 12th acceptance of the year today, this for an 8.800-word bit of crime fiction I submitted in June 2024.

11

I received my 11th acceptance of the year yesterday evening, after I hd already shut down the computer, for the PI story I submitted earlier that day.

Six

This evening I finished and submitted a 2,500-word PI story written in response to a submission invitation.

Of note, this is the first time in quite a while that I've completed and submitted two stories the same week.

Five

This morning I finished and submitted my fifth story of the year, a rather dark 1,400-word bit of crime fiction.

Four

This morning, I finished and submitted my fourth short story of the year, a 3,800-word story for an invitation-only music-themed crime-fiction anthology.

Three

A few weeks ago, I finished and submitted my third short story of the year, a 4,000-word private eye story that I forgot to note at the time.

10

I received my 10th acceptance of the year this afternoon. This one's for a mini-romance.

9

I received my 9th acceptance of the year this afternoon, a 5,300-word bit of crime fiction for an invitation-only anthology.

7, 8

Since my last post, I've received two acceptances. My 7th was for a how-to article, and this morning's acceptance, my 8th of the year, was for a mini-romance. The mini-romance was my first acceptance from this publication.

6

I received my 6th acceptance of the year this evening, this a 3,100-word bit of crime fiction. This will be my first appearance in this publication.

3, 4, 5

I'd behind in posting. Since my last post, I've received my 3rd, 4th, and 5th acceptances of the year. Today's was for a brief bit of non-fiction.

Two

I finished and submitted my second crime fiction story of the year. This one's a 3,900-word collaboration with my wife, Temple.

2

I received my 2nd acceptance of the year this morning, this for the story I submitted on January 1.

One

I wrote and submitted my first short story of the year today. It's an 1,800-word bit of light-hearted crime fiction written in response to an invitation.

1

I received my 1st acceptance of the year today, this for a reprint.

19 & 20

My 19th and 20th acceptances of the year: Last week I wrote the introduction to another writer's short story collection, and today I received an acceptance for a short story I co-authored with Sandra Murphy.

18

I received my 18th acceptance of the year yesterday, this time for non-exclusive podcast rights to a co-authored mystery story.

17

I received my 17th acceptance of the year this morning, this for a bit of crime fiction I co-authored with my wife, Temple Walker.

16

I received my 16th acceptance of the year this afternoon, this for a bit of crime fiction submitted in July.

Ten & 15

Earlier today, I completed and submitted my tenth story of the year—a 6,700 bit of crime fiction—and it's already been accepted, becoming my 15th acceptance of the year.

14

I received my 14th acceptance of the year this afternoon, this for a 5,900-word bit of crime fiction submitted almost a year ago.

Nine

I completed and submitted my ninth short story of the year this afternoon. This one's a 2,100-word bit of crime fiction.

13

I received my 13th acceptance of the year this afternoon, this time for a 2,500-word bit of crime fiction.

Eight

I finished and submitted my eighth story of the year this evening. This one's a 5,400-word bit of crime fiction for an invitation-only anthology.

12

I received my 12th acceptance of the year while I attending Bouchercon last week. This one's for a 5,700-word bit of crime fiction set in the world of taxi dancers.

11

I received my 11th acceptance of the year a few minutes ago, this for a bit of crime fiction finished in October 2022 and submitted to this publication in April 2024.

10

I received my 10th acceptance of the year this afternoon, this to reprint a bit of crime fiction first published in 2022.

Seven

I completed and submitted my seventh short story of the year this afternoon. This one's an 1,800-word zombie story I started writing September 30, 2009.

9

Earlier today, I received my 9th acceptance of the year, this one an extremely noirish bit of crime fiction.

Six

I completed and submitted my sixth short story of the year this evening, a 3,500-word bit of crime fiction I started writing Oct 31, 2020.

Five

I completed and submitted my fifth story of the year this morning, a 5,000-word collaboration with Temple for a music-themed crime fiction anthology.

Four, 8

I competed and submitted my fourth story of the year this evening, an 11,700-word bit of crime fiction, which became my 8th acceptance of the year. This is a bit of a cheat because I wrote it for Chop Shop, the serial novella anthology series I edit.

