Paying Markets for Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Stories

Updated: Jan 27, 2015

Although I prefer long fiction, I do write the occasional short story and I try to submit them for publication. By and large, I've failed. In the meantime, though, I've developed a "cheat sheet" for the different markets, which allows me to scan through the list and decide where my story has the best shot. It's by no means exhaustive, but it's a good place for the aspiring writer to start.

What Kind of Markets?

Rather than splash my work everywhere, I decided to be ambitious and try for the best of the best. Therefore, with few exceptions, most of the markets on the list are:

• Trustworthy: These are professionally published magazines, not scam artists. Most of these magazines get exclusive worldwide rights to your story for a year. You still own that copyright and once that year expires, you can post your work wherever you please. I said most, but I don't make that guarantee. Always read the contract and make sure you know what you're getting into.
• Cost-Effective: They pay well. On top of that, there are no reading fees or nonsense of that type. I'm already a broke writer. I'm not going to be nickel and dimed. Many of the magazines do suggest you read them before submitting. However, many also offer free content on their website. So the list also doubles as a great place to hunt down free short stories.
• Prestigious: Many of the magazines have won awards and published famous authors. If you publish here, you can brag about it on your resume.
• Difficult: Of these markets, I've been published only once in Daily Science Fiction, after about five tries. It takes a lot of persistence and heart-ache to make it. 
• Slow: Most of these places don't allow multiple submissions, which means you can only submit one story at a time, or simultaneous submissions, which means you can only submit that story to them. Response times vary from a few days to a few months. To top it off, occasionally they get too many stories and refuse to take any new submissions until who knows when! 

In general, these are the kinds of things the magazines are looking for:

• They want your original work. Nothing based off TV shows or movies or books, even ones where the copyright has expired.
• They want things that have never been published. Nowadays I think that includes websites, so don't post it to your blog or put it in your Writer's Group's anthology unless you're absolutely sure it's all right. 
• They do not want queries. Don't try to pitch them an idea for a short story. Just send them the completed manuscript.
• They want it edited. It doesn't have to be absolutely perfect, but it should be pretty darn close.
• They do not want re-writes. If they reject you, just take it to the next publisher ands move on.
• They want manuscripts submitted electronically. Very few will take mailed manuscripts. Plus, you have to pay postage and printing and that adds up.
• They do not want emails. Most have their own service where you can log in and submit. This is to reduce the risk of a virus infection.
• They want it formatted their way. This could mean anything from what font you use to what sort of document you can submit to whether or not you need a cover letter. Before you submit, take a few minutes to review their rules, lest you accidentally disqualify yourself over nothing.

One last note. I've focused on markets for short stories, but many of these magazines offer opportunities for artists, poets, and nonfiction writers. So if you have interests in those fields, you may want to look into some of these.

My Markets

Daily Science Fiction

Web Address: http://dailysciencefiction.com

Submission Info: http://dailysciencefiction.com/submit

Type of Magazine: Daily Online Magazine (Free)

Pay Rate: 8 cents a word

Interested In: Flash Fiction (between 100-1500 words) with speculative elements. Flash fiction series are fine, just note it in your cover letter

Not Interested In: Horror, Erotica, Military SF

How to Submit: Create Author Account and Log In. Submit manuscript in plain text on web form. (Basically, copy and paste.) Write "End" at the end of your story. Do not put your name, email, etc. in the manuscript--that goes in the account. Cover letters not needed; just put in your name.

Other Info: Since it's free, why not subscribe to Daily Science Fiction and wake up to find a short story in your email box every morning, Mon-Fri? Short stories are archived on their website. The submission process goes in two rounds. In Round One, they eliminate 80% of the stories they receive. In Round Two, they eliminate half of the Round One stories. If you make it past that, your story will be published.

The Magazine of Science Fiction and Fantasy

Web Address: https://www.sfsite.com/fsf/

Submission Info: https://www.sfsite.com/fsf/glines.htm

Type of Magazine: Print and Digital Bimonthly Magazine (Subscription)

Pay Rate: 7-12 cents per word

Interested In: Fiction, up to 25,000 words. They get too much fantasy, not enough SF or Humor

How to Submit: Submit through mail or through website, using a .doc, .docx, or rtf file.

