Titanium Solstice: 28,613 Words

I think submitting a manuscript and synopsis to a publisher is quite possibly the scariest thing I've done in my life.  Given that I'm terrified of, well, everything, that's saying something.  I've packed up and moved halfway around the world--twice--applied to and attended various university programs, and faced down scorpions, black widows, and spiders so huge that I'd rather face the scorpions and black widows.

But I've never before submitted something I've written to a publisher.  I am actually published, but it's by a peer-reviewed journal.  That's not to say that the bar is lower, but it is different, and usually less competitive.  Everyone wants to write fiction, not so many people want to write about Deluzian philosophy (including me).

As for the title, I'm certainly amenable to changing it should the publisher select my story but have reservations about the title.  It's gone through many incarnations, the most recent being Draft 4 (it was easier to keep track of the versions that way, since the title was changing between drafts).  Suggestions from the peanut gallery had included Solstice Under Steel (which went away when the material of the dome changed from steel to titanium), When Harry Met Solstice, Gone with the Solstice (which became a working title),  A Solstice and a Gentlemen, Whitsuntide Wankers (that would be Dad's favorite, and it has no bearing on the story itself), Solstice Surprise, Winter Wonderland?, Domed Solstice, and probably a variety of other suggestions.  Needless to say, titles are not my strong point, and I'm always open to suggestions.  It is, however, a bit late for this submission.

My fingers are crossed.  While I really don't expect to be selected, I can't deny that I'm hoping to be surprised.  At the very least, I'm hoping for some feedback.  I'm also hoping that I didn't screw up any part of the submission process.  I had the bright idea--yesterday--to read the details of the submission process, which meant yesterday and today consisted of throwing together a query letter and a synopsis.  Then formatting had to be done, and it's really hard to format RTF, perhaps because the point of RTF is that there is minimal formatting so it can cross-platform.

Still, I have accomplished one of my goals with my writing.  I have submitted my work to a publisher for consideration.  The next goal?  Finish my damn novel, which got sidetracked by this process.