Hello! I hope you’re having a wonderful day when you read this and that the sun is shining. I don’t want to jinx it, but it feels like Spring has finally sprung.

This newsletter finds me counting down the days to my once in a lifetime trip to Hollywood in April, where I’ll be attending the Writers of the Future workshop and awards gala. While I am very excited, the nerves are setting in too. I have a longer than I’d like to do-list and time seems to be slipping away, so I am trying to keep calm and not let the whole thing overwhelm me. I need to make sure I am ready to accept all the new challenges and opportunities that await and keep reminding myself that all I can do is give it my best shot. To say I am outside my comfort zone is an understatement. But sometimes that’s the only way to grow as a person.

What's in this issue?

• My writer’s journey

  • I sold a story!

  • From Swansea to Hollywood: persistence pays off

  • My first podcast appearance

  • Extra! Extra! Read all about it

  • Meet the Illustrators of the Future winners

• Rejectomancy

• My book club recommendation

• What’s got me hooked this month?

• Meme of the month

My writer’s journey

My dream is to become a full time writer. How’s that going, you ask? Well, why don’t you check out these blog posts and find out. It turned out to be quite an eventful month.

I sold a story!

I have some exciting news. My short story, “The Swampton Shuffle”, will be published in Gwyllion Magazine in May 2025. It is an urban fantasy story with a touch of humour and it is set near Swansea, where I live, though the eponymous town is very much fictional. I am very excited to see another of my stories in a physical magazine, and I think I have found the perfect home for it. I’ll update you when it is available to buy.

From Swansea to Hollywood: persistence pays off

There are some writers who get published right off the bat, or win the Writers of the Future contest with their first submission. I am not one of them. And that’s fine by me. The rejections and feedback helped me learn to persevere and put the work in, to focus on improving my craft, and the unwavering belief from my wife helped push me through periods of self-doubt. It all helped me grow and I’m a better writer for it.

My first podcast appearance

I was invited onto “The Author’s Quill” podcast, hosted by Joe Montaldo, for an episode dedicated to meeting some of the winners of Writers and Illustrators of the Future Volume 41. I was joined by John Goodwin (President of the publisher of Writers of the Future), Patrick MacPhee and Seth Atwater Jr. (writers), and Breanda Petsch (illustrator). I was kind of nervous but Joe and John were really nice and chatty and made me feel relaxed. It was good fun and great to meet other winners ahead of my trip to Hollywood next month.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it

As well as appearing on my first podcast, I also appeared in several local news articles for the first time (that I’m aware of!!). The story is part of the promotional / marketing of ahead of the publication of Volume 41 of Writers of the Future in April 2025 (USA) and June 2025 (UK), and sets out a bit about me as well as the contest. The text is the same in each article, which appeared in the Swansea Standard, In Your Area, and the South Wales Chronicle.

Meet the Illustrators of the Future winners

You can now see the three illustrations submitted by this year’s Illustrators of the Future winners, which is the sister contest to Writers of the Future. And you should check them out, they’re awesome. I am super excited to see the illustration for my story by John Barlow, though I have to wait until the reveal event during the workshops next month.

Rejectomancy

To give you an insight into the life of an unknown writer, I’ve set out my submission record so you can see the level of success I have and what efforts go on behind the scenes in getting a story published.

I submitted two stories this month and received one acceptance (woop! woop!) and one rejection (boo!), and I am waiting to hear back on three other stories submitted in January and February (fingers crossed!).

My book club recommendation

This month, I’m recommending A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.

Disclosure: To cover some of my running costs, I have incorporated affiliate links from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops, and, if you prefer ebooks, Amazon Kindle. If you buy books linked to my site or newsletter, I may earn a commission.

What’s got me hooked this month?

This month I have been rewatching The Office (US version) on Netflix, for probably the third or fourth time. I just love it. Steve Carell is brilliant as the hilariously inappropriate but (mostly) well-intentioned regional manager of a paper company. The love story between salesman Jim and Pam, the secretary, is sweet and heart-warming, and there are so many funny and eccentric supporting characters. Like Dwight, the beet-farming, bear-fact-knowing, survivalist and victim of Jim’s pranks, or Angela, the cat-loving Christian conservative, and Kevin, the simple, snack loving accountant who is terrible at maths. Every character is different and adds something to the dynamic, which I think is rare in a programme.

It’s hard to believe it’s around 20 years old (and that makes me feel old). If you haven’t watched it by now, I implore you to go and rectify your egregious mistake immediately.

Meme of the month

I’m not going to lie, I love a good meme and this is the one that has tickled me most this month.

Can you relate?

Until next time, keep dreaming.

Joel