Today’s Presidents’ Day, and that means no school…and a badly needed break! Of course, you know your friendly neighborhood spork-wielding maniac. A day off doesn’t really MEAN a day off, it just means a shift in focus. For example, this morning I sat down and finally cleaned my lair for the first time in *mumble mumble.* While it would hardly stand up to a white-glove inspection, at least I can find my desk and my floor again. Particularly in the kitchen, where I spent most of last night. The seventies called while I was working, asking for their linoleum back. Yikes!
The nice thing about housework, which I otherwise detest, is that it’s mindless, so it gives a guy some time to think while he’s making his hobbit-hole suitable for habitation, business, visitors, small children, and little puppy dogs. Uppermost in my mind was how far I’ve come since I started school on August 28th. The resume I’ve amassed is pretty impressive, to say the least. Particularly when one considers that all of this would look amazing for four years of school, and I’m less than six months in!
Here’s what I’ve done to date:
Wrote two one-act plays, “Mundane Arcane” and “Nothing.” The first was performed during the fall 24-Hour Theater contest. I wrote it in an hour and a half, and felt bad for the actors: they spent twelve hours getting that play down before they performed it. Long day all around, but well worth it. The second, “Nothing,” is an absurd play in one act where a guy tries to write a play about nothing. So far, so good…until he tries to convince his professor! This one was submitted to Arizona State University’s Canyon Voices literary journal. As of now, I’m awaiting their decision. My understanding is they get somewhere in the neighborhood of 13,000 submissions annually. These numbers might be a little high, but who knows? I do know they’ve got a huge reputation among collegiate publications.
In November I won the SUU Sigma Tau Delta (English Honors society) “Energy of Words” literary conference’s critical division with a piece expanding on the “Word Wizardry” post I wrote for Gianna Simone a couple years back. This was a $150 payday and a huge honor for me. Thinking of Sigma Tau Delta, and specifically the Alpha Eta Nu chapter at SUU, tomorrow I will finally turn in my application and membership fee to the faculty advisor. With a little luck, I’ll be a full-fledged member next week.
Last month I was asked to assume the position of Chief Editor for the Kolob Canyon Review for the 2013-2014 school year. I’m really excited about this, because I think the KCR is a great publication and should be expanded to reflect just how good it really is. I served as a reader last semester, and also submitted two pieces that were accepted for publication. I’ve already started getting some things in place for the fall semester, including an expanded marketing and submissions plan and a few things I need to take to the Provost for final approval. As of now, things are ticking along nicely, and I’m anticipating a terrific 2014 issue.
Last Monday, I submitted a paper I’ve been working on since the middle of November about the marginalization of male romance authors in the critical and academic worlds. The paper, entitled “The Ultimate Transgression: Male Erotic Romance Authors,” was submitted to the Journal of Popular Romance Studies, the flagship academic publication for the International Association of Popular Romance Studies. Since this is a peer-reviewed journal, I’m especially nervous about it; getting in would be a major coup at this stage of my undergrad studies. According to An Goris, the managing editor, editorial and peer review could take up to four months, so I can expect to hear back in June. It is my hope that this will be published in the December 2013 journal, which focuses on the future of erotic romance “Beyond Fifty Shades of Grey.”
(As an aside, my eyeballs are still bleeding from that Super Bowl commercial. Thanks, Best Buy.)
About two weeks ago, I also submitted a short story called “Even Groomsmen Get The Blues” to Changeling Press. It started off as a flash fiction piece that I expanded into a 10,000+-word monstrosity. It’s a deviation for me, in that there’s no paranormal elements to it, but it was still a fun story to write. (And, if I say so myself, it’s got a fellatio scene in it hotter than the one in Angels Cry, where Shenophiel decides to “nurse” La’Kwai while he’s sleeping, which is my personal bar for such scenes… 
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I was also fortunate to get admitted to the SUU Honors Program at the end of November. Turns out their faith was not misplaced; I pulled down a 3.869 GPA for the semester, which was good enough to get me onto the Dean’s List. I’m looking to pull out a similar, if not better, GPA this semester, which means I’m gunning hard. Because of my GPA, I was invited to join the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, but the timeframe and the out of pocket expense made this impractical. Maybe another time.
Everything noted above, with the exception of the KCR, is all extracurricular work, and this is in addition to finishing up the edits for the next WOCA anthology, working on my blogging business (writing other people’s words really sucks away time to write your own, I’m learning!), and trying to maintain a social life. So far I’m managing. Sleep? What is this thing you speak of?
So what’s ahead?
Right now I have two honors projects I’m working on; a novel for MojoCastle Press, a role-playing game publisher, which has been sidelined due to a most unfortunate hard drive crash on my previous computer (it was ready for retirement anyway); my regular roster of work; and making sure I make time to remind my lover how very precious she is to me and how much I love her. (I can’t say more about that right now, but let it suffice to say that there may well be a relocation in my future after college. 
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But for today, I think I’m going to take a well-earned, well-deserved break.
Until next time,
Best,
J.S. Wayne
