Three New Stories

I feel like a proud mama. The first three stories that I had a hand in selecting were just published on Literary Mama. They look so wonderful! I remember them when they were just little emails in my Inbox. And now they're published, polished, beautiful stories for all the world to see.

"Sluggers," by the wonderful Dr. Sue (a writer and therapist who responds with great wisdom and sensitivity to writers' angsty questions every Friday on MJ Rose's blog, Buzz, Balls & Hype) is a fantastic, summery baseball story.

Annie Kassof's "Plumbing Problems: A Love Story" is wry, poignant, and bittersweet, about a mom who's wrestling with two kinds of pain - her own body's discomfort as well as that of her teenaged son.
When I read Tatiana Strelkoff's story, "Pointed Lessons," I almost turned blue from holding my breath. It's a real heartstopper, and also a fantastic portrayal of those nosy people who can't keep out of parents' business.

I hope you'll all visit Literary Mama and read these great pieces, and that you mother-writers out there might think of sending us something. Suzanne Kamata, my co-editor and I, are always looking for great new short fiction, written by mothers, with the theme of parenting (almost always from the parent's POV).

This fiction editing job has made me remember how much I like being an editor. It's so exciting to find these great pieces of writing, and then to be able to share them with the world. I love sending out those acceptance letters. Sending the rejections, of course, is a lot less fun. I try to be as kind as possible, but I know it still stings. But get this: there have been two writers whose initial stories we didn't take - even though well written, they just weren't right for certain reasons, like maybe they were from a child's POV rather than a parent's (we really do focus on the experience of parenting). We encouraged them to send us something else, and they did, and lo and behold, those second stories turned out to be a great fit for Literary Mama, and they're going to be published. So take heart out there, and don't give up if it doesn't work out at first.