Bad and good news, sort of

Being concerned about not hearing from Wings Press for six months about my Leroy and Jody romance novel I tried to figure out who to ask at their site.  Being unable to do that I expressed my concern and confusion to my good writer friend, Joyce Dipastena.  She graciously found the email addy and gave that to me.  I emailed my inquiry to someone named Pat and she replied in short order and said she never received my submission.  I wondered if they considered my story as a solicited manuscript since they don't accept unsolicited manuscripts anymore.  Pat said yes, they had asked me for it.  I sent it again and this time it didn't get lost in cyber space.  She said she would add it to the readers list.  How long this will take is unknown since they have a big backlog.  I have included the image from my short story Lab Partners because this is a novel about those characters only cast in modern times.  The segment of this short story is in the novel only modified as Leroy and Jody had aleady met in the novel when they are lab partners whereas in the short story they had not met.
Still no word on The Higher Mission, my science fiction thriller.  I sent the revisions back and Judy Gill said she would get to it soon.  She is a person of her word so I may hear within the next week.

The Higher Mission revised

I have revised my novel The Higher Mission and tried to address everything the acquistions editor from Champagne Books Group, Ms. Judy Gill, has asked me to do in her lengthy email.  I've probably not addressed everything but it took me nearly a month to do it using every spare moment I had.  I just sent it back to her today.  Also, I've heard from my Wild Rose editor and she will ask the Historical editor for a contract for me on my short story Help Sessions.  When Wild Rose reconvenes on July 9 after their summer break I'll hear from them about that.  I'll keep you posted on both of these projects.

Update on The Higher Mission

Ms. Gill from Burst Books came back to me in a week after I submitted the full manuscript of The Higher Mission and said the story has potential but before considering a contract I must revise it, changing passive to active voice, clean up my grammar and do some other things to it.  She said she wouldn't ask for a revision if she didn't think the story had potential.  So I'm feverishly revising the 300+ pages and am half way through on that.  If this flies then it will be my first accepted novel.  I hope that happens.  So far I've cut 4000 words out to tighten up the prose.  Again the image I've included is Saturn as seen from Iapetus which is appropriate for the opening chapter of this novel.
On another matter my short story Help Sessions is being considered by Wild Rose and I believe I'll get a contract for it soon.

The Higher Mission submission update

The submission of my first three chapters to Burst was on April 23 and I received a request for the full manuscript from Judy Gill of Burst on May 30.  I sent the full manuscript to her the next day and she acknowledged receipt of it the following day.  So now it is a waiting game again but I'm hopeful that this first hurdle has been cleared.  She said she read it "with interest" so I can hope.

The Higher MIssion submitted again

My recent rejection of my science fiction novel The Higher Mission is now in the hands of Burst Books which is an imprint of Champagne Books. In the same day they acknowledged receipt of my submission package and assured me I would hear from them in two weeks.  At that time I'll know if they want to see the entire manuscript or not.  They have the first three chapters, a synopsis, bio and a promo plan.  I've included the scene of Saturn as seen from Iapetus, far orbiting moon of Saturn.  This painting by Chesley Bonestell is appropriate for the opening chapter of the novel as Cramer and Mona fly to Saturn's rings to mine the rings of the radioactive boulders dubbed "hot rocks."

Rejection

My science fiction novel The Higher Mission has been rejected by Crescent Moon Press after a six month wait. I have another place to submit it. I must check their submission guidelines before sending it along. Although they don't take sweet romance they do take science fiction. My novel is a combination of science fiction and romance of the sweet variety. I'm still waiting on word from eWings Press on A Change of Heart. I have more hope on that submission. That one features the characters Leroy and Jody from my first accepted short story Lab Partners.

Marcy's Struggle rejected

My short story Marcy's Struggle was rejected by Wild Rose the vintage line. The editor said my characters didn't come alive like my other stories. I still believe in the story and feel the characters do come alive. Marcy is a smart chemistry graduate student and is trying to convince Ross the quarterback that she is over Leroy. Of course she does in the end.
Also, I've just sent an email to a lady looking for a critique partner to see if she still is. I've decided to work on my Rescue novel and get it ready for submitting again. I still have not heard from the two novels I have out under consideration. One is a SF novel and the other is my Leroy and Jody romance novel. Waiting is difficult. I had predicted that Marcy would be rejected and that one of my two novels had a chance of being accepted. So far I'm right and hope I can score on one of the novels.