Read The Short Story That Became That Self-Same Metal!
It's Mayhem on the Thames!
Hey, y’all!
Did you know that That Self-Same Metal started out as a short story? I wrote “Mayhem on the Thames” as a 2000-ish word short story several years back as a way to exorcise this story out of my head! It was so thrilling (and terrifying!) bringing the scenes and characters to life that I wanted to share it with everyone. I’d never had any fiction published though I was well into my creative nonfiction and fanfiction bag so I was extra eager to get this story into the world. I submitted it to two magazines, Fireside Fiction & FIYAH Lit. Both rejected it, but the editorial team at FIYAH gave me some feedback that was completely on-point and changed the trajectory of the story for the best.
I’m so grateful for this very kind “No” because what they said was absolutely true! I did need to expand this world and explore the story in a longer format. Hell, these weren’t even the right heroes and villains for the plot I was tangling with. There’s heart in MotT but reading it now I can so clearly see it’s more of a skeleton than a fully realized creation. A short story shouldn’t feel like that, so while I do feel good about what I wrote way back in 2017 I know my baby needed some work.
Many drafts (including a first draft that only I & one other person have laid eyes on), hacksaw & scalpel sized edits, and six years later, “Mayhem on the Thames” evolved into the full-length That Self-Same Metal! The story is so much better for its bigger size and all the other changes that developed over the years. Sometimes we need to hear an initial rejection to fully realize our potential.
You can read the short story, Mayhem on the Thames HERE. Then go ahead and read the full-length novel and tell me what differences you spot! Some are very obvious, some are subtle, but all of them were necessary. Let me know what y’all think.
Events
From book launch to the stage, I’m doing it all! Swing on by and say hey!
June 9-24: New Orleans Shakespeare Festival - New Orleans, LA
Thursdays - Sundays: Performing as Olivia in Twelfth Night by William ShakespeareJune 13: Garden District Books Event - New Orleans, LA
6 PM - Local Fiction Authors Panel and Signing w/ Marti Dumas & Farrah RochonJuly 6: Blue Cypress Books Event - Virtual
5 PM CT / 6 PM ET - A bookish chat with Blue Cypress happening live on Facebook & YouTube
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