I received a surprise in the mail today: a couple of contributor's copies of Space And Time #98, containing my short story "Irrational Space." It was a surprise because I sent them this story in March -- of 2001! That's right, it took three full years for this one to find its way through the pipeline. They originally accepted the story after five months, but said it would probably take two years to see publication at S&T. They were only off by seven months.

Now, I'm not complaining, mind you -- just surprised. I'd actually forgotten about this story, so it was a pleasant surprise to finally see it in print. I'd already been paid, and put a reversion clause into the contract (so the story wouldn't stay in limbo if the market folded), so I wasn't really too anxious over when they were going to publish it.

Space And Time is a nifty little semiannual magazine of SF, F & Horror, and it's been around for something like 30 years, which is phenomenal for a semi-pro publication like this. Most of the semi-pros are lucky to get through their first year. A few of them go belly up before the first issue sees the light of day. This story was only the sixth piece I'd ever written, and after the pro markets all passed on it I thought of S&T. I'd sold them another story back in 1995 (issue #86), and liked the magazine.

So why did the better-known markets pass on this story? I have a pretty good idea. Back when I first started sending this one out, I was an even more obscure writer than I am now, if that's possible, so I wasn't on any editor's list of writers to watch for. Not sure if I'm on many of them now, but back then, I was a total newbie. This particular story is a bit of an oddball. It's got an unreliable narrator who's telling a completely different story from the one you're supposed to read between the lines. A busy editor who doesn't know me from a hole in the wall and might only give the story a cursory glance would probably never notice the real story underneath the narrator's lies. I think it's a pretty good story, but the beginning writer skirts a fine line by trying to be subtle with editors who don't have the time to read the slush too carefully. Perhaps a smaller market like S&T saw the story that the other editors missed. If I submitted this story now, with a bit of a pro track record behind me, I might get a more careful read from those pro editors, but back when this was originally making the rounds, I wasn't worth the editors' investment of time. I'm happy to see this story in print.