One of the stories in Melancholic Parables—the collection of short pieces I'm working on and will probably finish the day after I die—depicts a surreal emotional storm that a character called Bellatrix must endure. I always thought it was a weird piece, not likely to win much love.
But when I showed the collection to someone whose opinion of fiction I highly respect, she flagged this story as one of her favorites. Surprised the hell out of me.
Since she said this was one story she'd like to see published, I set aside my misgivings and started submitting it to literary magazines. The rejections rolled right in.
But after nine rejections, the tenth publication accepted it. The site is called The Collidescope, a venue whose stated aim is "to publish writing that is subversive in nature, that is art for art’s sake." That aim jibes well with the piece, I think, so I'm glad the story found a fitting home.
The story is called "Pontengisme", it just went live on their website today, and I'm as pleased as pleased can be. Read it here.