Red Wheelbarrow and "The Package"

So I thought I'd finally kick this blog into gear and start using it as a place to talk about some stories I have out there. That's not going to be the only focus, but I thought aspiring writers might benefit or enjoy or at least be willing to read some of my take on the publishing experience. Although I believe at this point all first publishing rights have reverted to me, luckily enough for lazy me, a few of my stories still have a kind of half life on the web, so I will take that as a beginning here and eventually move on to some that don't.

"The Package" was the first story I ever got published. It was far from the first story I'd ever written, or tried to publish or anything, but all the same, it was the first one that got picked up by a real literary journal and for that I am forever grateful. Randolph Splitter of Red Wheelbarrow Literary Magazine picked this one up after I had pretty much despaired of anyone liking anything I did and for that I remain profoundly grateful. For some reason, this issue unlike other years is downloadable HERE, and of course it's entirely acceptable if you are distracted and waylaid by the interview with Khaled Hosseini of The Kite Runner fame that immediately proceeds it. But 'The Package' begins on page 96.

When you're just getting stuff out there after a lot of rejection, you may tend to be a bit afraid of what friends will think of it. But with the small circle I did mention this one to, I was very interested in the kinds of responses it brought up about the mysterious and ambiguous packages they'd crossed paths with. And I'd be happy to hear your stories too.

Oh, and by the way, I'm not that afraid of comments anymore. Unless you're a spammer, go right on ahead.