7

I received my 7th acceptance of the year late last night, this for a 5,800-word bit of crime fiction.

Three

I completed and submitted my third story of the year this evening. This one's a 2,100-word horror/dark crime story based on a concept given me by an editor.

6

I received my 6th acceptance of the year today, this for a bit of crime fiction written for a music-themed anthology.

4, 5

 I've received two acceptances within the past few days, both non-fiction. One is the introduction for a mystery anthology, the other a guest post for popular magazine's blog. 

Two

I completed and submitted my second short story of the year this afternoon. This one's a 3,200-word bit of crime fiction for an open-call, music-themed anthology.

1, 2, 3

I received my first three acceptances of the year—one yesterday evening and two this morning. All are reprints. Two are crime fiction. The third is either crime fiction or a ghost story, depending on how you read it.

One

I completed and submitted my first short story of the year. This one's a 5,800-word bit of crime fiction I began writing July 10, 2023.

21

I received my 21st acceptance of the year last evening, this for a 4,600-word bit of crime fiction written for an invitation-only anthology.

19 & 20

Two more acceptances this afternoon, my 19th and 20th of the year. This time it's reprint rights to two crime fiction short stories.

17 & 18

I received two acceptances today, both for crime fiction. These are a bit of a cheat as they will appear in anthologies I'm co-editing.

Fourteen

I completed and submitted my fourteenth story of the year this morning. This one's a 4,500-word mystery/police procedural written for an invitation-only anthology. 

16

I received my 16th acceptance of the year this morning, this time for a 5,000-word PI story.

14 & 15

I received my 14th acceptance of the year few days—for a heartwarming Christmas story—and forgot to record it.

I received my 15th acceptance of the year this afternoon, this time for a short piece of crime fiction.

Thirteen

I finished and submitted my thirteenth story of the year this evening. This one's a 5,000-word PI story. 

Twelve

I completed and submitted my twelfth story of the year this morning. This one's a 3,300-word bit of crime fiction for an invitation-only anthology.

Eleven

I finished and submitted my eleventh short story of the year this morning. This one's a 2,500-word bit of crime fiction I began writing on July 5, 2020.

Ten

I finished and submitted my tenth short story of the year. This one—my sixth collaboration with Sandra Murphy—is a 4,200-word bit of crime fiction. Our previous five collaborations all sold on first or second submission, so I have my fingers crossed for this one.

13

I received my 13th acceptance of the year this morning, this time for a 4,800-word bit of crime fiction inspired by a Genesis song.

Nine

I finished and submitted my ninth story of the year this morning, a 2,900-word bit of crime fiction for an "inspired by" anthology.

12

I received my 12th acceptance of the year this morning, a 6,400-word bit of crime fiction submitted 15 months ago.

11

Though I first learned of it while attending Bouchercon, I can now confirm my 11th acceptance of the year, a crime fiction reprint. 

9, 10

I received my 9th acceptance of the year on August 15 and my 10th acceptance of the year August 31, while I was at Bouchercon. Both are short crime fiction stories.

Eight

I finished and submitted my eighth short story of the year this morning. It's a 3,500-word bit of crime fiction written for an invitation-only anthology.

Seven

I finished and submitted my seventh short story of the year. This one's a 3,100-word bit of crime fiction intended for an open-call themed anthology. 

Six

I completed and submitted my sixth short story of the year this evening, a 4,800-word bit of crime fiction. This one's for an invitation-only anthology of stories inspired by the songs of a well-known rock group.

Five

I completed and submitted my fifth story of the year. This one's a 5,900-word bit of crime fiction inspired by an incident at an Italian restaurant.

8

The story I submitted this morning has already been accepted, making it my 8th acceptance of the year.

Four

I completed and submitted my fourth short story of the year, this one a 2,000-word bit of crime fiction written for an invitation-only anthology.

6, 7

Earlier this month I received my 6th acceptance of the year (for an essay,) and today I received my 7th acceptance (for a reprint).