Cover for Backnang Stories

About a month ago, I blogged about two of my German short stories being accepted for an anthology, in, of and about my home town, Backnang. We were now given some facts and figures by the publisher.

The anthology will include 20 stories by 16 authors on 208 pages. The first edition is in print right now, and publication is set for 26th October. And we have a cover! 

 


Contrary to my usual genres, both of the shorts I submitted are contemporary, so neither the UFO nor the dragon were inspired by my stories. But I can't wait to read the stories with the sci-fi and fantasy spins. If I'm lucky, there'll be an urban fantasy thrown into the mix. Things going bump in the Backnang night - geil!*



*'geil' = German, literally means 'horny', but also slang for 'cool', 'rad'.

Happy Birthday My Lines. My Life

On the 15th of this month, this blog turned four. 

Holy. Moly. 

It's been four years since I decided to be a writer, and one day hopefully a published one. 

Four years since I finished my first (unsold and unpublished) novel. I see its flaws these days, but I still think it's the bomb.

Four years since I garnered my first rejection(s) for the very same novel. It didn't end with one rejection, of course, but most answers left me hopeful - it took me a while to understand the concept of a "form rejection". Oh, Past-Pia, how green and innocent you once were. 

The rejections are still piling up. I haven't published a novel. I haven't yet made a dime with my writing. And yet, I still feel like it's only a matter of time. I feel like I've accomplished a lot as a writer. 

Is this feeling warranted? Let's see... 


In the past four years, I wrote (and completed!)
- four full novels,
- a screenplay for a movie,
- a screenplay for a TV-series pilot,
- ca. fifteen short stories and flash fiction pieces.

Four of those short stories were "published" over the last four Christmases via my parents' language training business, and given to their clients. 

Two more stories are now about to be published by a small German publisher in an anthology about my hometown.


Other writing-related "accomplishments" include

- getting a degree as a German screenwriter, graduating with an A, 
- finding my second and third wonderful writers groups,
- participating in readings,
- participating in workshops, 
- going on writing retreats in Bavaria and Italy,
- joining SCBWI. 


I don't know where any of this may one day lead me exactly. But I do know this: I've had a blast these past four years, and it just keeps getting better and better. I wouldn't miss it for the world.

We made the Papers

There was an article about my weekly writers group, Birds of a Feather, in our local (German) newspaper, the Leonberger Kreiszeitung! 

It appeared in Thursday's issue, and the following Saturday morning, walking over the farmer's market with one of my BoaF-ladies - the one on the right in the photo - several people came up to us and commented on the article. We even got some free bread, veggies, and coffee! 

I guess we're famous now. 

LOL

SCBWI Summer Barbecue

Another SCBWI event come and gone. Another great get-together with my favorite kind of folks - writers. As Marcy says in her write-up of the annual SCBWI grill-out, it feels like coming home. Like you've found your tribe. The camaraderie, the shared experiences, hurdles and fears, hopes and dreams... 

Thank you Maria, for organizing and hosting! It couldn't have been any better, even if the sun had been shining. 

SCBWI Germany & Austria