Try, Try, Try and Try Again

I just received the results for my first story, "Disturbing the Peace".

While the editor was very kind in his rejection letter, telling me how much he enjoyed the story, he felt that the "fit" wasn't right. Fair enough.

The story was my first attempt at so-called "Extreme Horror", which is the modern term used to describe stories in the 1980's "Splatterpunk" tradition. There may be more "splatter" than "punk" in DTP.

I may have been aiming a bit too high targetting an anthology a bit prematurely - especially with a first attempt. The storyline is more implied than anything else - something I was a bit worried about. But for some reason I'm still exceptionally fond of the tale, as gross as it is.

With the Extreme Horror Anthology out the question, I've decided to submit DTP to another publication that runs a few times a year, with its website at http://www.bigpulp.com/. I'm hoping they're into gore, as I'd really like to see other people's reactions to my little yarn. If not, there are a couple of other places I'll try later.

And if that fails, I'll see if I can't figure out how to post it up here for some to read, should they be interested. The story (in a very tight nutshell) revolves around the hideous torture and torment of a family by their long-time neighbour and friend, who's as obsessed with his cellphone as he is with inflicting some of the most horrendous torture imaginable.

ES read it and actually shot me a few nervous glances from the corner of her eye. She called it sick and warped, but admitted that she just couldn't stop reading it. She was engrossed.

And that's what I'm after: I want to capture your imagination just long enough for you to stop worrying about your next car payment or why the cat's coughing up pieces of garden furniture.

There's still no feedback from the Scottish publisher, who's sitting with "Harbinger" at the moment. That one has far less gore and more of a plot (it also took a week to write as opposed to the three days DTP received). But I'll keep everyone posted on how that's going.

All one of you...

Or are there more lurking around there somewhere?