345 days after submitting “Jenny Kissed Me” to Granta Magazine, I finally got a response, just not the one I wanted.

Rejection Letter #35 – Granta Magazine

Dear Gabrielle Olexa

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to consider ‘Jenny Kissed Me’. Unfortunately, this particular piece is not right for the magazine.

We wish you the best of luck with your writing.

Yours sincerely,
Granta Magazine

Good news! My third audiobook, “Electric Blues”, written by Shaun O. McCoy, is now available for purchase through Audible, Amazon, and iTunes.  Just in time for the holidays!  🙂  If you like sci-fi, robots and AI, this audiobook is for you!

So, what’s it about?  Here’s a little blurb:

Meet Arty PA3025.

He’s a robot, and he’s depressed.

Unemployed and horribly obsolete, his future looks bleak—and that’s just what he tells his programmer-cum-therapist, Knickers.

But then he meets Madeline, an ornery senior with a pair of arthritic cats and a fear of modern electronic accoutrements. They team up, an outdated robot and a senile old woman, to begin together a quest for relevance in an all too cold and uncaring world.

Sound like something you’d be interested in?  Well, then sign into iTunes or head on over to Amazon or Audible and give it a listen.  I’m sure you’ll like it!  Happy listening!

Another post about food to pass my time.  If you’d like an easy but tasty meal idea for tonight’s dinner, head on over to The Crying Chef.  A new recipe for meatloaf awaits you.  Up next, pumpkin bread for the holidays.

I’m starting to doubt that they will ever post the winners of the 2013 Halloween True Ghost Story Contest over at Rense.com, so I figured I would at least link you to the story I submitted to them.  Camp Old Indian is based on a true experience I had while trying to find my way to the Boy Scout camp of the same name.  It’s nothing fancy, I won’t win any prestigious awards or anything like it, but it did happen.  You can decide whether or not I’m crazy.  (We all know I am, let’s face it.)  It’s a very short piece, less than 1000 words, and I wrote it in an hour and a half, so please don’t judge me too harshly on my writing technique or style or whatever.  It’s just a story.  Oh, and just so you know, it’s not meant to be scary, just weird.  Enjoy.

I had some time to add another recipe to The Crying Chef.  This one is for Mexican Fiesta, AKA taco salad.  If you need a quick but tasty meal tonight, I suggest it.  It’s really good!  I wouldn’t eat it if it wasn’t.  🙂

I have a side project that I work on every now and again.  Recently, I added a new recipe: soft batch chocolate chip cookies.  They’re to die for.  Head on over to The Crying Chef to find out how to make them.  Just look at the picture.  Don’t they look yummylicious?

Phil is such a wine connoisseur, he decided to make a video and share his knowledge with the world.  Obviously, he knows nothing.  Phil is one crazy man, and this is part of the reason why I love him.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMyZJQV8EvI&feature=c4-overview&list=UUAIRjiJQu1ooPGq6ypJYRtQ[/youtube]

I guess that part about me saying you wouldn’t hear from me for a while was a lie.  I took this rejection harder than most, but tomorrow is another day.  Three other literary magazines have this piece.  Maybe one of them will bite.

Rejection Letter #34 – McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern

Dear Gabrielle,

Thank you for sending us “Jenny of Lebanon.” We rely on submissions like yours, since a good portion of what we publish comes to us unsolicited. Unfortunately, we can’t find a place for this piece in our next few issues. But please feel free to submit again in the future. Our tastes and needs continuously change.

Thanks again for your efforts, and for letting us see your work.

Sincerely,

McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern

At least they waited until after my birthday to tell me.  There’s that, at least.  It may be a while before #34 shows up.  There’s no indication that the other magazines  I’ve submitted to are currently rejecting or accepting anyone at great speeds.  So, it may be a while until you hear from me again.

Rejection Letter #33 – The Kenyon Review

Dear Gabrielle Olexa,

Thank you for submitting your work “Jenny Kissed Me.” We regret that we are unable to publish it.

Your work has received careful consideration. Unfortunately, the large number of submissions prevents us from commenting on many worthy manuscripts.

We very much appreciate your interest in The Kenyon Review.

The Editors