by Chelsea

Queries, Pubs, and Podcasts, oh my!

I started querying literary agents for my novel. It feels a little insane and ghoulish to be trying to market myself right now, but I know that the entire industry is probably in the same mental space. We’re all confined to our homes, hoping our loved ones don’t die, and simultaneously trying to pretend like everything is normal and go about our daily lives, all while wearing face-masks, plastic gloves, and enough hand sanitizer to kill an ant farm. I’ve had some good response so far, getting several requests to read my full manuscript, so at least that is something to be hopeful about.

My flash story “First Kiss at the End of the World” comes out on April 23rd. It’s about love and climate crisis, but as you can tell from the title, it’s probably going to feel topical.

The H.P. Lovecraft Literary Podcast released the episode I narrated for them, where they discuss C.L. Moore’s story “Shambleau.” The piece is about a medusa-like character, a monster I’ve always felt a certain affinity for. This episode is not one of their freebies, so you will need to be a Patreon subscriber to listen.

by Chelsea

Book Cellar, Read With Audrey, and Last Exit Pub

Next Saturday I’ll be reading at a StoryStudio event at the Book Cellar in Lincoln Square. If you live in Chicago, please come check it out. There is a Facebook event page here.

I was also contacted this week by Rob Paul, the man behind Read with Audrey, a service that pairs people together to read aloud to each other. Audrey will be featuring my story “A Thousand Butterflies” as part of their reading material, and I’m damn flattered.

My story “Bottle Rocket” will be published in the next issue of Last Exit, so please stay tuned for that. I’ve been a fan of editors Julia Dixon Evans and Ryan Bradford for quite some time now, so I’m thrilled to be associated with them and their magazine.

by Chelsea

Wigleaf Top 50 Longlist and More!

I just returned from Houston, where I was a panelist for Writefest. It’s a gorgeous city, and I met a ton of talented and friendly writers, editors, and industry folks.

While I was there, a reprint of my story “A Thousand Butterflies” went live over at Flash Fiction Online. You can read the piece here. Big thanks to editor Anna Yeatts and the rest of the staff for giving this piece a second home. I also found out last week that my flash “Hotbox,” published in New World Writing, made the longlist for Wigleaf‘s Top 50 (Very) Short Fictions of 2019. This is the first time one of my stories has made a best of list like this, so I was over the moon when I saw the news.

I feel incredibly grateful to the Writefest organizers, as well as the editors over at Wigleaf, New World Writing, and Flash Fiction Online. Writing can be a quiet, lonely endeavor, full of disappointment and rejection, but then I’m reminded of how much everyone works to lift each other up, and it’s pretty amazing.

Finally, I will be reading with a group of other writers at The Book Cellar in Lincoln Square on June 22nd. Stay tuned for more information on that event.

by Chelsea

Upcoming Publications and Event

I have been getting some good news lately after several months of rejection and quiet.

First, Flash Fiction Online recently accepted my story “A Thousand Butterflies” to appear as a reprint this year. This piece was originally published in last year’s print edition of Passages North, and I’m stoked that it will receive a second life online. I also have an interview with author Angie Kim coming up later this spring in The Rumpus. (Kim’s debut novel Miracle Creek is due to be published in April.) Finally, I’ve been asked to be a panelist at WriteFest in Houston early in the summer. Looking forward to visiting Houston for the first time, and to presenting to the writers there.

I still have a few stories on submission that I’m hoping will be published this year, but so far, 2019 is looking pretty good. I will update with links as things become more concrete.