It’s my great pleasure to announce that my story, “Lucky Shanghai Dumpling,” is out in this year’s issue of Phantom Drift. You can also find the journal available for sale at Amazon.com. Support the arts and buy a copy of a real print journal you can hold in your hands. The production values are quite lovely.

I’ve long admired this journal and I’ve been trying to crack it for several years now. Thanks to the fiction team — Matt Schumacher, Martha Bayless, and Peter Grandbois for selecting my story and giving it such a beautiful and esteemed home.

I came oh so close to being able to say I’m an award winning writer — but didn’t quite take it over the finish line. I had a story in the final “6” (really 7 this year) for the 2016 Aeon Award, a contest run by the Irish zine Albedo One. Though my story didn’t take one of the three winning slots, it was a nice showing among the 52 shortlisted stories for the four rounds held during the year.

The story that made it that far is some of my best work and has received a lot of love from professional and semi-pro zines even though it hasn’t found the right match yet. I remain hopeful someone will snap it up.

Just a quick note to say that the volume of Wild Musette with my story, “Piper: A Song for Flute and Chorus,” is available now for purchase on the zine’s site or at Amazon.com. The volume’s name is The Sin Eater. I’m also told to expect the story to be available to read online on or about December 4, 2017. I believe you need to register at the site to get access to the stories, which are made available on a staggered schedule if you don’t want a lovely physical book to hold in your hand.

I’m delighted that Tyler Johnson, the journal’s editor, included my story.

2017 has been a banner year for publications for me, and it’s a high bar to beat for next year. I don’t expect to beat it, but I’m hopeful that some of my stories currently circulating will find nice homes.

I’ve also had some disappointing near misses, but such is the way of things. Onward!