You can read my short story, “The Shadow Over Jordan Lake,” in Black Cat Weekly, Issue #215.
If you’re interested in learning more about the story’s submission history, I have a write-up of its publication journey over at my blog.
Tag: stories
-
October 2025 Submissions Recap
Apologies for the delay!
During October 2025, I submitted six stories to publications, including Fusion Fragment (8th sub), foorafaw (1st sub), DreamForge Magazine (2nd sub), Meetinghouse (1st sub), Amazing Stories (3rd sub), and ShortStory Substack (2nd sub).
I also received six rejections from publications, including Trollbreath (1st rejection), Fusion Fragment (8th rejection), DreamForge Magazine (2nd rejection), Metaphorosis (5 rejections; 2 positive; 1 hold request), Bog Matter Magazine (1st rejection), and McSweeney’s Quarterly (2nd rejection).
The rejection from Metaphorosis, who sent a hold request back in August, means I no longer have any stories on hold by publishers. But as a result, I can send more stories out there. I will be held back no longer.
After a few slow months, we’ve returned to something close to my average for submissions and rejections. I’m hoping to keep the numbers consistent, since I do not have any new stories to put in circulation (still working on larger projects).
Finally, my story, “The Only Real Thing,” is set to appear in Behind Revolving Doors: An Anthology of Choices, Volume II, by Celestial Echo Press, on December 1st, so look forward to my announcement then!
-
September 2025 Submissions Recap
During September 2025, I submitted three stories to publications, including Trollbreath Magazine (1st sub), Fantasy Magazine (2nd sub), and Xeno (1st sub).
I also received four rejections from publications, including Allegory Zine (1st rejection; honorable mention), Haven Speculative (3rd rejection), Just Keep Up Magazine (2nd rejection), and Uncanny Magazine (5th rejection; 1 positive). The rejection from Allegory Zine did state that the story would receive an Honorable Mention, even though it didn’t make the cut.
Another quiet month, which has to do with shifting my writing focus to larger projects. But when the right publication is open, I will continue submitting. Soon, I will start seeing my accepted stories in print, which should be great motivation to continue writing and sending out stories.
-
Publication Journey: “The Shadow Over Jordan Lake”
“The Only Real Thing” was the first story I wrote after taking a break from writing. “The Shadow Over Jordan Lake” is much more recent. It began with a writing prompt: a man takes a 23 and Me only to find out he is part Fish. I wrote the first draft in January of 2024, revising it over the next seven months. Along the way, it went through some title changes, including “Lakefront Property” and “The Shad Over Jordan Lake,” before I finally settled on the current title. By July, the story felt complete and ready to go.
In all, I sent “The Shadow Over Jordan Lake” to 15 publications over the course of 1 year and 1 month before it was accepted. This might sound like a lot, but compared to the journey of “The Only Real Thing,” this was a cakewalk. Here is some of the feedback I received in positive rejection letters during that time (I am leaving out the names of the publications because I did not ask their permission):
“The story is cute”
“We really enjoyed your story, but we’re sorry this isn’t the right story for us right now. We did find much to admire in your work, though, and we hope you’ll send us more to consider soon.”
“I appreciated the tone and the concept, but I think I would have preferred a tighter plot.”
“Your assured writing and intriguing concept pulled us in with this one, but in the end we felt that it didn’t quite fit the needs of the magazine, so we have decided to pass on it. We wish you the very best of luck in placing your story elsewhere.”
After just over a year of submitting the story, I finally got the request from Black Cat Weekly to publish it. Now “The Shadow Over Jordan” is set to appear soon, possibly in October. I will post a link to the issue when it is released.
-
Publication Journey: “The Only Real Thing”
While finishing up my PhD, I took a break from writing fiction. Not long after my defense, I started writing again. “The Only Real Thing” was the first short story I completed after this hiatus. Now it is set to appear in Behind Revolving Doors: An Anthology of Choices, Volume II, by Celestial Echo Press. “The Only Real Thing” has a very long submission history, so I thought it would be interesting and helpful to others to run through it. Sometimes a story is lucky enough to get accepted right away. Other times it is a long, grueling process. This was the latter.
I wrote the first draft of “The Only Real Thing” around September of 2021, and spent the next 5 months editing it on and off until the story felt ready. I first sent out “The Only Real Thing” in March 2022. In the first year, I received 9 rejections, but many of them were positive. Here is some of the feedback (leaving out the names of publications, because I did not seek their permission):
“The ending of your story was strong. I really liked Priya, and I did quickly grow to like Otto. The concept was really interesting, and I was pretty compelled, but I think this story could be cut a little (Otto talks too long), to really hit the reader with the most impact. We wish you all the best with your future writing endeavors.”
“We really enjoyed your story, but we’re sorry this isn’t the right story for us right now. We did find much to admire in your work, though, and we hope you’ll send us more to consider soon.”
