Mary Soon Lee's Mailbox Blues for 1997
This page contains Mary Soon Lee's
1997 mailbox mutterings. For more recent news see
the latest Mailbox Blues.
20 December 97: Double rejection
Alas, a double-rejection day, with rejections from The New
Yorker and (a very encouraging one) from CONduit 8
Program Book.
19 December 97: Writer's Block rejection
A friendly 56-day rejection from Writer's Block Magazine.
15 December 97: Altair payment
Today I received payment (and a nice note) from Altair :-)
13 December 97: Science Fiction World rejection
In the mail today, a 105-day rejection from Science Fiction
World, my first ever rejection from China.
10 December 97: Odyssey #1 copies
My story "Puppetta" was recently published in Odyssey, but
there's been a delay in my receiving a contributor's copy. Since I
wanted to get some extra copies anyhow, I ordered them last week --
and today they arrived. The magazine looks great, and Vera Nazarian's
illustration for it is beautiful :-)
Less happily, I received a letter from A Splash of Crimson
saying they have not been able to find a publsiher for the
anthology (they had accepted a story of mine contingent upon
finding a publisher).
8 December 97: Aboriginal SF payment
In the mail today, payment from Aboriginal SF for my story
"Silent in the Cities," and also a short personal rejection
from Omni.
6 December 97: Analog rejection
Back to normality with a 37-day rejection from Analog.
5 December 97: Flesh and Blood acceptance
Another happy day :-) I received an e-mail acceptance from
Flesh and Blood for reprint rights to my story "The
Hollow Dancer," first published in Sword & Sorceress XIV.
4 December 97: Altair acceptance
This evening I received an e-mail acceptance from Altair :-)
This is my first ever sale to a market in the opposite hemisphere :-)
I am pleased :-)
Also today, by regular mail, a friendly rejection from Troll Magazine.
3 December 97: Non-Stop non-rejection
In the mail today, a 113-day something from Non-Stop.
It's certainly not an acceptance, but nor was it a straight rejection.
The note said "Try sending it to me again in 6 months. Remind me that
I asked you to re-submit it." Whatever one calls such a note, I
certainly prefer it to a standard rejection :-)
2 December 97: Altair rejection
Another swift and friendly rejection from Altair.
28 November 97: Singularity acceptance
This is definitely a record for me: I got a same-day e-mail acceptance
from Singularity. A zero-day response time!! Singularity will
be a new science fiction publication based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The (very friendly) editor had e-mailed me soliciting submissions, and
warned me that they would only be able to pay in copies. I try to
sell first rights to my stories for at least a token amount of money,
but I am more relaxed about reprint rights, and so "One Small Step,"
first published in Pirate Writings #14, should shortly be reappearing
in Singularity :-)
19 November 97: Glimmer Train rejection
A 47-day rejection from Glimmer Train with the "we enjoyed it
and would like to see more" option checked on their list.
18 November 97: Altair rejection
Another very friendly rejection from Altair.
13 November 97: Altair rejection
A 3-week rejection from Altair -- definitely amongst the
friendliest and most encouraging rejections I've received (and
I now have well over 400!)
12 November 97: A Splash of Crimson update
Earlier this year, Amy Grech and Tasha Young accepted reprint rights
to my story "Winter Shadows" for an anthology called A Splash of
Crimson. Today I received a friendly letter telling me that
Masquerade Books has expressed interested in the anthology -- here's
hoping they decide to buy it :-) I am fond of this story, and would
really like it to reach a wider audience.
Also in the mail, two friendly rejections, one from Terra
Incognita and one from Space & Time.
10 November 97: SF Age rejection
An 18-day rejection from Science Fiction Age.
5 November 97: JAIR acceptance
It's not story-related mail, but I did get an acceptance today, and I
am very happy about it. A paper I wrote with Andrew Moore has been
accepted by JAIR (the Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research).
The paper has the thrilling title "Cached Sufficient Statistics for
Efficient Machine Learning with Large Datasets."
Also today, I received the encouraging form rejection from Realms of
Fantasy (Realms of Fantasy has at least two types of form
rejection, one more encouraging than the other).
3 November 97: Transversions rejection
A friendly 81-day rejection from Transversions.
1 November 97: Lynx Eye rejection
An 80-day rejection from Lynx Eye.
