<![CDATA[Future Shards – Home of Author Jamie B. Grange]]>https://www.futureshards.comhttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CrlS!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F300ebcbe-6575-489b-84dc-a06c168c67b7_638x638.pngFuture Shards – Home of Author Jamie B. Grangehttps://www.futureshards.comSubstackThu, 16 Apr 2026 02:27:01 GMT<![CDATA[The Last Two Years Were Pretty Lean (2025 and 2024)]]>https://www.futureshards.com/p/the-last-two-years-were-pretty-leanhttps://www.futureshards.com/p/the-last-two-years-were-pretty-leanTue, 30 Dec 2025 02:32:09 GMTA lot of craziness going on the world and the last two years for me have been pretty lean in terms of publishing. While I managed to write some new stories and make a little bit of progress on some book drafts, nothing of mine was published. Here are some sad stats:

  • 2025: 33 submissions / 15 rejections (so far)

  • 2024: 31 submissions / 30 rejections

Hoping 2026 will be a better year!

]]><![CDATA[Moving from Twitter to BlueSky]]>https://www.futureshards.com/p/moving-from-twitter-to-blueskyhttps://www.futureshards.com/p/moving-from-twitter-to-blueskyWed, 16 Apr 2025 15:58:38 GMTJust created my profile and going to be using BlueSky from now on for social media:

https://bsky.app/profile/jbgranger.futureshards.com

]]><![CDATA[Short Story "State of Mind" Published]]>https://www.futureshards.com/p/short-story-state-of-mind-publishedhttps://www.futureshards.com/p/short-story-state-of-mind-publishedThu, 03 Aug 2023 13:13:55 GMTMy short story, "State of Mind", was just published in the "The Initialization of Briar Rose" anthology by CB Droege / Manawaker. You can order it at Amazon here.

]]><![CDATA[Short Story "The City of Zul" Published]]>https://www.futureshards.com/p/short-story-the-city-of-zul-publishedhttps://www.futureshards.com/p/short-story-the-city-of-zul-publishedSat, 13 Aug 2022 22:55:15 GMTMy short story, "The City of Zul", was published earlier this year (June 2022) in "From The Yonder 3" anthology by War Monkey Publications. You can order it at Amazon here.

]]><![CDATA[Short Story "A Garden in the Desert" Published]]>https://www.futureshards.com/p/short-story-a-garden-in-the-desert-publishedhttps://www.futureshards.com/p/short-story-a-garden-in-the-desert-publishedSat, 13 Aug 2022 22:53:16 GMTMy short story, "A Garden in the Desert", was published earlier this year (April 2022) in "Grandpa's Deep-Space Diner" anthology by Jayhenge Publishing. You can order it at Amazon here.

]]><![CDATA[Short Story "The Heart of a Stranger" Published]]>https://www.futureshards.com/p/short-story-the-heart-of-a-stranger-publishedhttps://www.futureshards.com/p/short-story-the-heart-of-a-stranger-publishedTue, 09 Aug 2022 10:57:49 GMTMy short story, "The Heart of a Stranger", was just published in "Twenty-two Twenty-eight" magazine. You can read it online here.

]]><![CDATA[Short Story "The Last Dance" Published]]>https://www.futureshards.com/p/short-story-the-last-dance-publishedhttps://www.futureshards.com/p/short-story-the-last-dance-publishedSun, 05 Dec 2021 19:41:12 GMTMy short story, "The Last Dance", was just published in "Quail Bell" magazine. You can read it online here.

]]><![CDATA[Short Story "To Shorten the Way" Published]]>https://www.futureshards.com/p/short-story-to-shorten-the-way-publishedhttps://www.futureshards.com/p/short-story-to-shorten-the-way-publishedSun, 14 Nov 2021 13:00:04 GMTMy short story, "To Shorten the Way", was just published in Vol 4, Issue 1 of the "Free Bundle" magazine. More details available here. You can also read it online at this site.

]]><![CDATA[Short Story "Sheinar" Receives Honorable Mention]]>https://www.futureshards.com/p/short-story-sheinar-receives-honorable-mentionhttps://www.futureshards.com/p/short-story-sheinar-receives-honorable-mentionSat, 26 Jun 2021 22:23:32 GMTMy short story ("Sheinar" / Sci-Fi) received an honorable mention in the 2021 Q2 Writers of the Future Contest! This along with other stories will continue to circulate among other magazines.

]]><![CDATA[Short Story "Walk Away" Published]]>https://www.futureshards.com/p/short-story-walk-away-publishedhttps://www.futureshards.com/p/short-story-walk-away-publishedWed, 16 Jun 2021 19:17:39 GMTMy short story titled "Walk Away" has been published at "Down in the Dirt" magazine.

UPDATE: it is also available in the print issue ("Skeletons", v188 / October 2021).

]]><![CDATA[Short Story "The Choice" Published]]>https://www.futureshards.com/p/short-story-the-choice-publishedhttps://www.futureshards.com/p/short-story-the-choice-publishedSat, 12 Jun 2021 22:51:11 GMTMy short story, "The Choice", was just published as part of the "Aesthetic: A Dark Academia Anthology" - available at Amazon:

]]><![CDATA[Short Story "Future Shards" Published]]>https://www.futureshards.com/p/short-story-future-shards-publishedhttps://www.futureshards.com/p/short-story-future-shards-publishedMon, 24 May 2021 08:59:37 GMTMy short story titled "Future Shards" has been published at Transfiguration Lit magazine.