Other Info: They are extremely picky on how the manuscript is prepared and have a sample document listed here: http://www.sfwa.org/2008/11/manuscript-preparation/

Clarkesworld Magazine

Web Address: http://clarkesworldmagazine.com

Submission Info: http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/submissions/

Type of Magazine: Hugo award-winning Monthly Print/ Digital Magazine (Subscription)

Pay Rate: 10 cents a word for the first 4000 words, 7 cents a word after that

Interested In: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Fiction from 1000-8000 words, though 4000 preferred.

Not Interested In: Extensive gore, sex, profanity. Also, they have an entire long list of cliches/ themes they're tired of on the information page

How to Submit: Submit online. Your name and contact information go on an online form. Your credentials go on the cover letter. Your manuscript can be submitted as a .doc or .rtf file. Response time is usually 2 days

Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show

Web Address: http://www.intergalacticmedicineshow.com

Submission Info: http://www.intergalacticmedicineshow.com/cgi-bin/mag.cgi?do=content&article=submissions

Type of Magazine: Bimonthly Digital Magazine (Subscription)

Pay Rate: 6 cents a word

Interested In: Fantasy and SF of any length

Not Interested In: Anything above a PG-13 Rating

How to Submit: Type your email address into their online submission form and they will email instructions on how to submit. Include your contact information in your manuscript. Up to 3 months response time.

Beneath Ceaseless Skies

Web Address: http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com

Submission Info: http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/submissions/

Type of Magazine: Biweekly Digital Magazine (Free through email, Subscription for Kindle)

Pay Rate: 6 cents a word

Interested In: "Literary Adventure Fantasy" That is, character-driven fantasy set in a well-developed and unique secondary world. Steampunk and Weird West is okay. They prefer under 10,000 words.

Not Interested: SF, Urban Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Myths, Slapstick Humor

How to Submit: Email them at submissions@beneath-ceaseless-skies.com. The subject line should read "Submission: (Title of Your Story)" If you don't include the word "Submission" the spam filter will delete it. The manuscript should be prepared in Standard Manuscript Format (for a good example, see the link at The Magazine of Science Fiction and Fantasy). Include contact info in the manuscript. Must be .doc or .rtf. NO .docx. If worse comes to worse, paste text directly onto email. Include cover letter with your credentials, but without a synopsis. Response time is usually 2-4 weeks.

Lightspeed

Web Address: http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com

Submission Info: http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/about/guidelines/

Type of Magazine: Hugo award-winning Digital Monthly Magazine (Free online content with Subscription options)

Pay Rate: 8 cents a word

Interested In: Fantasy and SF of 1500-7500 words, 5000 words preferred. Also accepts 12 novellas a year.

Not Interested In: Erotica, poetry, fanfiction

How to Submit: Stories must be submitted online through Moshka Online Submission System. Contact information is included on the form. On the cover letter, please include story length, publishing history, and credentials. Manuscripts must be prepared in Standard Manuscript Format (They give this link: http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html) .rtf or .doc only

Other Info: They are interested in diversity. As of writing this, they are open for submissions for their "Queers Destroy Science Fiction" special, which means that only stories written by someone identifying as "queer" are accepted. Also as of now, it is closed for normal submission due to high volume and doesn't say when it will be open.

Asimov's Science Fiction

Web Address: www.asimovs.com

Submission Info: http://www.asimovs.com/info/guidelines.shtml

Type of Magazine: Monthly Print Magazine (Subscription)

Pay Rate: 8-10 cents for up to 7500 words; 8-8.5 cents after; $1 per line of poetry, up to 40 lines

Interested In: Character-driven SF, from 1000-20,000 words

Not Interested In: Borderline fantasy is okay, but no Sword and Sorcery

How to Submit: Online Submission SystemContact information is included on the form. On the cover letter, please include story length, publishing history, and credentials. Manuscripts must be prepared in Standard Manuscript Format (http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html) .rtf, .doc, .docx Response time usually 5 weeks

