23

I received my 23rd acceptance of the year this morning, this time for a PI story.

19, 20, 21, 22

I woke this morning for find four acceptances awaiting me, my 19th, 20th, 21st, and 22nd acceptances of the year, all for erotic fiction.

18

I received my 18th acceptance of the year this afternoon, this time for a bit of crime fiction.

16, 17

I received my 16th and 17th acceptances of the year this afternoon, these for an erotic spy story and an erotic paranormal story.

Reviewed: "My Sister's Husband"

Michael R. Brown reviewed Pulp Adventures #27 at ThePulp.Net. Here's what he had to say about my story:

“My Sister’s Husband” by Michael Bracken is a strange little romance tale.

Read his review of the entire magazine here.

15

I woke this morning to find my 15th acceptance of the year waiting in my in-box. This is for yet another bit of crime fiction.

14

I received my 14th acceptance of the year this morning, this time for a bit of crime fiction.

13

I received my 13th acceptance on Friday, but am only now recording it. It's a bit of crime fiction originally submitted to a magazine, but Friday the editor asked if he could instead use it in an anthology he's putting together. Of course, I said he could.

10, 11, 12

I received my 10th, 11th, and 12th acceptances of the year this afternoon, all for short crime fiction.

Unacceptance

Two days ago I received my first unacceptance of the year. An anthology editor who accepted one of my stories in 2016 announced that the project is dead. Because it was a themed anthology, that means several good stories with the same theme will likely be hitting the slush piles of publications in the appropriate genre.

I wonder, at times like this, if it is better to resubmit immediately to try to beat the rush or to wait several months until the rush has passed before submitting.

Published: "Itsy Bitsy Spider"

"Itsy Bitsy Spider," a new story featuring Waco, Texas-based private eye Morris Ronald "Moe Ron" Boyette, was published today at Tough. Read it here.

Reviewed: "Harlot Road"

Kevin P Hallett reviewed Weirdbook #38 at Tangent and had this to say about my story, "Harlot Road":

A land ruled by a despotic king is the setting for this short fantasy. An experienced prostitute hates the King’s government and his brutal soldiers. She uses her wits to keep a low profile and stay out of their way. 

Then one day she helps a thief accused of stealing the King’s jewels and in the process becomes embroiled in a possible revolution. She finds herself walking a fine line between protecting what is dear to her and her increasing frustrations with the King’s administration.

At times the prose was deliberate, but the overall intrigue and danger kept the story engaging.

Read the entire review to learn what he thought of the other stories.

Nine

I completed and submitted a 500-word bit of flash noir this evening. I wrote the first half on January 25, and the last half today.

Published: "Harlot Road"

"Harlot Road," a story perhaps best described as an alternate history mystery, appears in Weirdbook #38.

9

I received my 9th acceptance of the year this afternoon, this time for a hardboiled bit of crime fiction.

8

I received my 8th acceptance of the year this afternoon. This one's for a private eye story. The editor doesn't like the title, so I've spent the afternoon trying to come up with something better. So far: Nothing.

7

I received my 7th acceptance of the year this evening, this one for a mystery submitted to an open-call anthology.

Reviewed: "The Mourning Man"

On her blog, Catherine Dilts reviews four stories from the March/April Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and has this to say about my story "The Mourning Man":

The story Mourning Man by Michael Bracken is a touching tale wrapped up in a dangerous game. Cab driver Johnny Devlin is pressured into driving for a robbery when he can't pay a loan shark back for the money he borrowed to pay for his wife's funeral. You can read about the author's inspiration for this story here.

6

I received my 6th acceptance of the year this afternoon, this for an essay.

5

I received my 5th acceptance of the year this afternoon. This is for a a noir story I started on February 20, finished and submitted on March 2, and revised to editor specifications on March 3.