Last night (or rather, early this morning) I finished what I hope will be the final edit on "The Herd Mentality" in preparation to start submitting it. This is a contemporary fantasy story involving psychic vampire unicorns, dragons, and virgins. I set it in the midwest, so I got a chance to poke fun at my hometown.
This one has been a long haul. When I first went to review it, I had it in my head that I wasn't going to submit it - I thought it had come out too weird. When I actually sat down to read it, I found that the mood was more surreal and off-beat -- a pitch I don't hit often, and I was rather pleased with it. However, there was another problem: a couple motivation holes in the latter part of the story.
I struggled with these. I probably changed my mind how to handle it three times, each edit spaced out over months. Finally - finally! - I think I've got it worked out in a way that matches the mood and makes sense, while still leaving things vaguely unsettled ... which was part of the original ending. (I also managed to get it under five thousand words, which was a nice bonus.)
Now, of course, watch editors hate it. ;-)
About Me
- Lindsey Duncan
- I'm a professional harp performer, chef / pastry chef, and speculative fiction writer from Cincinnati, Ohio. My contemporary fantasy novel Flow is available from Double Dragon Publishing, and my science fiction novel Scylla and Charybdis is now out from Grimbold Books. I've also sold a number of short stories and a few pieces of speculative poetry. I write predominantly fantasy, usually epic and/or humorous, with some soft science fiction. I play the traditional lever harp with a specialty in Celtic music - but I also perform modern and Renaissance tunes. And yes, you read that right - I have a diploma in Baking and Pastry and an Associates in Culinary Arts and am currently working in the catering field at Kate's Catering and Personal Chef Services (Dayton, KY). I am a CPC (Certified Pastry Culinarian) and CSW (Certified Specialist of Wine).
3 comments:
. . . psychic vampire unicorns...
Do you know how much I want to read that now? O:)
Best of luck finding it a home! *badly wants to read*
In fairness, I feel I should clarify this means the unicorns are soulsuckers (psychic vampires) as opposed to telepathic neckbites (psychic and vampires). ;-)
Can you hurry up and get it published, please? O:) The wait is killing mere (aaahhh... was that a unicorn...?)
Post a Comment