Other Info: accepts mailed submissions, too

Analog

Web Address: http://www.analogsf.com/

Submission Info: http://www.analogsf.com/information/submissions.shtml

• 
  

Type of Magazine: Monthly Print Magazine (Subscription)

Pay Rate: 8-10 cents for up to 7500 words; 8-8.5 cents after; 6 cents per word for serials; 9 cents a word for fact-based articles; $1 per line of poetry, up to 40 lines

Interested In: SF stories in which future science or technology plays an integral role in the plot. They prefer short stories 2000-7000 words,. novellas 10,000-20,000 words, and serials 40,000-80,000 words. They also accept fact-based Nonfiction written in lay terms about 4000 words and poetry

How to Submit: Online Submission SystemContact information is included on the form. On the cover letter, please include story length, publishing history, and credentials. Manuscripts must be prepared in Standard Manuscript Format (http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html) .doc only Response time usually 2-3 months

Other Info: Reluctantly accepts mailed submissions

Apex Magazine

Web Address: http://www.apex-magazine.com/?et_no_mobile=1

Submission Info: http://www.apex-magazine.com/submission-guidelines/

Type of Magazine: Monthly Digital Magazine (Subscription)

Pay Rate: 6 cents a word for fiction, plus an additional 1 cent per word if they choose to podcast your story; poetry is 25 cents per line

Interested In: Fantasy, SF, Horror.  In their words, "Works full of marrow and passion, stories that are twisted, strange, and beautiful." Fiction up to 7500 words. Poetry up to 200 lines.

How to Submit: It seems like you can either email editor Lesley Conner at lesley@apexbookcompany.com or submit an online form. I don't see any information on types of documents. Manuscripts must be prepared in Standard Manuscript Format (http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html) Up to 5 poems may be submitted at a time

Other Info: Your story may be selected for a podcast and will be forever archived on the website, though you still have the rights to publish your story elsewhere after the contract expires

Strange Horizons

Web Address: http://www.strangehorizons.com

Submission Info: http://www.strangehorizons.com/Guidelines.shtml (general) http://www.strangehorizons.com/guidelines/fiction.php (fiction)

Type of Magazine: Weekly Online Magazine (Free)

Pay Rate: 8 cents a word

Interested In: Speculative Fiction: SF, Fantasy, some Horror up to 10,000 words, though 5000 is preferred.

Not Interested In: They have a whole list of tired plots here: http://www.strangehorizons.com/guidelines/fiction-common.shtml

How to Submit: Send your story to the submission gateway; NO EMAILS. (Note: the submission gateway closes if they receive too many stories, but reopens every night at midnight Eastern time.) Cover letter optional. Response time 40 days.

Other Info: "Strange Horizons is incorporated as a non-profit corporation in the state of Utah, USA. With an all-volunteer staff and a limited budget for advertising and self-promotion, the magazine's financial resources are devoted to professionally compensating writers for publication rights to their works." In addition to fiction, they are also looking for art, poetry, nonfiction, podcast readers, and reviews.

Cicada

Web Address: http://www.cicadamag.com

Submission Info: https://cricketmag.submittable.com/submit/17820

Type of Magazine: Print and Digital Bimonthly Magazine geared to a YA Audience (14+) (Subscription)

Pay Rate: up to 25 cents a word for fiction; up to $3.00 a line for poetry

Interested In: Fiction, all genres, from flash fiction to 9,000 words; Nonfiction up to 5,000 words; Poetry

How to Submit: Must create an account; NO EMAILS. Send completed manuscript as a .doc, .docx, .txt., or .rtf file.  Include word count (fiction/ nonfiction) or line count (manuscripts) and phone, email, and mailing address. Allow 3-6 months response time.

Other Info: Their "Creative Endeavors" section is open exclusively to writers age 14-23. It seems to be more of a contest and has different themes.

