tears in my eyes

I just got back from a client meeting when I checked my email and found a letter that said in part...

"...we would like to reprint your story L'Aquilone de Estrellas (The Kite of Stars) in the Year's Best Fantasy and Horror Seventeenth annual collection, edited by Ellen Datlow and Kelly Link & Gavin Grant."

My vision blurred as indescribable happiness razed through my senses. I couldn't believe it. It was just too...impossible!

And yet, there it was. My story was selected from among all the other contenders in short story collections, anthologies, magazine publications and online sites as among the best.

Nikki and I religiously buy this book every year. It's like a bible for us, showing us what's good to read, what good authors are doing and what the "state of the art" is in terms of genre or interstitial writing.

"For more than a decade, readers have turned to The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror to find the most rewarding fantastic short stories. Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling (now Kelly Link and Gavin Grant) continue their critically acclaimed and award-winning tradition with another stunning collection of stories. The fiction and poetry here is culled from an exhaustive survey of the field, ranging from fairy tales to gothic horror, from magical realism to dark tales in the Grand Guignol style. Rounding out the volume are the editors' invaluable overviews of the year in fantasy and horror, and a long list of Honorable Mentions, making this an indispensable reference as well as the best reading available in fantasy and horror."

Last year, I joked that it was my dream for "L'Aquilone" to just be listed in the Honorable Mention section. I didn't even think I could compete with the likes of the authors selected; people like Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Ursula Le Guin, an entire galaxy of big names.

And then this happens.

And it was because of the story, as a story. I have no agent and thus no politics. Just writing and craft and opportunity. I am indebted to Jed over at Strange Horizons for publishing this story in the first place (and making sure it was up to standard) and to Carl for writing his story "Parlores".

Amazing.

I am giddy with joy!