After a year of submissions, I got my first hold request. When this happens, usually you are asked not to submit the piece elsewhere, while the publication considers it among a shortlist of others. The rejection came about a month later. Which meant it was time to send out the story again! During the next year and a half, I submitted “The Only Real Thing” to an additional 14 publications, bringing the grand total so far to 24. Once again, much of the feedback was positive. Here are some of the messages:
“Your writing is very interesting.”
“Your story ‘The Only Real Thing’ has an incredible amount of potential.”
“Your hook was very good.”
“It was well received here, but after some thought we have decided not to accept it for publication. The major problem is that you’re presenting two stories at once, when really it’s only Otto’s story that matters. Priya has no agency in the story, while the tale of Otto and Steven has a dynamic all its own, especially the search for the coffee mug.”
“Your storytelling shows promise, and we’re confident you’ll find the perfect home for your work.”
After this round of rejections, in October 2024, I received my next hold request. The publication stated that the story had advanced to the selection round. Or so I thought! In a bizarre twist I have never seen before, in January 2025 I learned that this hold request was sent in error. It turns out that the story should have been rejected, and I’d wasted three months of submission time waiting to hear back. Arg!
It gets better, though. After this experience, I submitted the “The Only Real Thing” again, receiving this feedback in a rejection letter about a month later:
“I enjoyed this story overall, and I liked the primary story (nested within the frame). However, I think the frame itself either doesn’t get enough focus (I’d like it to become a major part of what’s going on and not just a vessel for telling the main story) or should just be folded in somehow with the rest (which would require a change in perspective, which might not work). It also felt a bit jarring to just get the ‘year from now’ ending with Priya; I wanted more to her if she’s going to be the focus at the end.”
I appreciated the detail, and considered making changes to the story based all the accumulated feedback over the years. But the more I looked at the story, the more I liked it the way it was written. Some readers might appreciate the nested narrative, but others might be turned off by this structural choice. Either way, changing it would mean completely altering my intention with the story, and I still found value in what I had written. So, back to the submission grind.
The next publication sent another hold request. My third—scratch that, second—so far, and not my last. The rejection came three months later. Well, at least this hold request was legitimate and not a mistake. By now, it was May 2025, and I’d sent out “The Only Real Thing” to 30 publications. 30 submissions, 30 rejections. Was it time to call it quits and move on? I considered it. But ultimately, I took the continued interest in the story as evidence that it had real merit, even if it hadn’t found a home.
So, I sent it out. Again. And after one more rejection, it finally came: another hold request. I told you we weren’t done with this. This was my third (legitimate) hold request on this story, so I knew the drill. Three months later, in August 2025, I received the email. Expecting another rejection, I opened it and quickly skimmed the text, looking for the usual language: This story doesn’t fit our needs right now, or We’re sorry this story isn’t the right fit for us at this time.
Nope, not this time. I did a double-take and realized they wanted my story in the anthology. Hurray! This story’s long submission journey was finally over. It had found a home.
In all, I submitted “The Only Real Thing” to 32 publications, receiving positive feedback in rejection letters from 12 of those publications, along with 3 real hold requests, 1 fake hold request, and finally, 1 acceptance into an anthology. From start to finish, not counting writing time, the process took 3 years and 5 months.
I share this submission history story for those who might be interested in how long it can take to finally get that acceptance email, and to encourage other writers to keep submitting. Sometimes, writers get a story accepted on the very first submission, though this hasn’t happened to me. Other times, the submission process can be brutal, lasting years, with many, many rejections. I’m very happy that “The Only Real Thing” finally found a home, and am looking forward to seeing it out there in the world.
I’ll have my post on the submission history of my story, “The Shadow Over Jordan Lake,” up soon, but thankfully, it has a far shorter submission history.
-
August 2025 Submissions Recap
During August 2025, I submitted seven stories to publications, including Haven Speculative (3rd sub), Metaphorosis: Trunk Stories (5th sub; 1 positive rejection), Bog Matter Magazine (1st sub), Planet Scumm (2nd sub), Uncanny Magazine (5th sub; 1 positive rejection), Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet (2nd sub), and McSweeney’s Quarterly (2nd sub).
I also received three rejections from publications, including ShortStory Substack (1st rejection), The Daily Tomorrow (1st rejection), and Broken Antler Quarterly (1st rejection).
Now let’s get to the fun stuff. I received one hold request from Metaphorosis: Trunk Stories, which means I currently have two short stories on hold.
Finally, in the most exciting news since I started these submission recaps, I received not one, but two short story acceptances. The first is a silly Lovecraftian family drama called “The Shadow Over Jordan Lake,” which will appear in Black Cat Weekly, probably in October 2025. The second acceptance was “The Only Real Thing,” a story that begins with a man holding up a thrift story with a waffle iron, which will appear in the second volume of Revolving Doors: An Anthology of Choices from Celestial Echo Press.
There you have it! It took roughly three years since I started submitting stories again to get one accepted, but two in the same month? Insane. Expect blog posts devoted to each of these stories and their publication journeys in the coming months. But needless to say, I’m very pleased they found a home.