Cricket

Web Address: http://www.cicadamag.com

Submission Info: http://www.cricketmag.com/25-Submission-Guidelines-for-CRICKET-magazine-for-children-ages-9-14

Type of Magazine: Children's Literary Magazine (Age 9-14) (Subscription)

Pay Rate: 25 cents a word for Fiction and Articles; up to $3.00 a line for poetry; $75 flat rate for activities

Interested In: Contemporary Fiction; Historical Fiction; SF and Fantasy; Myths, Legends, and Folklore. 600-900 word stories preferred; 1200-1800 word stories acceptable; they will occasionally serialize stories up to 6000 words. Also interested in Nonfiction, Poetry, and Activities

Not Interested In: Sex, disturbing situations, abuse

How to Submit: Go to the online submission form "Submittable," register/ login-in, and follow instructions. NO mailed submissions or emails.

Other Info: Cricket is part of a Media Group that has several other magazines (including Cicada) aimed at a younger audience.

Flashfiction Online

Web Address: http://flashfictiononline.com/main/

Submission Info: http://flashfictiononline.com/main/submission-guidelines/

Type of Magazine: Online Monthly Magazine (Free Email or Subscribe)

Pay Rate: $60

Interested In: Complete stories from 500-1000 words. A particular fondness for SF and Fantasy, but all genres welcome

Not Interested In: Poetry. Anything over 1000 words. See this list: http://flashfictiononline.com/main/submission-guidelines/hard-sells/ No erotica, porn, graphic sex, or violence.

How to Submit: Submit online using Submishmash. Click on your genre, create an account/ log in, and submit. Format in Times New Roman or Courier New font, 12 pt. Double spaced, left alignment, one-inch margins. NO author name or information anywhere in your manuscript. (They want anonymity.) Put name and info in cover letter. doc., rtf., txt. only. NO docx.

Contest: Writers of the Future

Web Address: http://www.writersofthefuture.com

Submission Info: http://www.writersofthefuture.com/contest-rules-writers/

Type of Magazine: NA

Pay Rate: Prizes of $500, $750, and $1000 awarded every quarter; one grand prize of $5000 awarded every year

Interested In: SF and Fantasy short stories and novelettes of up to 17,000 words written by non-professional writers

Not Interested In: Poetry, children's story

How to Submit: The Contest is open only to those who have not professionally published a novel or short novel, or more than one novelette, or more than three short stories, in any medium. Only amateur writers need apply! Can send via mail or through the website. Entries submitted electronically must be double-spaced and must include the title and page number on each page, but not the author’s name. (This also goes for printed version--they want it anonymous.)

Other Info: Contestants retain all rights to their work. No entry fee. Writers judged by professional authors. Winners work goes in anthology. Illustrators of the Future Contest as well.

Ether*

* This is a less traditional market, and the stuff I wrote about in the "What Kind of Markets?" section doesn't necessarily apply. However, I'm adding it because I have experience publishing on it.

Web Address: http://www.etherbooks.com

Submission Info: http://writers.etherbooks.com/EtherLogin.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fdefault.aspx

Type of Magazine: UK-based Free App that let's Readers purchase stories or read for free

Pay Rate: 0-??? (Ether decides whether your book is available for free or for a cost. If your short story can be purchased, your payment comes as 20% of sales.)

Interested In: Stories and Poems of all genres under 6000 words

How to Submit: Create an author's account. DO not sign up for silver membership unless you want to pay money. Submit word document. Response in 90 days.

Other Info: Last year, I wrote an article about publishing on Ether here: http://rebeccalangfantasy.blogspot.com/2014/01/publishing-on-ether.html The three stories I've submitted were all accepted, but I didn't actually get paid for any of them.

More Markets?

Want even more places to submit? Scan these websites for a list.

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America

http://www.sfwa.org (general)
http://www.sfwa.org/about/join-us/sfwa-membership-requirements/#short (list)

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America has a list of Qualifying Professional Markets for Short Fiction, which basically means a list of reliable, professional short story publishers who pay well.

Storyville: Where to Send Your Stories

http://litreactor.com/columns/storyville-where-to-send-your-stories

My friend Ned gave me this link and it's very extensive. The article includes lower paying publishers, different genres, and thoughts about the particular publishers.