29 October 97: F&SF rejection
After a week of postal silence, an 8-day rejection from F&SF.
22 October 97: Catching up...
My apologies for the gap in the mailbox reports: I was away on
holiday. Alas, I received a bunch of rejections while I was gone and
no acceptances. But I was very happy to find a subscription copy of
Aboriginal Science Fiction,
the first issue I've received in about 10 months. I'm fond of
Aboriginal, and hope it is now back to a regular schedule.
9 October 97: Gotta Write rejection
A 4-month rejection from Gotta Write Network.
4 October 97: Realms of Fantasy
A form rejection from Realms of Fantasy.
3 October 97: F&SF rejection
A prompt and friendly 8-day rejection from F&SF.
2 October 97: MZB's rejection
Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine has a collection
of different form letters, from which they pick the one most
appropriate to the story. Today I received a member of the
collection I'd never had before, explaining that they don't
take stories which are romances with a fantasy element, though
they will consider stories which are fantasies with a romance
element.
29 September 97: CONduit 8 rejection
A friendly rejection letter from the editor for the CONduit 8 program
book.
27 September 97: Artwork!
Today I received an e-mail message from Christopher Reynaga, who
very kindly created an updated -- and much more beautiful! --
picture for this web page. *Many* thanks, Christopher :-)
24 September 97: Triple rejection
Alas, three rejections in one black mail-day, from Asimov's,
Altair, and Story.
18 September 97: F&SF
A friendly 24-day rejection from F&SF.
13 September 97: Atlantic Monthly
An 18-day rejection from The Atlantic Monthly, ending
the long mail silence.
8 September 97: No news, good or bad
Two weeks without any story-related mail! Ack! I am getting
withdrawal symptoms!
25 August 97: No good news
Since I last updated this report, I've been on holiday in Michigan,
and on a business trip to Atlanta, and I have received quite a few
story responses (seven?), but, alas, they were all rejections. Some
were very encouraging rejections, but rejections nonetheless.
11 August 97: Double rejection
Alas, two rejections today, one from F&SF and one from
Worlds of Fantasy & Horror.
4 August 97: Asimov's rejection
And in today's mail, an encouraging 94-day rejection from Asimov's
Science Fiction.
3 August 97: Another mail mountain
Returning from ten days holiday, I found a huge mound of mail,
including -- alas! -- seven rejections. More happily, the mail
also included three extra copies of the March 1995 issue of
Thirteenth Moon (containing my story "Seeing Deeper"),
very kindly sent by Jacob Weisman in case I wanted them.
21 July 97: Pirate Writings rejection
After a week with no story-related mail, today I received a
rejection from Pirate Writings.
13 July 97: Mail buildup
I've been away for ten days, traveling to Seattle and Nashville.
During my absence I thought about my mail much too often, and
finally we have been reunited. In my absence I accumulated
three rejections (two from Adventures of Sword & Sorcery,
one from Thirteenth Moon, which, sadly, is ceasing
publication). But in happier news I also received contributor's
copies of Pirate Writings #14, containing my story "One
Small Step." Even better, the story also contains stories by
two friends of mine, E. Jay O'Connell and Andrew Burt :-)
30 June 97: Infinite Edge rejection
A very friendly rejection from Infinite Edge.
28 June 97: no mail
After rejections on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
this week, it was quite a relief to find no story responses in today's
mail!
27 June 97: SF Age rejection
A prompt, friendly rejection from Science Fiction Age.
26 June 97: Double rejection
Alas, I had rejections on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday this
week -- and then two more today! One from The New Yorker
and one from Infinite Edge. Woe is me.
25 June 97: Omni rejection
A 43-day personal rejection from Omni.
24 June 97: Adventures of Sword & Sorcery rejection
A friendly 207-day rejection from Adventures of Sword &
Sorcery; they still have a story of mine which I submitted a month
earlier. Perhaps that will appear in tomorrow's post....
23 June 97: Space & Time contributor's copies
After F&SF four days ago, today I received contributor's copies of the
long-lived small press magazine Space & Time,
now up to issue #87. Also in the mail, a response from The Tale
Spinner saying they are folding.
19 June 97: F&SF contributor's copies
I received my contributor's copies of the August issue of F&SF, with
my fantasy "Monstrosity" as the cover story :-)
This is the first time I've ever had a cover story, and I am very
happy indeed :-) The issue should be on sale in bookshops in July.
