I should wait on this, but...

I just can't help myself. Yeah, two posts in on a blog that looks like it's in danger of becoming neglected, and what am I going to do? That's right, it's time for me to write a vanity post. As humbly as possible.

First, the humility: I'm currently experiencing the submission itch after polishing up a couple short stories and completing my first ever piece of shit flash fiction (short-short if you prefer). I like to research the various journals and fiction reviews out there by doing exactly what they suggest; find out what their aesthetic is by buying an issue or two and reading them thoroughly. When you're broke as hell, that's not always an option, so the past couple days have been spent browsing NewPages and Duotrope's Digest in order to make a list of possible targets. I'm realistic enough to know I'm essentially a nobody (how's that for humble?), so I tried to keep the list realistic as well--no examples so as not to offend any lit mags with my subjective view. Anyway, today I've been going down the list, scouring their websites for general info and/or reading samples, and looking up any feedback on each publication.

Here's where I transition over to the vanity portion of our show: I found this website, The Review Review, and noticed that someone named Stephen Dorneman wrote a review for Alimentum, and it happened to be for the issue in which my first publication appeared. "Hey, let's see what he had to say," I thought. He talked about the stories in the order they appeared, so mine being third from the end, I eventually made my way down to see this:

And then there was “Apples” by Erik Hanson. “Apples” is about a dog, and apples, and hungry soldiers, and the evils of war, a terrible story with unpleasant characters an unhappy ending that you should read, and that will stay with you forever, because it is unsparing in the depiction of the large and small cruelties, and triumphs, that happen in wartime.

Not bad. I definitely liked the "stay with you forever" part, but that's not how Stephen made a friend in me. He mentioned the last two stories, and then says this:

...but “Apples” was the best story of the issue for me.

Ah, many happy returns to you, Mr. Dorneman. I've always wondered what it would be like to read a review of my work, and now I know. I like how it felt. A lot. I probably should get back to my research now.

Read the review for the entire issue here.