michael john grist

Dammit- I totally missed the publication of one of my own stories! Sagasu's Life was in the February mini-issue of Reflection's Edge, and I only just realized that now!

I thought it was going to go up in April. D'oh!

I only realized now because Reflection's Edge just expressed interest in another of my stories- Flatland, which prompted me to check out the site.

The editor there- Sharon Dodge- takes her editing very seriously, and does a bang-up job of working on stories to make them better, line by line. It's a joy to be edited by her- I learn about my writing, and what works and what doesn't.

Anyway- here's the blurb she gives the story-

Sagasu's Life by Michael John Grist (fantasy)

Sagasu has lost everything; and now everything is about to be lost at his hands. An army races forward in an attempt to stop the end of the world, all in the hands of one ancient and bitter painter.

Go ahead and check it out at Reflection's Edge- feel free to comment here.

I was just googling myself, as one does (lots of hits for Michael JOHN Grist, zero for plain old Michael Grist)- and found a review of my story Killin Jack- recently published in 'AtomJack'.

The review is on a short fiction review site new to me, called 'The Fix'. The review just went up yesterday- so this is hot off the presses, people!

The Fix seems pretty cool- with discussion boards and whatnot. I read some of the reviews- which are of stories I have read in various other popular zines. I like it. It's a step in bringing all these writers, editors, and readers of middle-end short-story fiction together in a community. I'll probably track it along with the zines they review, which I read and submit to already.

Anyway- on to Jack. I like the review. The fact the reviewer didn't fully understand Jack's story is an issue, sure, but he used glowing (to me, at least) words like bizarre, colorful, and creative to describe it- and that more than makes up for it.

Huzzah! The good folk over at the TQR zine have accepted 'Celibate Jayne the Hammerhand' for publication!

Yatta! (I did it! - Hiro from Heroes, in NYC)

Here's a link to where the news was first announced- and I announced the party!

I'm really rather pleased.