Dear Reader, Issue 9, Volume 1

Honorable mention, submission status, an interview and a glimpse into the future.

Dear Reader:

I’m pleased to announce that I’ve received another honorable mention within the pages of Elegant Literature for issue number twelve, the Forgotten Lands theme. A small victory to celebrate! I had two submissions, and the story that I thought was better told did not make it. Both of the short stories I submitted were solid, which proves that it’s difficult to know what will resonate with an editor.

My writing continues to improve. However, the competition and talent pool are growing in size as well. In the past, I would fear that publication or winning was slipping out of my grasp. This is no longer the case since I’ve caught the writing bug. Combined with my stubborn and competitive nature, I’ve become hungry for success. This is the best place for me to be as a writer.

I had one submission for issue number thirteen. That issue will be published December 1, and on that date, I’ll know if my story is included.

The Backstory

The first official backstory is out and available for paid subscribers. Previews won’t get sent by email or via the app to free subscribers. I don’t want to inundate you with newsletters you can’t read. I’ll simply give them a mention in Dear Reader when they are posted.

Neighborhood Nightmares / Telegrams From Space

Yet Another Submission

For October, I also sent my first flash fiction submission to Factor Four Magazine! This is fast becoming one of my favorite speculative magazines. I read all four of November’s stories in a single sitting and wanted more. The expected wait for rejections averages around twenty days according to Submission Grinder. An acceptance would be a wait of approximately forty days.

An Interview

Mark Dykeman, who runs the “How About This” newsletter, was kind enough to interview me. I’m a small fish in a very big pond compared to some of his other interviewees. Having the opportunity to talk about my journey at this stage is very important so that other writers can envision their own growth. Mark asked some great questions.

Creator Spotlight - Brian Reindel (Future Thief)

The answers are a summary of how I view my progress, which in turn helped me to realize Dear Reader is becoming a necessary chronicle. It keeps me accountable, and if I’m ever able to build a larger audience it will demonstrate to other readers and writers exactly how that happened.

The Crystal Ball

I have two fun updates to share. The first is that I’ve changed how I’m using story images. You may have noticed that already for Dear Reader and for my short story from last week. Maximizing time spent writing is my top priority. Spending several hours creating custom illustrations was stealing too much of that precious time. As a result, I decided to create one primary image with a different palette for each section.

Every eight to twelve months I will change out the primary image, using the same approach. My hope is that readers will begin to recognize the image in their feed and associate it immediately with Future Thief.

The other fun piece of news I want to share is that I’ve started working on the cover design for my short story collection! You get a special sneak peek. I don’t know how long the book will be, and that information is necessary to finalize the entire spread (front cover, spine and back cover). When that is complete, the design of the cover may change slightly so I can wrap around an entire image.

I would love your feedback in the comments. If there is anything that you’re not sure of, or that doesn’t resonate, let me know. Especially if you have experience with KDP and recognize an element that would be problematic. The title of the collection, as you can see, is the title of one of the short stories I published here on Substack. It just fits. My goal will be to create a tingle of nostalgia reminiscent of science fiction from the 70s-80s.

Expected launch is January 2023!

Happy Reading,

Brian Reindel