First post

I've been writing stories off and on since I learned how to hold a pencil. Ten years ago, I decided I wanted to be a novelist. I wrote six or seven novels, none of which got published. In the meantime, I wrote short stories, and got several of those published. Three years ago, I decided I had had it. I was done with writing. I went back to school intending to become a psychologist.

 Well, long story short, I didn't get into any of the five grad school programs I'd applied to last fall. Around the time I received my last rejection letter, I got a note from an old Sisters in Crime pal of mine saying her press was putting together an anthology of humorous mystery and horror stories, called Strangely Funny, and would I like to submit one of my Tom stories? 

A little about my Tom stories. While I was straining away, trying to be a Serious Writer, I would occasionally want to write something non-serious -- something fun, just for me, maybe for my friends. On those days, I would sit down at my computer and write a Tom story.

 Tom was born one summer day after I'd been proofreading yet another floofy vampire story; this was back in the day before Twilight went viral. I thought, 'How come every vampire is rich and handsome and mysterious? Why aren't there any Average Joe vampires?' So I decided to create one. Tom Martin. He's moderately attractive, but he doesn't make women swoon at the knees. He works for a living, as a plumber no less. And he has wacky misadventures.

So I would write one of my Tom stories just to entertain myself. I told a friend or two about them, and they asked to read them. They grew so popular among my acquaintance, that I started thinking maybe I ought to submit some for publication. As far as I recall, only one of them got published before I declared my writing career over.

 Fast forward to Spring 2013, and the emails I got from the owners of Mystery and Horror, LLC. Having been rejected by five graduate programs, I was kind of in the mood for a different type of rejection letter, so I sent off "Tom & the Roadside Cafe" to them. To my eternal wonder, this time I was not rejected. "Tom & the Roadside Cafe" will be included in the anthology, Strangely Funny, due out sometime in the near-ish future (more info later).

 Strange how life works, isn't it?