I was completely unprepared for the email I received Monday morning.

First, a quick recap. If you’ve read my previous posts, then you’re familiar with the fact that I’ve recently written a short story titled “Night Watch” that I submitted to the Utah Horror Writers for their upcoming anthology. When I emailed them the story on Halloween, I received a response a few days later that a decision would be made in a few months.

So I waited, and planned on waiting for quite a bit longer.

But it turns out that my wait was going to be a lot shorter than I expected. Monday, while I was waiting for an appointment, I glanced at my phone. Seeing that I had gotten an email during my drive, I clicked on it. Moments later, my brain caught up with my eyes, and I realized that I had just been sent an acceptance email.

“Night Watch” will be a part of the anthology, They Walk Among Us! The contract has been signed, and now the next step is to wait for the editor(s) to contact me. I’m not expecting to have this done overnight, but I am so excited for the chance to go through the publishing process for short fiction!

Although this is my second publication, I’m just beginning to feel a little more like a “real” writer. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I’d almost talked myself into thinking that I had no chance of getting into the anthology. I guess I had more of a chance than I thought. A part of me is still intimidated by the idea of having my story sitting between better known names and more experienced authors, so I keep reminding myself that “Night Watch” was chosen because it stood on its own; I had no influence over those choosing the stories to be featured. Another part of the writer in me has been invigorated by this acceptance, and I have set my sights on other places to send short fiction.

Before I get carried away though, I know that I need to finish my current longer project. Hopefully, I can have similar success when submitting my novel to agents and/or publishers. I’m sure it won’t be as smooth sailing as it has been with “Night Watch,” but a writer can dream, can’t they?

I’ll be posting more updates about “Night Watch” on its journey to publication as things progress into 2020.

I also want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Have some fun, relax a little, and finish 2019 on a high note!