]]><![CDATA[April Publishing Updates]]>https://www.futureshards.com/p/april-publishing-updateshttps://www.futureshards.com/p/april-publishing-updatesSun, 25 Apr 2021 22:03:59 GMTIt's has been a while but I got exciting news! Three of my stories have been accepted for publication:

Another story ("They Will Remember Your Name" / Sci-Fi) received an honorable mention in the 2021 Q1 Writers of the Future Contest! This along with 14 other stories continue to circulate among other magazines.

]]><![CDATA[Unusual Endings: Sometimes the Bad Guys Win]]>https://www.futureshards.com/p/unusual-endings-sometimes-the-bad-guys-winhttps://www.futureshards.com/p/unusual-endings-sometimes-the-bad-guys-winWed, 10 Feb 2021 08:17:00 GMTI recently listened to an audio book of a thriller from a fairly mainstream author. This was one of his earlier works from around 2003, when he wasn't as well known as he is now. What surprised in this book, is that while protagonists were very likeable and typical underdogs, in the last chapter of the book they lost. And they lose really badly. The ending of the book is basically the bad guys enjoying the spoils.

Now I do get that the author was trying to make a point about the larger society issues highlighted in this book but I still felt bad for the characters. Nevertheless, the book accomplished the goal of the author - it stuck in my mind.

Lesson: not all stories end well, just like in real life.

]]><![CDATA[First Rewrite Request!]]>https://www.futureshards.com/p/first-rewrite-requesthttps://www.futureshards.com/p/first-rewrite-requestTue, 09 Feb 2021 22:13:00 GMTI have been submitting stories to markets for a while but today was the first time I got a rewrite request. For background - most of the publications I have been targeting are genre specific, however, in the last few weeks, I also started submitting to more general ones. The rewrite request came from one of these general publication. It was clear that the editor read the story, liked it and believed in it!

This makes me very happy and apprehensive at the same time. While most of my stories are self contained, this particular one is part of a larger cycle of stories that have related characters. Now I have to figure out how to rewrite this story...

]]><![CDATA[January 2021: A Glimmer in the Dark]]>https://www.futureshards.com/p/january-2021-a-glimmer-in-the-darkhttps://www.futureshards.com/p/january-2021-a-glimmer-in-the-darkTue, 02 Feb 2021 08:32:36 GMTWhile January was a slow month, I managed to get two new stories started and advance one story to the copyediting stage. At the same time, no acceptances (yet) but I did manage to get one special rejection: being advanced to the second round in a particular contest, albeit rejected in the final round. It is but a glimmer in the dark.

New stories started this month but not finished yet:

  • Fantasy: 1

  • Sci-Fi: 1

Stories finished this month and being copyedited:

  • Sci-fi: 1

Submissions:

  • Submitted: 12

  • Acceptances: 0

  • Pending from previous months: 12

  • Rejections – form: 8

  • Rejections – personal: 1

  • Rejections - never responded: 5

]]><![CDATA[End of the Year Report: 2020]]>https://www.futureshards.com/p/end-of-the-year-report-2020https://www.futureshards.com/p/end-of-the-year-report-2020Sat, 02 Jan 2021 00:25:22 GMTIt has been a really long and difficult year not just for me, but for the world at large. Because of the pandemic things have been changing pretty quickly, even more so in the writing and publishing world. Nevertheless, I managed to write more stories this year than ever before, and actually get them to a point where they can be submitted.

Stories written, edited and are being submitted:

  • From before 2020 - fantasy: 1

  • In 2020 - fantasy: 2

  • In 2020 - sci-fi: 8

  • In 2020 - general: 2

Storied written but not quite ready - either being edited or on the backlog:

  • From before 2019 - fantasy: 1

  • In 2020 - fantasy: 1

  • In 2020 - sci-fi: 8

Submissions:

  • Submitted: 63

  • Acceptances: 0

  • Pending: 14

  • Rejections - form: 43

  • Rejections - personal: 7

Things I learned about writing in 2020:

  • I finally developed a consistent process for writing stories:

    • A document listing potential story ideas

    • When I pick a particular story idea, I ruminate over it for several days

    • First draft typed using a different device and in a different place than my normal workplace

    • Leave the second draft for a while, then come back and self-edit

    • Rinse and repeat for the third draft

    • I have been hiring freelance copyeditors to bring the story to finish. Not sure yet if it is worth it or not.

  • My submissions process has been developed as well:

    • Submit to the best paying markets with the shortest turnaround

    • Try to find markets with simultaneous submissions

    • Rinse and repeat

  • I have also been looking at writing as a way of exploring certain ideas or emotions that get stuck at my head instead of straight-forward story writing

  • Writing novels or books is something I have been put off for later. My idea is that if a short story catches on, it can always be developed into a full book

  • I have also been looking at editing for others as a way to further develop my craft

Some interesting links from 2020:

While I haven't sold any stories this year, here is to a great 2021 which hopefully will be better!

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