Poem: Picnic at Manzanar

Picnic at Manzanar

Twenty-eight rice balls
have gone in our bellies.
Now we sit swapping licorice
on shaded park benches

in a place where the desert
crashes into the mountains.
But had we arrived
just seventy years sooner

we might have dined on
Jello served on steamed rice
and listened to teeth chatter
in the cramped, hot mess hall.

How strange this quiet tragedy
has brought us all together
in a place where barbed wire
lies on the other side of the river.

--Rebecca Lang
January 27, 2015

* * *

I originally wrote this poem back in 2013 and even posted it on the blog. (You can see the old version here.) This week, I happened to glance at my old poems and decided to revise it. I'm not a poet by nature, but I do appreciate the craft of putting a feeling into words and then reducing those words to their absolute essence.

Manzanar is an old internment camp in central California, between the Mojave Desert and the Sierra Nevadas. Back in World World II, Japanese Americans were forcibly removed from their homes and imprisoned in this and many other camps across America. They had to share barracks with other families, endure public toilets (some without stalls), and dine in communal mess halls. Some of the cooks didn't know how to prepare Japanese cuisine and gave them things like the Jello rice slop. Life did improve, though, as the Japanese set about turning their sparse surroundings into a community.

I'm half Japanese American on my mother's side. My grandparents came from Hawaii, and my grandpa actually saw the planes fly toward Pearl Harbor. They were never interned, but they had to hide their culture. My grandma, for example, stopped going to Japanese school and get her hair permed to look more America. I don't actually think she minded that in the least. 

My mother spent much of her childhood denying that she was Japanese. She was and is very much American. It wasn't until she heard about Manzanar and other Japanese internment camps, that she began to connect with her Japanese heritage and even embrace it. I always thought it interesting how such a terrible event could bring out a sense of pride.

Weekly Update: 1-30-15 Yay for the Weekend

But a brief hour ago, I was spinning and dancing like a mad ballerina, I was so happy. Tomorrow, I go to the Fowler Museum with my cousins and dine on Indonesian food for the first time. Obsentisibly, this trip will give me a chance to research for Counterfeit Diamond, an upcoming story I'm setting in a magic society loosely based on Dutch-colonized Indonesia. But I also get to spend time with my cousins, who are awesome, by the way. Some of them took time off of work to go on this Geeky trip with me.

Honestly, I love to plan and go on these little travel adventures. I don't know why. But I feel like a kid in a candy store with a fat wad of cash in his hand. I want to taste everything. 

This week, to be honest, has been fairly glum and gray, much like the weather. I got much-needed, but boring stuff done, such as planning out my business model and going over my short story markets. I even got work on Friday, which is hopeful; maybe the jobs will perk up in February. On the whole, the same old, same old, so I can't wait for tomorrow when I get to do something different. 

Short Story Review: Beyond the Waterfall and A Glimmer of Perspective

Title: Beyond the Waterfall
Author: Ryan K. Stansifer
Genre: Short Story, Fantasy

Summary

There's something strange about Waterfall Canyon Library. It was on the verge of shut down before a mysterious donor saved it. Now people come and go at odd hours of the night, and some disappear, never to return. Liam Applejack shrugs off these rumors as urban legend. Then a cute volunteer from the Waterfall Canyon Library offers him a chance to work there. His friends are convinced she's part of a cult. Liam must decide whether to heed the warnings of reality or dive into something that's beyond his imagination.

Review

I connected to Liam Applejack almost instantly. He's a nice librarian who suffers from panic attacks, made worse by his overbearing, almost sadistic boss. When dealing with Cherie, the cute volunteer from Waterfall Canyon library who Liam has a crush on, he's adorably awkward, trying (and failing) to look at anyone but her. I appreciated the fact that Cherie wasn't some glamorous fantasy figure, but a rather down-to-earth girl, who wore faded comic con shirts and realized how strange her library must look to Liam.

The story flowed nicely, from one event to another, and I was never bored. There wasn't a lot of action, persay, but more of an internal struggle. Normal, everyday events causes Liam anxiety. How can he deal with something like this? A crucial scene, where Cherie gently confronts Liam about the nature of his fears, really resonated with me. I think it formed the beating heart of this story.

