Had another story accepted for publication today, this time at Aphelion, a website of speculative fiction. The story, another novella, is called Barrow Ben. I’m thrilled to have it find a home, for as I’ve said before, novellas can be difficult sells due to their length.
Barrow Ben is the tale of a bear who is transformed by a witch into a man so that he might leave the forest and seek out the River Girl, a water spirit who has been kidnaped. This story has been with me a long time. I started it all the way back in 1997, when I wrote the first few pages and then ran out of steam. I would revisit the tale from time to time, adding a few pages here and there over the years. I loved the story, but I just wasn’t sure where the ending was going, and I didn’t want to force it.
By 2005, Ben had arrived at a dank city of men where he believed the River Girl was held, and he fell in with some thieves. But there he sat for another five years, until last summer. Then I suddenly had an epiphany, and I knew the ending to the story, and how to get there. The story grew from just under 30 pages to almost 70 in a little over a week and a half. I was very excited–I had wanted to see how this one would end for a long time.
So then Barrow Ben was shopped around a few places until he found a home. I’m happy that it’s an online venue, as I’m looking forward to sharing the story with as many readers as possible.
Write On!
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