Adria Bailton, Author
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Musings from a Mountain

2022 Goals: Second Trimester Update (No announcements)

8/31/2022

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Short Story Submissions On a Roll!

In April, I gave the update that my original goal planning was not cutting it, and so I made a stretch goal - submit (and get rejections [for]) sixty (60) short stories this year. This will lead up linearly until in my fifth true year of submissions, I'm aiming for 150. I try to stay on top of submissions by having a specific number reached as the calendar year progresses. Othewrise, I might be stuck short of my goal with a large number of closed-for-the-holidays and/or a break markets.

As of today, I should have sent forty-two (42) stories out in the world - the same number I actually sent out in 2021. I am excited to say, I have submitted fifty (50) short stories already in 2022. I am only ten (10) away from my goal and have a whole four (4) months to get them sent out.

New Stories in Rotation

Since the April update, I have 2-3 shorter works that I have fully polished and am sending out, along with my other stories looking for homes. This brings me to ten-ish (10) stories that are out and about, looking for their homes. Why -ish? Well, a couple of those stories counted and not counted are reprints, another is a drabble that I'm not settled with. Another has a very specific order-of-operations and isn't really available to just send out, or turn-around upon rejection, which is my usual motis operandi.

Right at this moment, not everything that could be is out. And, gasp, I've got a couple stories under acceptable simultaneous submission! I find with ten stories, the turn-around is a little slower and I also consider simultaneous sub with less stress than it was. 

Querying Update

Querying, you say? Yes, last update after a year of querying and a (less than a paragraph) form rejection on a full request and so much silence from agents, I declared myself done querying one of my novels. 

Then a friend and champion of querying mentioned she was at 150 queries. Which sparked one of my few competitive drives. While I will not try to outcompete that, I have decided to at least get to 100 queries with my novel before setting it aside.

In June, I began querying again.

For the first ten months of querying, I made a policy to always have one dozen (12) queries out in the wild. I built up to that number within the first week or two. When a rejection came in, I sent another out. With the silence of agents in 2022, that method does not work at all. I'd never move forward with queries. I'm currently sending queries as I have the emotional and time bandwidth for it. Every rejection is still a knife in my heart (but I'd still the rejections than the silence). I'm currently at about twenty (20) queries out. 

​We'll see how it goes.

Until Next Time...

I hope to have all sorts of good news by the 2022 goals wrap-up - short story goals submissions met, more acceptances, querying at least meeting my goal number if nothing else.
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Short Fiction Round-Up #65

8/1/2022

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I suggested lots of fiction during July. Most of it has been published this year, but every so often I dipped back a year or few. Here are the 21 stories I thought you might enjoy because I did.

Picture of a robot in gray with orange accents painting a book. The image says short fiction It Rises and Falls and Rises Again by RJ Taylor Issue 130 Apex-Magazine.com
It Rises and Falls and Rises Again by RJ Taylor was published by Apex Magazine in March.

From Daily Science Fiction,
NPC by James Van Pelt published in April.
Paulie Coiner by Thiago Loriggio published in April.
Table For One by Shannon Fay published in May.
The Messenger by Mari Ness published in July.
Daily Science Fiction logo in shades of green and white with a rocket with the letters DSF on it and a circle around with the words Daily Science Fiction.

Diabolical Plots logo with a face made of steampunk glasses and eyebrowns, a suggested nose and a wide mouth over a blue and teal pattern.
The Many Taste Grooves of the Chang Family by Allison King was published by Diabolical Plots in May.

From The Arcanist,
The Things We Saved from Burning by Matthew Bailey published in June.
​
New Roots by Megan Kiekel Anderson published in July.
A blue paint swath with the title The Things We Saved from Burning by Matthew Bailey.
A blue pain swath that says New Roots by Megan Kiekel Anderson.

The ZNB logo with the words ZNB Presents in yellow and a black and gray brain.
When the Salt Burns Green by Brian Hugenbruch was published at ZNB Presents in July.

From Fireside Fiction,
Certainty in Gold by Samara Auman in April.

At the End of Purple Meadow Road by Marisca Pichette in April.

XY by Lucy Zhang in May.
​
Custom Options Available by Amy Griswold in January 2020.
Cover of Fireside Issue 102.
Cover of Fireside Magazine issue 75.

Cover of 3-lobed Burning Eye issue 36.
The Tap Tap Tap of a Beak by Corey Farrenkopf was published by Three-Lobed Burning Eye in March.

From The Future Fire in July,

Unspoilt by Louise Hughes.
​
The Heart the of Party by Sarah Day.
Cover of The Future Fire Issue 2022.62

The Coffe Cup Song by Cat Rambo published at Kittywumpus.

Cover of Uncanny Issue May/June 2022.
Uncanny published Spirituals by Anjali Patel in May.

The Photographer's House by Sarah Jackson was published by literally stories in June.
A film strip with sepia toned non-images.

The Sunday Morning Transport published The Daily Commute by Sarah Gailey in July. 

The hex magazine logo, the word hex in bubble-like letters.
Chew, Swallow, Chew by Ai Jiang was published by hex in July.
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    Author

    Writer of spec fic. 
    Stories published at ZNB Presents,  Wyldblood Flash and Constelación Magazine.
    Currently querying a novel.

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