It is a short story, though. By the time the mystery of the library starts to unfold, the story is over. "Beyond the Waterfall" introduces the audience a new fantasy world, but cruelly deprives them of the chance to play there. And I did think that, at $2.99, it was a little expensive for my taste.

***

Title: A Glimmer of Perspective
Author: Ryan K. Stansifer
Genre: Short Story, Fantasy

Summary

The Weaver waits until the humans are gone to begin his task. He must gather tendrils of magic, tame them with his cries, and train his young apprentice in the way of the craft. The humans may have welcomed the Weaver into their home, but little do they know the true work he does while they are away.

Review

This story is short. Really short. A little over 8 pages on my iPad's Kindle. At $2.99, I would have liked a few more pages and maybe more than one line of dialogue.

To be honest, I had trouble getting into the story. The main character's identity is shrouded in mystery until the very end, making it hard to see him. (In fact, I use "him" in the neutral sense, because I'm not entirely sure the Weaver was male.) The notion of Weaving is also very abstract. The first time I read the story, I couldn't visualize anything and had only the loosest idea of what was going on.

That said, when I got to the reveal at the end and read through the story for a second time, I did get... perspective, so to speak. It gave me a glimpse of a world that might be, a world close enough to touch, but just out of reach. I think if the main character's identity had been clear from the beginning and if the world had been a little more developed, I would have liked this story very much.

Weekly Update: 1-23-15 Water Fowl and Worries

On the far end of the pond, little black birds gather on the grass. I call them black, but in fact, their bodies are more of a smoky gray, and they have orange eyes and wide blue feet. They are rounder and plumper than ducks. They travel in groups but evenly spaced apart, like elementary school children lined up on the playground, and they ripple when I walk through them. I smile.

I think I see a dead duck underneath the brown, murky water. Its wet, ruffled feathers look like algea or maybe the spiky leaves that fall from the nearby trees into the pond. But it's the neck of the bird that really catches my eye, the way it twists up at an angle and then back down, like the start of a pretzel. I see a flash of its beak. Just this and no more.

And there's this great ugly bird. I can't tell if it's a big duck or a small goose. It has black and white feathers and a mottled red face, like some sort of bumpy scarlet mask, and when it walks past me in clumping old-man steps, it doesn't so much quack as grunt. It arrives at the side of the lake and drinks, fluffing its neck feathers and gargling. The water has enlivened its mood. Its tail wiggles back and forth, like a puppy.

* * *

I wrote down these observations in my journal last Tuesday, during a walk to Tri-City Park. I had gone there partly to get exercise, but mostly to try and ease my nervous mind. The ducks calmed me down while I was there, but the anxiety has since returned.

I haven't gotten work all week.

In fact, so far the month of January has yeilded only two substitute jobs. I had a good run in October, November, and December, and I hoped it would last, but it didn't, so now I'm broke again, right as the holiday bills are due. This only confirms in my mind that I will need to make a drastic career change very soon.

Now, lest you think I've been so bored this week I've been reduced to writing about ducks, let me tell you, that break was wedged between four hours of working on my Coffin novel and five hours of grappling with various problems converting my digital novel into print. In fact, I've been working frantically just to keep on pace with my regular weekly To-Do List, and I'm still not sure I'll get everything crossed off.

And this also troubles me because if I have 5 days off and can still barely keep up with my schedule of writing, how the heck am I going to do it, when I have subbing jobs to attend to, marketing campaigns to run, and classes to attend?

Book Review: Warriors: Into the Wild

Title: Warriors: Into the Wild
Author: Erin Hunter
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy

Summary

"Kittypets can't be warriors! They don't have warrior blood!"

So says the wild kitten that attacks Rusty, a young orange house cat who's wandered into the woods. But Rusty knows he's different--he dreams of hunting mice and finds the life of pet stifling. When a group of wild cats offer him a chance to join their clan as a warrior-in-training, he leaps at the opportunity. Soon Rusty is engulfed in a world of deadly fights, fierce friendships, and mystical visions. Will he fulfill his dream of becoming a full-fledged warrior? Or will the weakness of his kittypet blood win out?

