Success Began at Bewildering Stories

by Kenneth Harmon

Dear Mr. Webb,

Back in 2010, Bewildering Stories published my short story "Mr. Howard Retires." After the publication of the short story, I took the character of Mr. Howard and wrote a novel. This past week, JournalStone offered me a contract for the novel. I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for publishing my short story. Without that success, I might never have gone on to write the novel.

Best Regards,

Kenneth Harmon

Congratulations on your success, Kenneth! And thank you for the kind note. I often receive notes of appreciation from contributors, enough that I can’t publish them all. It seems fitting to end the year with a morale-booster, because you illustrate what Bewildering Stories is all about: giving new writers good company as well as a helping hand and a “leg up,” so to speak.

It’s a truism that teachers seldom see the results of their work. And it is only a stage in the pupils’ or students’ process, anyway. Bewildering Stories fancies itself as having an educational mission in the sense that our feedback to contributors, the Challenges, Critics’ Corner, and Review Editors’ discussions — among other things — make us an on-line seminar in many different modes.

In that light we like to say, “Never let an opportunity go unfulfilled” and “You never know where things may lead.” When an opportunity pays off, we editors — and, I’m sure, all our other contributors as well — are thrilled to hear of it!

When your novel officially appears, please remember to send us an excerpt. It’s free advertising we offer to our veteran contributors for works that are in print or are otherwise available on line.

Congratulations again, Kenneth, and keep up the good work!

Don Webb
Managing Editor