16 June 97: Transversions acceptance
Good news: my story "Heron" has been accepted by the Canadian
magazine Transversions
for issue #8, Fall/Winter 97 :-)
15 June 97: Mind's Eye publication
Today I received e-mail saying that my story "Voices in the Wind" is
now available from Mind's Eye Fiction :-)
Realms of Fantasy repeat-rejection
I'm unsure of the precise date because I was away in West Virginia,
but I received a rejection from Realms of Fantasy for a story
submitted thirteen months ago. Back in March I received a reply to a
query about this story's status saying "I have no record of ever
receiving your piece." There must be some ancient slush pile lurking
at Realms of Fantasy, which the editor has to pluck up her
courage to inspect.
4 June 97: Mind's Eye acceptance
Today I received an e-mail acceptance from Mind's Eye Fiction,
a web-based publisher
which lets people read the first part of a story free, then charges
for the second part. They accepted a contemporary fantasy -- almost
mainstream -- story of mine called "Seeing Deeper" some time
ago; the story they have just accepted is a high fantasy piece called
"Voices in the Wind." Although I doubt I'll ever gain vast fortunes
from Mind's Eye Fiction, I think it's an interesting venture, and I am
impressed by some of the stories they have available, including three
Hugo award winners.... Also in the mail, a friendly rejection from
Hobson's Choice.
2 June 97: Lynx Eye rejection
A 95-day rejection from Lynx Eye.
30 May 97: Cover story :-)
Today I received my subscriber's copy of the July F&SF, and
learned that my story "Monstrosity" will be the cover story in the
August F&SF. This will the first time I've had the cover story
-- and I am very excited!
23 May 97: Writer's Block Magazine rejection
A friendly and encouraging rejection from Writer's Block Magazine.
14 May 97: Odyssey acceptance
Happiness :-) In a wonderfully fast 4 days, Liz Holliday of
Odyssey
sent me an e-mail acceptance for a short fantasy story.
I'd been looking forward to Odyssey's forthcoming launch anyhow (the
first issue will be released at this year's World Fantasy Con), and I am
thoroughly delighted about this sale.
12 May 97: Two rejections
A double-rejection day, always disheartening; one rejection from
Glimmer Train, and one from The Tale Spinner.
10 May 97: Terra Incognita rejection
A very fast and very friendly rejection from Terra Incognita.
9 May 97: The Plastic Smile rejection
And another rejection, this time from The Plastic Smile.
6 May 97: Sword & Sorceress rejection
Alas, my third and final submission to Sword & Sorceress XV
has been rejected.
5 May 97: Crank! rejection
A form rejection from Crank!
1-2 May 97: Sword & Sorceress rejections
After a lull in the mail, I received two quick and friendly
rejections from Sword and Sorceress.
20 April 97: Valkyrie rejection
And another rejection, this one from Valkyrie.
18 April 97: The Tale Spinner rejection
The mailbox is getting busier: another rejection today, this
time from The Tale Spinner.
16 April 97: Pirate Writings rejection
Just as I was starting to believe none of my stories would ever come
back, I received a rejection from Pirate Writings.
31 March 97: Asimov's rejection
Encouraging personal rejection from Asimov's SF.
28 March 97: Response from the void
Ten and a half months after I submitted the story, and two and a half
months since I queried about it, I had a response from Realms of
Fantasy to say they have no record of ever receiving the story.
This is a real shame, as this is the second time Realms of
Fantasy has mislaid one of my stories (something no other major
magazine has done). I like the magazine very much, but it has dropped
several notches in my places-to-submit ranking.
26 March 97: Aboriginal SF rejection
Alas, a rejection from Aboriginal SF.
19 March 97: Pirate Writings payment
In today's mail, a check from Pirate Writings for my short-short
"Zero" in issue 12.
15 March 97: On Spec rejection
A 6-month rejection from On Spec. This was my four hundredth
rejection! Whilst accumulating such a mammoth stack of rejections, I
also had 46 acceptances. 26 of my stories have been published so far,
and some of those have been reprinted. 6 of those stories appeared in
professional markets (two in F&SF, two in Interzone, one in Aboriginal
SF, one in Sword & Sorceress XIV), and I have another two stories in
the F&SF inventory, plus one in the Aboriginal SF inventory. And I've
spent a rather large amount of money on postage....
