Alex Shvartsman's Speculative Fiction

Just got an e-mail from editors over at Every Day Fiction letting me know that they have accepted “Good Advice” for publication on their site (a specific date to be determined) – and so the goal of two stories in 2010 has been accomplished ahead of schedule!

I wrote “Good Advice” in June and submitted it to Daily Science Fiction, which was just being established at the time (it began publication on September 1st). It seemed like an exciting project that I wanted to be a part of. They passed on “Good Advice” a few weeks later, but said it was a tough call in the rejection letter. I don’t know if it was actually a tough call, or if they were just being nice to me, but I was encouraged by this response and have since submitted three more stories to them. Two were quickly rejected (without any “tough call” claims) and the third is in their hands now, so I have my fingers crossed.

Meantime I was reading a lot of online magazines, to see what short fiction is out there, and to figure out where I want to send my submissions. Every Day Fiction stood out as I enjoyed much of what I was reading there, so I sent in “Good Advice” to them in mid-August, and the second time turned out to be the charm, in this case.

When I first attempted writing fiction in March of 2010, the very first short story I wrote was “The Skeptic”. I have revised and polished it a little here and there, but it has remained largely unchanged. I am happy that the first story I wrote is also the first to be accepted for publication. It will appear in the November 16 issue of Absent Willow Review.

My goal for 2010 was to get at least two stories published. With three months to go, and several other stories currently submitted to various sites, I am excited and optimistic.