This Year And The Next

I went into 2018 with the knowledge that I wanted a more chaotic life than I had, because I finally realized that I thrive in a less controlled situation. I declared 2018 “the year of biting off more than I can chew,” and made a ridiculous list of goals. It’s not a surprise to me that I didn’t nail them all, but I did achieve some cool things and felt more alive than I had in a long time. Here are some good things about 2018:

* While working two jobs, I went back to school and picked up 27 college credits toward my AA. I made the dean’s list over the summer.

* I finished three short stories that I’m quite proud of.

* I sold one story, “Stars so Sharp They Break the Skin,” to Apex which was published in May in Apex 108. You can read it here: https://www.apex-magazine.com/stars-so-sharp-they-break-the-skin/

* I read my story, "The Wardrobe," at ICFA, which went over well. I met, and received praise from, Geoff Ryman, and that made my year (as you can see).

* I was promoted to a full-time gig at the library, which is so much better than all the retail jobs I’ve had over the last thirty years, it doesn’t feel like I’m really working (except for all those hours I’m not doing other things).

* That comes with good health insurance, which my kids and I didn’t have for about three and a half years. I had my first check-up recently, got back on some meds I needed, and I’ll be getting more issues checked out soon. I’ve also lost eight pounds in the last couple of months and plan on losing more in the coming months. I’ve made exercise a regular part of life.

* My daughter got her BS in Forensic Science and got her first full-time job mere days ago.

In 2019 I’m focusing on writing. I’ll be shedding some of my less productive activities and I hope to finish twelve stories this year, as well as complete the first draft of a novel I’ve been fooling with for far too long. That’s on top of the usual stuff for my patrons, which includes short fiction and podcasts. I’m excited about whatever it is I’m about to create.

I look forward to bigger and better things in the coming year, some of which I can’t yet imagine. I hope all of you have a fantastic new year, too!

2017/2018

Happy New Year!

2017 wasn't great, but a couple of things happened that were good enough to give me some hope for the future. One major thing was getting a part-time job at the library which pointed the way out from a death at the hands of retail.

I had a goal of writing twelve new short stories in 2017. I only completed six, but I thought five of those six were great. Two of them were the longest pieces I've written in years, technically novelettes. I'm excited about the story I'm currently working on, but that will be one for 2018.

I had only one story published this year, but some people really dug it. It's called The Wardrobe and you can read it here: http://www.metaphysicalcircus.com/the-wardrobe-fiction-by-matthew-sanborn-smith/

After peeling out of a terribly stressful job, I started a Patreon in June that helped me reconnect with some awesome fans, raise Beware the Hairy Mango from the dead, and cover some bills during a very lean summer. It also got me to blow the dust off my failed Kickstarter project, Hive Five.


2018 is the year of biting off more than I can chew. On top of my two part-time jobs, I'm going back to school to get an Associate's degree in English, and then an even better library job. But the degree and job are for late 2019. Classes, or at least eight of them, are for 2018.

On top of that, I've packed more (mundane, but important to me) goals into the year than I could possibly have time to achieve, but so what? Among those goals are another stab at twelve stories and finishing Hive Five, though that will likely be a novella, rather than a novel. There's also creating content for the Patreon, probably moving, and consuming a lot of stories, books, comics, and movies.

I'd better get moving.

Coupla Sales

I should have mentioned these long before this, but I have a habit of neglecting this blog. Going forward, I'm going to try to spend a little more time here and a little less time on Facebook (though I will try to mention this blog on Facebook more).

So back in February, my story, The Wardrobe, (story 136 of The One-Thousand) was accepted by the folks at See the Elephant, a magazine by Metaphysical Circus Press. http://www.metaphysicalcircus.com/seetheelephant/ I haven't mentioned the story or the mag before now, because the contract hasn't been signed. But now I'm thinking, so what? In the event the deal falls through, I'll just say the deal fell through. Why sweat it? It'll be a while before this one sees the light of day, because it's going to be in issue 3 or 4. The Wardrobe is about a piece of furniture that's a lot like that famous literary wardrobe, but mine features a lot more clothing. It's also the creepiest and most surreal story I've had accepted so far.

The other sale happened about a month and a half ago. My story, "Rubble People," (143 of The One-Thousand) sold to Aliterate. https://www.aliterate.org/index.html Not only has the contract been signed, the money's been spent (Aliterate is fast that way, and so am I when it comes to spending). It will appear in either the Fall 2016 issue, or the Spring 2017 issue. Rubble People is about the wife of a soldier trying to cope with all the stresses that the homefront has to offer, namely raising a kid while dealing with poverty and isolation. Its science fictional ideas are a bit off the wall, but the realities it's tied to are too real.

These two sales meant a lot to me because I've shopped these stories around for years without any luck. Every few months I'd pull them out and reread them, wondering, "Okay, what's wrong here?" But then I'd realize nothing was wrong here, they were great stories and I just couldn't find the right editors. I feel vindicated and feel some hope for my future work.

I'll let you know when they're released into the wild. I think you guys will dig them.