Saturday Night Message: Week of June 15 to 21
Days Till Novel Launch: 133
Sunday, June 15, 2025
12:05 a.m.
Tonight’s literary work has involved a pause to “take stock,” to look at my submission spreadsheet to see the devil in the details. The big picture results are shown in the above chart.
I sent the first submission on June 2, 2023. Since then:
83 Submissions
34 Rejections
49 No Replies
In 2023, I sent query letters to 37 literary agents. Twelve rejections and 25 no replies.
In 2024, I sent a total of 42 submissions: 33 to agents and 9 contests. Twenty-two rejections and 20 no replies.
So far in 2025, I’ve sent four submission: 2 agents and 2 university presses. So far this year, I’ve divided my nights and weekends into three categories.
First, teaching. I returned to the adjunct world with one online class. A solid third of my time. The student must come first.
Next, there has been getting “A Pass for the Brokenhearted” submitted, edited, and published in The Louisville Review.
And the last third? This Substack publication.
The max number of submissions in my mind has always been in the 150 range. If a manuscript doesn’t find a home after approaching 150 literary agents, then there’s something wrong with the work. So far—thank goodness—I am not at that number.
And if October 31 arrives before I place the manuscript, it’s a moot point since I will start publishing the chapters on this Substack publication.
About Twelve Hours Later…
Up, chores galore-ish. Master Seth brought me the following stack of…not papers, but…ambition.
I can envision with ease an aspiring writer—back in the days before computers—creating her/his hit-list of places to send work.
I wonder how much of this person’s work made it into print? On the bottom of that page on the right, I see an address: 33, Store Street, London, W.C.1., England. Let’s take a look and see what’s there today:
A place called Treadwell’s. “Atmospheric bookshop stocking literature on magic and spiritualism, plus tarot readings and events.”
Doing a little more digging, I discovered that James Clarke & Co. “is a long-established British academic publisher specializing in historical and theological books and also in reference material. The company was founded in 1859 in Fleet Street, London.” Looks as if they’re in Cambridge now.
Interesting stuff…for an old piece of paper found at an estate sale. I asked Master Seth if he got a writer-vibe from the sale. He said it felt more like an antique dealer. Maybe this was found in an old desk or something.
9:32 p.m.
Remembered that I didn’t check the mail yesterday, so I popped by the post office after a Father’s Day dinner. Some snail mail days are better than others. ;-)
Monday, June 16
10:47 p.m.
Tonight’s energy has been spent on taking care of some paperwork for Eryn’s freshman year in college. Always a checkbox to check, a form to complete, and a deadline to meet. All happening pretty fast.
Catching up with email. I use my in-box as a to-do list, and it had been getting somewhat…full.
Tuesday, June 17
Lunch Hour
I received the below e-mail greeting from the folks at The Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing. A great group of people! :-)
I realized that on Friday, June 20, I will be the big 6-0: Yep, I’ll be 60 years old. That’s something to pause and think about.
9:33 p.m.
It’s Tuesday, so it’s time for The Laydown Diaries. Between the leaf blowers and the dogs, it was an extra special episode. ;-)
Feeling a bit more on top of literary things this evening than I did last night. Some nights, it’s tough to get it all together for a productive graveyard shift.
Nice communication from Eryn’s college. All of the coming academic year’s financial stuff is in place and in the rear-view mirror. That’s a good feeling. I’m excited for her.
And I paid a visit to Master Seth after work today. I think he was going stir crazy at Casa Burkhead, and he decided to live in his bus/camper for a while. Plus, he hasn’t been getting as much remodeling work done as he would like. So, he’s trying to trick himself into progress. Sometimes…sometimes…deep into the p.m., on my own at my desk, I see value in the approach. ;-)
I noticed that Granny’s garden is coming along nicely. I wonder if that electric fence is to keep out the deer…or Master Seth…or both! :)
Okay, gotta go and write/work while I feel the energy.
Wednesday, June 18
10:47 p.m.
Clocked into the day job at the usual 7:30 a.m. and worked hard on deadline all day. Even worked through lunch and stayed thirty minutes late. But I made the deadline. Doing what you say you’re gonna do is always a good approach. ;-)
Chores galore and errands kept me in motion till 9:00 p.m. Been working on my letter to Bob. Progress good.
Here’s the tone I would like to end the evening on tonight…
Thursday, June 19
11:01 p.m.
