Well, I (we, actually) had moderately good news from an editor today--a novella Patrick and I cowrote is being held for the final round of consideration at a major magazine. Of course, my second reaction (after "Woohoo! Karmic vibes please help us!") was, Oh well. This has happened so many times before...and statistically it doesn't often lead to publication....blah blah blahh....

It was only three hours later, while walking Nika through a forest and watching her race madly around with another dog, that it suddenly occurred to me: I've become used to this happening. And that is so cool! Because two and a half years ago, when I first got serious about submitting regularly to magazines, that was NOT the case. I'd made two publications before Clarion--one semipro, one in an ambiguous (pro? semipro? I'm still not sure, based on SFWA regulations) anthology, but then hadn't sold anything else for years. The fact that, in the past year and a half, I've started to regularly get good feedback from editors and have stories held for the final rounds at magazines, anthologies, etcetera, is amazing. And the fact that I'd gotten so used to it that it stopped making me happy is insane. Or maybe just part of that human tendency to learn to take anything for granted as "normal," whether it's horrible stuff (oppressive political regimes, etc.) or the absolute opposite.

I stood in the middle of the forest watching Nika leap out from behind a tree and spin towards her new friend, tail whirring high in the air like a beanie propellor, and I thought: Wow.

It's been a good day.