I’m still sort of picking up the pieces of my brain after my three-month revise-a-thon for my YA fantasy novel, and it hit me last night that instead of diving into the next novel revision (my baseball novel! I can’t wait!), that I should switch it up a bit. What I really need to do is try to write a short story again.

The problem is, I haven’t written a story in years. I’ve been focusing on novels for quite a while, trying to figure how to do ’em. I’m not there yet, but I’m getting there. Slowly.

But maybe, just as a change of pace, I should try a story again, just something fun and fast, to make sure I can still do it. How hard could it be, right?

As if to reaffirm this notion for stories,  I got an email this morning with the news that story Jay Lake and I wrote about five years ago is finally going to see print in Black Gate #14.

We sold the story “Devil on the Wind” to BG about two and a half years ago, I think, and I sort’ve forgot about it until we got the email from the publisher. I’ve always liked the stories and articles in Black Gate, and I fond memories of reading the stories in the very first issue, way back in 2001 or so, while we were vacationing in Hot Springs, NC.

Which reminds me — I need to pick up some back issues. It’s a classy magazine, and it looks nice on the bookshelf. I’m pretty pumped up to be in it.

Plus, our story will have… illustrations! Why don’t more magazines have illos? I love that — I guess it’s the comic-book geek in me, wanting to have pretty art along with the pretty words.

And, speaking of reading, I’m looking forward to reading Neil Gaiman’s Graveyard Book, which we picked up from the new bookstore in downotown Wake Forest, Storytellers Book Store. Apparently, the book just won a Major Award (the Newbery!). So far, it’s good. I hope to have more of a brain tonight to read a lot more of it…!