The time was September 2001. I’d been writing for a couple of years and belonged to a couple of writing groups. I’d sent a few pieces out to anthology projects with no luck – in retrospect I realized that the stories were often inappropriate for the particular projects I’d submitted them to. I later learned how to co-ordinate writing and publishers.
In December 2001 I submitted my story “Tina and Lucille” to Chris and Maxim’s anthology project Tales from the Road –Tales of Life on the Move. By summer of 2002 I was living in Southern California and this is where I received and processed the news from Chris: that my story was accepted … I was STUNNED.
I was working on various story and book ideas and agonizing, trying to evaluate their quality, potential, saleability.
I noticed excellent quality books huddled in embarrassment on remainder tables, perhaps weeping, while it seemed their bestselling counterparts tended to be CEO autobiographies, romance, espionage, self-improvement, and tell-all. Depressing…
I noticed excellent quality books huddled in embarrassment on remainder tables, perhaps weeping, while it seemed their bestselling counterparts tended to be CEO autobiographies, romance, espionage, self-improvement, and tell-all. Depressing…
Then 9/11 happened. I woke that Tuesday morning to the sound of a television in another room. What? We hardly ever watched television, and definitely not in the morning. It was a beautiful Northern California day – the quality of light was taking on the beginning of a shimmering autumnal hue. It had been a beautiful New York morning … until. I watched the second plane hit the second tower while vocalizing at the television set. WTF?
I went to the day-job, stunned. I drove around, stunned. I interacted with other stunned ones, almost voicelessly. I soon became obsessed with regret and the passage of wasted time. What if today was one’s last day? Write now. Right now.
Then - I woke up one morning thinking of Anais Nin, whose diaries and novels I’d read and loved. For some reason I couldn’t get her off of my mind (another name for haunting is love?). What would a conversation with the spirit of Nin be like I wondered? My writing group might enjoy it I thought.
On another Stunned Day I wandered Tower Books, unable to concentrate. I stumbled across The Mammoth Book of Historical Erotica by Maxim Jakubowski and read the contents, which included “The New Motor” by M. Christian. M. Christian … isn’t he a member of my writing group? I thought. Why don’t I email him? We developed a friendly, fun correspondence and a great professional relationship.
