Outside this River Maiden espresso joint in Vancouver Washington, a leaf blower is swooshing wet leaves into mountains of golden red. A blue sky peeks between brilliant white clouds above. The sun at the moment is hidden. Last night, I sent off Ghoul World to DAW Publishing. Happily, I was able to use Submittable. Last time I checked, DAW wanted hard copy. I'm glad I checked one last time before I got the ms printed and shipped off. It would have cost me less than 100 dollars to get it printed and shipped. I could have printed it myself too, but the task felt daunting, so I planned to act wealthy and get it done for me. Instead, DAW accepted the ms for free, not even a nominal Submittable fee. They'll report in less than 3 months.
Truthfully? I feel little hope Ghoul World will be accepted. It's well written, but I don't think it's modern enough for young tastes. It's a science fiction film noir with a private investigator. I had in mind Blade Runner, the movie when I began. Perhaps not enough action. The last three chapters are purely expository, as a character called Urthana explains the utopian world of Alteregoia where Charley Manning finds himself at novel's end.