Today is a holiday, and I approach it the way I approach all holidays, i.e.: another day to “get some writing done.” Oh, there are plans, schemes, dreams. I’ll dodge duties and deflect chores.
But it never seems to work out that way.
Those “to do” items are not gonna “to done” themselves. ;-)
It’s Eryn’s first week at a new job, and it’s all training across Nashville. And this week the Chicken Little Sky has been falling upon us all, thanks to the gods of thunder. So, we’ve been shuffling her back and forth until we’re sure that her car is well and not playin’ opossum. Today was my morning to drive her over. (“Careless Whisper” picked her up.)
On my way home, I remembered that I needed two monster bags of salt to hold down the stairs in our pool. (We have a sand filter system.) So, I went by the home store and gave them some money.
Next, I grabbed some supplies at the grocers.
Slipped into a pizza buffet for lunch. The lady at the cash register asked if I wanted the senior citizen discount. GGGrrrrrrrrrrrr.
After lunch, I went to the barber and got a haircut and shave. It worked: I am now young, skinny, and good-lookin’.) I’d include a photo to prove it, but I know you believe me.
(Editorial Note: I accepted the discount!!!!)
Next, I got in the pool to fix the stairs and clean out the life-less leaves. I’m thrilled to report that we had NO frogs this year.
Dinner, followed by some additional accounting duties for Eryn’s first year of college, coming up in August.
And now here I am.
Happy Holiday, Folks. ;-)
Best go. Freckles is giving me the 11:15 p.m. stink eye, and the alarm is set because tomorrow is NOT a holiday.
Friday, June 20
9:30 p.m.
This was a fun email to receive today, and Bob called me. We had a good talk, and I told him the idea behind the braided memoir that I am going to write. He liked the idea of me driving up and interviewing him about the week he spent sleeping on my couch in London in 1988 or 1989. He said he remembered lots from the week, which is a good thing. I have snippets of that time rolling through my mind like an old black and white movie, but that’s it. Perhaps he will jog some memories loose for me.
It’s been an interesting day.
Master Seth got dog-bit at work. He called his mother and said his boss drove him to the Doc-in-a-Box. Two punctures. Three stitches. A shot of some medical cocktail. Workers comp.
Meanwhile, across town, my better half spent time at another Doc-in-a-Box. She hurt her shoulder at work a few weeks ago, and the pain finally forced her into putting in for workers comp. X-Rays. Physical Therapy to come.
She did bring takeout home for a birthday meal. “Careless Whisper” brought Eryn home from work, and we all had a fun time sitting around and sharing war stories over a food.
It’s Friday, and “If you haven’t read it, it’s new to you!”
I learn about a lot of interesting books from this weekly segment. This week’s selection is Swimming Studies, by Leanne Shapton.
Okay, I feel as if I have some energy this evening, so I’m signing off to work.
Later gaters.
10:00 p.m.
Yeah, I know I signed off for the night, but I noticed that the Summer Solstice was being streamed live from Stonehenge, and I felt it was something worth sharing.
Here’s a little time travel back to 1989:
10:59 p.m.
Eryn just popped into the office, and I think we’ve figured it out, i.e.: “it” being the fact that these days are going by so fast and before you know it, it’s 11:00 p.m. Like NOW, for instance. It’s 11:00 p.m., and I’m full steam ahead.
The “it” is the fact that we are out and about and doing stuff later in the early evening because we don’t realize how late it is…because it doesn’t get dark until after 9:00 p.m., at least here, this time of the year.
Yeah, I see that. And in less than an hour, we will start the longest day of sunlight of the year.
11:36 p.m.
Located the next literary agent to submit a query letter and sample chapters. Printed off draft of the letter. Will edit and send tomorrow.
Oh, and look who is waiting for me in the other room:
June 21
Noon
Summar has arrived, and the baking may now begin…
Spent the morning doing a few chores and answering a couple of emails. It’s quite and a good time to work.
7:16 p.m.
Query letter about ready to go out. That’s tonight project. A couple thoughts on query letters this evening.
One, it is a fun process…when it can make it to the top of my to-do stack.
And two, if you do too many of them at a single time, you get sort of sick of telling people how great you are. Just sayin’.
With that, another Saturday Night Message comes to a close.
As always, Freckles sends her regards.
Later gaters, Roy
The other thing that goes by fast is kids growing up! Enjoy them both while they are still around.