8 March 97: Bardic Runes rejection
Friendly rejection from Bardic Runes, in which the editor
very generously sent me a sample copy of the magazine.
3 March 97: Ikarie rejection
Friendly rejection from Ikarie.
26 February 97: Pirate Writings acceptance
Good news in the mail today, my short-short "Slush" was accepted by
Pirate Writings. Also in the mail, a rejection from The
Fractal.
22 February 97: Lynx Eye rejection
An 84-day rejection from Lynx Eye.
18 February 97: Yes, no, and maybe
Three story responses in one day: A Splash of Crimson
accepted my story "Winter Shadows" (though publication depends on
their securing a publisher for the anthology); Transversions
liked my story and are holding it for further consideration; and
lastly a form rejection from Story Magazine.
15 February 97: Sword & Sorceress XIV publication
This isn't strictly a mailbox item, but today I found Sword &
Sorceress XIV on sale in a bookshop, containing my story
"The Hollow Dancer." I am thrilled about this; it's a triple
first for me: my first publication in a book rather than a magazine,
my first fantasy story to appear in a professional market, and
the first time I've been published with friends of mine (three of
my friends also have stories in this anthology :-))
13 February 97: F&SF publication
Two days of good news in a row! I just received contributor's
copies of the April 97 issue of F&SF, containing my story
"Universal Grammar." And there was much happiness upon the face
of the Mary :-) This story is a personal favorite of mine,
though I am unsure whether it will appeal to others. I've written
a sequel to the story, which has also been accepted by F&SF.
12 February 97: Freezer Burn publication
Good news in the mail today: contributor's copy, payment, and a
friendly letter for my story "The Mural" in Freezer Burn #7.
The editor was a pleasure to work with, and the story appeared
less than four months after acceptance.
6 February 97: Asimov's rejection
Alas, a 114-day personal rejection from Asimov's.
3 February 97: The Silver Web rejection
A fast and friendly rejection from The Silver Web.
1 February 97: F&SF publication approaches
In today's mail, a postcard from F&SF saying my story "Universal
Grammar" will be in the April 97 issue, on sale in March. Yay!!!!!
(Also a you-didn't-place response from Rose Secrest's Writing
Contest, but it scarcely put a dint in my happiness.)
23 January 97: Best of Soft SF prize
Happier news in today's mail: my story "Mail-a-Day" (published
in Pirate Writings #9), won third prize in the Best of Soft SF
Contest :-)
22 January 97: Keen SF rejection
A friendly rejection from Keen SF.
18 January 97: Century rejection
Well, it didn't take a century, but ten months was long enough: today,
a 306-day rejection from Century. This was one of those rare
rejections I was pleased to receive, as it was for one of my favorite
stories and I had started worrying that the story would never emerge
from a mail-black-hole.
15 January 97: SF Age rejection
Another fast and friendly rejection from SF Age.
13 January 97: F&SF rejection
A friendly and encouraging rejection from F&SF's new editor,
Gordon Van Gelder, in a very promising 11 days. Perhaps F&SF
is about to compete with SF Age in the fast-response-time
stakes.
10 January 97: Fantastic Worlds rejection
Form rejection from Fantastic Worlds. Two rejections in
two days; sigh :-(
9 January 97: New Worlds rejection
A friendly 127-day rejection from the UK anthology New Worlds.
1 January 97: Aboriginal SF Publication, Holiday Mail
Returning from an *excellent* holiday in Florida, I found a veritable
heap of mail. Sifting through the layers, there were three
story-related pieces of mail: a rejection from F&SF and another
from SF Age, and contributor's copies of Aboriginal SF #51-52,
containing my story "Silent in the Cities." I am delighted to see
"Silent in the Cities" in print -- this is only my second story to
appear in a U.S. publication that SFWA recognizes as professional,
though I have upcoming stories in F&SF and Sword and
Sorceress XIV. With luck the issue of Aboriginal SF should
be on sale later this month in some of the larger bookshops such as
Borders.
Other Mailbox Blues
The most recent Mailbox Blues
1995 Mailbox Blues
1996 Mailbox Blues
1998 Mailbox Blues
1999 Mailbox Blues
2000 Mailbox Blues
2001-2002 Mailbox Blues
2003-2004 Mailbox Blues