-
July 2025 Submissions Recap
During July 2025, I submitted fourteen stories to publications, including Amazing Stories (1st sub), Fusion Fragment (7th sub), Space and Time (2nd sub; 1 positive rejection), Just Keep Up Magazine (2nd sub), The Forge (1st sub), Seize the Press (2nd sub), Radon Journal (2nd sub), The Daily Tomorrow (1st sub), Broken Antler Magazine (1st sub), Black Cat Weekly (1st sub), Mystic Mind (1st sub), Podcastle (3rd sub; 1 positive rejection), Interzone (8th sub, 1 positive rejection), and NewMyths.com (9th sub)
I also received fourteen rejections from publications, including Planet Scumm (1st rejection), Joyland Magazine (1st rejection), Haven Speculative (2nd rejection), Penumbric (4th rejection), Amazing Stories (1st rejection), and Fusion Fragment (7th rejection), The Forge (1st rejection), Seize the Press (2nd rejection), and Radon Journal (2nd rejection), The Drabblecast (1st rejection), and Electric Spec (2nd rejection; 1 hold request, and 1 publication years ago), Analog (5th rejection; 1 positive), Interzone (8th rejection, 1 positive), and NewMyths.com (9th sub).
Finally, I received one hold request from Behind the Revolving Door: An Anthology, which means two of my stories are currently being held for consideration by publishers.
All in all, this was my most active month yet for both submissions and rejections. Summer is a great time to send out stories and get told no by publications, apparently. Having another story on hold feels great, but I have even better news to share during the next update, so stay tuned!
-
June 2025 Submissions Recap
During June 2025, I submitted seven stories to publications, including twice to NewMyths.com (7th and 8th subs), Haven Speculative (2nd sub), Penumbric (4th sub), The Colored Lens (9th sub), Electric Spec (3rd sub; 1 hold request), and The Paris Review (2nd sub).
I also received five rejections from publications, including NewMyths.com (7th and 8th rejections), Radon Journal (1st rejection), Abyss and Apex (2nd rejection; 1 positive), and The Colored Lens (9th rejection; 6 positive; 1 hold request).
Finally, I received one hold request from Allegory Zine (1st sub).
After submitting to the same publication twice in a month and getting rejected both times, the hold request feels good. This is also my sixth hold request since re-starting my submissions journey in 2022, and while none have led to a publication, I’ll still take them as promising signs. Let’s see what comes in July.
-
May 2025 Submissions Recap
During May 2025, I submitted 11 short stories to publications, including Planet Scumm (1st sub), Behind the Revolving Door: An Anthology of Choices (1st sub), Allegory Zine (1st sub), The Cincinnati Review (1st sub), ShortStory Substack (1st sub), Joyland Magazine (1st sub), The Colored Lens (8th sub), Interzone (7th sub), Radon Journal (1st sub), Jerry Jazz Musician Short Story Contest (1st sub), and Three-Lobed Burning Eye (3rd sub).
I also received 7 rejections from publications, including Electric Spec (2nd rejection; held for consideration), The Future Fire (3rd rejection), Just Keep Up Magazine (1st rejection), The Colored Lens (8th rejection, 5 positive; 1 hold request), Interzone (7th rejection; 1 positive), Bannister Press: The Other Anthology (1st rejection), and Three-Lobed Burning Eye (3rd rejection).
After receiving three hold requests in recent months, it was frustrating that none made it to publication, even though that’s how the process goes sometimes. This month I decided to get more aggressive with submissions, roughly doubling my usual number. No idea how that will pan out, but it’s worth a try. Let’s see what happens in June.
-
April 2025 Submissions Recap
During April 2025, I submitted five stories to publications, including Amazing Stories (1st sub), Fusion Fragment (6th sub), The Future Fire (3rd sub), Bannister Press: The Other Anthology (1st sub), and Strange Horizons (2nd sub). It’s nice to see Amazing Stories up and running again, and I was glad to get a story sent to Strange Horizons—a dream publication—during their submissions window.
I also received five rejections from publications, including McSweeney’s Quarterly (1st rejection), Amazing Stories (1st rejection), Fusion Fragment (5th rejection), Fantasy Magazine (1st rejection), and Andromeda Spaceways Magazine (2 rejections, both positive; 1 hold request). Technically, Andromeda Spaceways did not reject my story, but instead couldn’t find a place for it in the current issue, so it was released.
Andromeda Spaceways sent some promising feedback, as well. One reviewer wrote, “Wow. This might be the best story I’ve read for Andromeda Spaceways,” going on to call it an “Exceptional story.” So, even though the story wasn’t picked up, I’m confident in its quality. Someone better publish it soon.
Finally, I received one hold request by Electric Spec (2nd submission). Diehard Daniel Kason fans might remember that I was published by Electric Spec way back in 2014, and it’s gratifying to know they are still interested in my writing.
Overall, this was a big month, with a mix of promising and disappointing news, yet still no acceptances. Let’s see what comes in May!
Daniel Kason 