The home of fiction writer, Val Gryphin..... » Publication

Another story published

Val — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 20:38:59 +0000

“Elephants Dance” has been published at Velvet Mafia. Adult content, but it turned out really well.

An yes, I know I need to get back to updating this!

Another story up!

Val — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:27:51 +0000

It’s called “Winter Showers,” and it’s up on Ruthie’s Club, which is a pay site, but it is a gorgeous one. The artist who did the illustration to my story hit it spot on – the whole presentation is amazing. You can check out my Ruthie’s Club author page here, but the story is by subscription only.

Another acceptance

Val — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 03:55:25 +0000

The Houston Literary Review has accepted my long poem, Eulogy for Life.

And in that time period between this and my last acceptance I have also received 1o rejections.

And I have 8 stories out to 15 markets.

AND! NaNoWriMo starts in about 48 hours! I’ll be blogging my progress heh heh heh. I am invoking the Zokutou Clause as I have won NaNo before, and will be rewriting and continuing the one I started in 2003 – it is at 33k, but my writing has improved and there are some changes I want to make. I’m also shooting for 70k words rather than 50k – which means I am shooting for writing 2334 words a day. Yikes. I’ve been busting ass for a while writing though, so I’m going to try like hell to pull it off.

*starts sweating already*

'Liturgy of the Abandoned' has been published,

Val — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 16:49:07 +0000

by Tattoo Highway. It tied for second place in their “Picture Worth 500 Words” contest. Check out the story here, then come back and read my comments, and then pass on any feedback or comments you might have for me!

When I was writing this story I was responding to the feeling that the picture inspired in me, of a woman grasping at insubstantial children, heavy with sorrow? Fear? Shame? And I thought of a woman, reciting the names of children, shame, guilt, sorrow, something weighing her down, and I was drawn into the trip she took recently, to an abortion clinic two hours away. No one knew she was pregnant, and she had reserved a room for afterwards as they told her she couldn’t drive.

But did she go through with it? I honestly don’t know. She was questioning, but in the church she was weighed down by something. I don’t know if it was regret or shame, fear because she had, or fear because she hadn’t. I think people will interpret it differently, but this is her story, all of it. All I have is a snapshot of her, and that is ok.