The ants turned out to be what the exterminator affectionately refers to as crazy ants, which look a whole lot like carpenter ants, only with longer antennae and a gimpy gait. He blew the fog of death into the walls, which spewed into our cabinets, covering plates, glasses and food alike. The wife however is quite pleased, even as she washes and I dry, that our house may yet stand for another thirty years.This whole publishing business has thrown me off my stride. Now I care--really care. Before it was just a dream, something that would happen someday. Work is harder to concentrate on. I keep checking my email, making lame excuses to go upstairs. Still no verdict from deathlings, just chill silence. It could mean anything, but my imagination doesn't have to stretch taut to find a plausible explanation. My wife says that no news is good news, but I say they could just forget they ever knew me. Nothing is signed. All I have is a congratulatory email.
Of course I'll update when I hear back--if I hear back that is.
*** Update ***
I heard back. In the words of the immortal Todd Beamer: Let's roll!
21 comments:
What an exciting time! I suppose the best thing to do is settle back, breathe slowly and wait for more info, which is sure to come.
Once again, congratulations!
I think waiting for an email is almost worse than waiting for a phone call, since the e-notification dings more often than the phone rings.
Have you google "First electronic rights" to see what the accepted definition of it is?
Extermination must be a bizarre business to be in.
I hope your house isn't poisoned.
Or one of the Ants reacts unusually to the poison and mutates into some sort of super-ant..
Settle, breathe, wait...just like Schprock suggested. Google a little like Jaye said, but search for super mutant ant defenders.
I love the movie Them!
I'm allergic to bug sprays, so we've had to fight the little critters with non-toxic stuff. Takes a little longer but worth it.
I'm with the others, google a bit, breathe a lot more.
Still, even if they say no - the fact that you won can not be taken away from you. Your writing was acknowledged and that has got to be an amazing feeling.
Thanks Mr. Schprock!
Jaye - I looked it up after you commented, and by the strictest definition my short story would be in violation already. This may turn out to be a heartbreaking lesson.
Toast - We used scrub brushes and buckets; we should be ok. I'll keep an eye out for the super-ant though. Really, you just never know.
Erica - Ok. Huff. Puff.
Bailey - You're right. I took first out of eighty. Pretty steep odds to overcome.
Ah, the old e-mail fidgets. Yeah, if I am around the house all day, I end up checking my e-mail a dozen times or more.
I always have at least 5 submissions out, and right now I think it's more like 12.
Checking e-mail becomes a twitch.
Good luck, Scott. My fingers, toes, and eyes, are crossed for good luck.
-oni
On the update: Hooray!
Congratulations, again. Did you decide on a bio?
Oni - Thanks for applying all the good luck charms. It worked out!
Flood - Not yet. I didn't have the heart to write a word without knowing it had a home.
You cannot know how much I empathize.
This is wonderful.
Hooray! What a great way to start the weekend!
Sorry for my horribly bad advice that made you lose hope for a while there. People need to learn not to listen to me. ;)
Bernita - Thanks for that.
Jaye - C'mon, you didn't bum me out in the slightest. It was a possibility, and I learned something from the experience. I will ask up front if it is ok to post it on a blog before I submit to various places. If, that is, I actually do. Get crackin'!
Um, I knew it.
allllllllright!!! Bugs extinguished and author published! :) :) :)
Janie - It's good to hear you are getting away from the depressing news. My wife and I are reading a book about all the doings around the world, What Every American Should Know About The World, or something like that. It's written by someone that calls the Bush Administration Hawks, so I have no illusion whose side of the story I'm reading, but it's a good read.
Erica - I'm glad you were right.
Moni - 1 out of two aint bad. You still have some bugs.
We have been dealing with carpenter ants for a couple of weeks now and as such, I've been reading a ton about them. We were using sprays and exterminators, but found out it doesn't actually kill the colony, the queen. Ants just re-route through it or divide the colony in order to survive. Now we're trying bait. If something doesn't break soon, I'm going to. Congrats on the publishing thing! I was first published online ... in a monthly column and I know I was super stoked when it happened. I lost my love of writing though because as I think now the world is saturated with writers. LOL
Yay! Glad the publishing is going through. And if this might be an issue in the future, you could always send the story to us via e-mail. ;-)
I'm no help on ants. Sorry.
I hate those damned things. It's ant season. We have the big black buggers. They're in the kitchen and the bathroom. ARGH!
Scott... just read your update. This is great news! Now you can relax and enjoy this exciting time.
That first acceptance and by-line are a milestone. I can still remember receiving the mag with my first by-line and the ones that followed. Believe me... it never gets old... I still get just as excited.
Aloha,
Sue
I hate ants and insects (this from a biologist by trade!). Poor hubby has to crawl under the crawl space (aptly named) and deposit boric acid and honey traps. I can send you the recipe if they ever come back--or look them up on the University of Kentucky website (I believe).
So far--so good!! And now I just know I'll find a nest somewhere!!
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