Review

One of my students recommended this book to me, so I decided to give it a shot. Even though I'm not a kid and I don't have a cat, I did find Warriors an adventurous and enjoyable read.

Into the Wild, the first book of the Warriors saga, follows Rusty's journey, as he grows in strength and finds acceptance among the other cats. Food is scarce and cats must compete for hunting ground, so the clans have developed a warrior society, complete with codes of honor, ranks, and ceremonies. It's a well-developed world and fun to learn about. One of my favorite aspects was the idea that the leader of each clan takes a mystical journey and is bestowed with nine lives--literally.

Because of rivalries and border spats between the clans, there's always lots of action to keep the plot moving. The fights are surprisingly violent, and characters do die. I was taken aback when cats I'd grown to care about met a sudden, unexpected end. No one is safe in this world.

The one thing that really bugged me was that the bad guys were so obvious. One cat in particular could have, should have been dealt with much sooner, if Rusty puts the hints together and exposed the villain when he had the chance. Though by the end of the book, Rusty's warrior journey is complete, none of the villains are really dealt with, so the story feels incomplete. There are a lot of threads left hanging.

But I guess that's why it's a series. If you really want to know what happens to Rusty and his friends, it's off to the next book.

Weekkly Update: 1-17-15 Little Annoyances

My laptop is being eaten alive by a series of deadly viruses. My uncle, in a drastic last attempt to flush out the disease, is going to reformat the computer. I have no idea what this means, except that the laptop is off-limits until he gives it a clean bill of health.

No problem. I primarily use my tablet anyway, and since my old iPad (the original version) was deleting my documents, I bought a brand new iPad Air 2 and a keyboard case. This week, I typed up 10,000 new words on my Coffins story. Still, the laptop being out of commission has been annoying, because there's one or two things I just can't do on my tablet. Printing, for instance. Or loading photos on this blog. Little annoyances.

But little annoyances have been adding up. Today, for example, I spent the whole day doing chores and felt extremely frustrated for not getting more done. Not more chores. More writing. More business-y stuff. More figuring out my life. It's the beginning of the year, and I want to do everything. But now limits are kicking in. I'm getting tired. I'm getting frustrated. My self-imposed deadlines are looming and I'm getting nervous.

I feel I should have my life figured out by now. I'm annoyed I have not.

Weekly Update: 1-10-15 New Year, New Routine

No subbing jobs this week, but that's all right, because I had plenty to do between writing and trying to implement all my New Year's resolutions.

Writing hit like a deluge. I finished new drafts of Chapters 2-5 of my Coffins story, right on schedule, but then I decided to sit down on Wednesday and re-write all of Chapter 1 of The Originals (about 20 pages), which was not planned. Then on Friday, I revised one short story, wrote up another one, and tinkered with a couple more. I don't know if I was just full of ideas or secretly procrastinating all the stuff I didn't want to do (like thank you notes), but at any rate, my writing cup overflowed.

At the same time, I was slowly phasing in new life improvements.

Phase One was learning German, which I actually got a head start on in December. I've been faithfully visiting Duolingo every morning, and I've downloaded "Lass jetzt los," the German version of "Let It Go" off itunes. I've even found a favorite German phrase: "Morgen, Morgen, nur nicht huete, sagan alle faulen Luete," which sounds like a nursery rhyme and literally means: "Tomorrow, tomorrow, just not today, says all the lazy people."

Phase Two has been uncluttering my mind from addictive junk. I got rid of Candy Crush (all 600 levels of it) and stopped watching TV. It's actually weird to have so much silence and stillness around me. It lets in the doubts and the fears and the guilts that the blare of the TV numbed. I'm still adjusting to that.

Phase Three is health. I assembled a new crop of low-calorie recipes from Food.com and Cooking Light and planned out the rest of the month's menu accordingly. Today, I started counting calories on the MyFitnessPal app and took a long walk to the park.

