According to “A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” 42 is the answer to everything. And, believe it or not, it’s true! Today, my 42nd romantic short story submission to Woman’s World Magazine has made the big time! In almost every grocery store all across America, MY STORY is waiting to be picked up at the check stand. And naturally, you’ll find it on page (you guessed it) 42.
This “overnight success” has been a long time coming. For over a decade, I’ve submitted stories I thought more than worthy of acceptance in this publication. I even took an online class given by someone who’s had over a half dozen successes in recent years. Still, publication in this magazine eluded me.
Believing, deep down in my toes, that these are very good stories, I pulled all of 42 of them together and created an eBook last January. Available now at Smashwords.com is “Romance 101: Forty-two light, sweet, delicious, G-rated short stories.” You can download all 42 stories for just $2.99 and then have fun guessing which one made it into the magazine. Or, you can wait another two weeks for the entire collection to be available in paperback.
Or, if you’re so inclined, you can buy your very own copy of Woman’s World this week and read what they finally accepted. Validation! The editors have declared my writing is “good enough” at long last. (Either that, or I’ve worn them down!)
As for me, I’m going out to dinner to celebrate. I think I’ll go to… (wait for it)… 42nd Street Café, of course. It is, after all, the answer to everything!