I wonder if I write about time travel because of a deep-seated longing to skip the utterly soul-destroying process of trying to pummel into the publishing industry and travel to a point in the future when I’m already there. Dunno. Maybe.
It. Will. Happen. That’s what I have to keep telling myself. It’s what all writers who want to be successful have to keep telling themselves.
Anyway, as I’m sure you’ve guessed by now, my search for a literary agent for Million Eyes has been—so far—fruitless. I’ve submitted to 40 or so agents, nothing positive yet. I could still hear from a few of them because their estimated time for responding isn’t up (and I have the patience of a small child).
I’ve been through a few weeks of tearing my hair out, thinking the book is crap, and doubting that it’s ever going to happen. But then, we all go through that. Even the biggest, most successful authors have gone through that.
Nevertheless, I stopped submitting Million Eyes and took stock. I sought advice from my fellow scribblers at Rushmoor Writers, read them my query letter and opening pages and asked if there was any way I could improve them. Perhaps they’re just not catching agents’ eyes?
The advice I got was great. Mostly they recommended small tweaks to up the intrigue and grab the reader earlier in those opening lines and early pages. They also offered some much-needed words of encouragement: the book is good, and there’s a market for it.
So here I am, confidence resurged, ready to start submitting again. Will this next round of submissions yield any success? Heaven knows, but I’m keeping my chin up and everything crossed.
In other news…
As you might’ve seen the other day, I’ve joined the Time Travel Nexus as a contributor and can’t wait to get my geek on. The plan is to bring some of the real life time travel claims, legends and conspiracies that I write about on here to the Time Travel Nexus audience. My articles will also focus on time travel movies and TV series and talk about paradoxical objects, chickens and eggs, and other wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff.
Meanwhile, Rachel Can Still See is the next of the Million Eyes Short Stories to be published and will be out in Issue 7 of Phantaxis Magazine next month. This story was highly commended by Writers’ Forum last year and won the Hyde Cup 2016 internal competition at Rushmoor Writers. It’s the sequel to Rachel Can See, which was published in Metamorphose Volume 2. (A preview can be read here.)
Another story, Eryl Mai’s Dream, will be published in Dark Tales 17 after getting shortlisted in their monthly competition. Dark Tales 17 is due to be released by the end of the year.
Finally, my story The Babushka Lady is due to be published in the anthology The Chronos Chronicles by Indie Authors Press. This was originally due out in September/October of this year, but has been put back. Current estimates are 2 to 3 months from now.
New books in the works
The new book I mentioned a while back is coming together nicely. I’m four chapters in and can reveal that its working title is Well. It’s a conspiracy thriller/mystery with an interesting commentary on religion, set in a fictional fantasy queendom that I’m tentatively calling Well. The realm is a bit medieval fantasy, a bit urban fantasy, a bit just made-up weirdness, and focuses on three main POV characters, all female. Why all female? Well, why not? Plenty of fantasy and sci-fi focuses on just blokes.
I’m also in the planning stages of another book. This one will be an Earth-based horror novel. The concept is there. I’m just working out the main beats of the plot. Not planning to write this one just yet, though. There’s a book I plan to read for inspiration first.
Next week: As Netflix’s Stranger Things returns for Season 2, I’m taking a look at the real-life conspiracy theory that inspired it
C.R. Berry 