I'm still working on getting my publishing business in order and figuring out my career path. But I can only inact so many changes at a time. What worries me more is whether or not the changes will stick. It's very hard for me to be disciplined without a tangible goal in mind. Right now, though, I'm feeling pretty good and I hope I'll be able to continue on this newly plowed path.

My First Novel Published

My first novel, THE CHANGELINGS, was published on January 2, 2015 exclusively on Kindle for Amazon. You can get a copy for $2.99 today.  For those of you who prefer physical books to digital ones, a hard copy will be coming out on June 2, 2015.

First-time author Rebecca Lang takes us into a war-torn world steeped in political intrigue, shifting alliances, and breath-taking civilizations in the first volume of Matthew’s Prophecy, an exciting new fantasy saga.

For as long as she can remember, 21-year old Sylvie has embraced her role as the priest's daughter, content to marry her fiancé and lead a quiet, normal life. But between droughts, food shortages, and the slow invasion of her desert homeland, even those modest dreams seem out of reach.

Then one sweltering summer day, her best friend Matthew reveals a devastating secret. Sylvie is a Changeling: a fantastical creature given human form and switched with the priest's real daughter 17 years ago. And she's not the only one. Four other Changelings remain hidden in the desert—including Matthew himself.

Once a child prophet, Matthew foretold a world-wide catastrophe that only the Changelings can prevent. But when an unexpected cost brings heartache to Sylvie, she begins to wonder: Should she follow the prophecy’s instructions like the obedient girl she thought she was? Or does being a Changeling mean a different side of her is about to come out?

Click here for sample chapters: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RORNZJU

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I have to say, I was actually terrified to have my novel up for sale. It's ten years of toil and a good chunk of my heart and soul up for display. But I felt it was time to put aside my fears and release the story to the world.

I wrote the story I love epic fantasies with three-dimensional characters, plot twists, and complicated world-building, so I tried my best to incorporate those elements in THE CHANGELINGS. I want the reader to think they know where they're going and suddenly be surprised.

 Did I do my job well? Please let me know. I appreciate any reviews you leave. The more you write, the better chance new readers will give my book a shot.

Weekly Update: 1-1-15 Christmas and New Year

Christmas Eve Morning.

I found myself in my old kitchen in Victorville, slowly braising a pork roast in a soy-sugar-sake marinade, chopping up apples for a last minute crumble. Nothing unsual. Until I felt an overwhelming sense of sleepiness overtake me. I had to take a nap. When I woke up, signs of the flu were upon me.

Christmas Eve.

Flashes of heat and chills overtook my body. A vague feeling of nausea churned in my belly. I didn't eat my braised pork. I hardly ate at all. We were supposed to play games all night, open presents, and talk about what we're grateful for. But I was too sick to participate. Instead, I called it a night early, curled under a mass of blankets, and gave in to the wracking pains of a nasty flu.

Christmas.

Mom was counting on me to help her with Christmas dinner, but with me starting the day by heaving bile over the toilet, that wasn't going to happen. I didn't even have the strength to pop the cinnamon rolls into the oven. Most of the day, I sat like a lump on the couch, encased by blankets, watching kid's movies. By afternoon, I was starting to recover. I even opened some presents, which included money soap, a dragon in a cage necklace, a mug bearing Shakespearean insults, a Nintendo DS, Jane Austen cards, story dice, and some books.

New Year Eve.

By this time, I was long over my flu. All that remains is a long, lingering cough. However, the bug moved to my ipad decided to delete my documents. For the last time. As part on my birthday present, my mom and dad helped me buy a new ipad. That was the most exciting thing I did. I ate Little Caesar's Pizza, watched Mythbusters, and played Pokemon until the midnight countdown. The fireworks scared the puppies.

New Year Day.

It's my last day of being 29. Considering that tomorrow I turn 30 and publish my novel tomorrow, I've had surprisingly few anxiety dreams. Maybe because I've been stressing about my third decade since I turned 28 and now it's mostly out of my system. Also, I'm too busy anticipating all the stuff I've got to get done in the upcoming year. I spent all day typing up my goals for 2015. 

Tomorrow's my birthday. Wish me luck.