Lee Clark Zumpe.com News

         First Quarter Report, 2004 | Overview:

     I think setting goals at the beginning of the year helped make the first three months of 2004 relatively productive, not only in terms of my writing, but in just about every aspect of my life. In January, I returned to work, taking a job that actually relates to my passion for writing. I am employed by Tampa Bay Newspapers, publisher of the weekly newspapers Seminole Beacon, Beach Bee, Belleair Bee, Largo Leader, Clearwater Citizen, and Safety Harbor Journal; as well as the monthly magazine Entertainment Extra! Brought on board as a proofreader, I try to lend a hand whenever help is needed. So far it has been a great experience, and I feel confident that in this kind of environment I will grow professionally and become a valued member of the team.

With an obvious focus on learning the ropes of the new job, I did not quite achieve all my writing goals for the first quarter; actually, I exceeded a few.

     Statistics for First Quarter, 2004

     Manuscript Subissions:

     Poetry: 395 Actual; 300 Goal
     Prose: 19 Actual; 20 Goal

     New Work Completed:

     Poems: 63 Actual; 30 Goal
     Short Stories: 4 Actual; 6 Goal

     Sales:

     Poetry: 54 Actual; 35 Goal
     Short Stories: 2 Actual; 9 Goal

     I sold work to the following publications during the first quarter:
AlienSkin, Aoife’s Kiss, Astropoetica, Between Kisses, Beyond Centauri, Black Petals, Decompositions, Eggplant Literary Productions Library, Fables, Jones Av., Jupiter, Naked Snake Online, newWitch, Night to Dawn, Rogue Worlds, Scared Naked Magazine, Shadowland, Star*Line, The Blue Mouse, The Dark Krypt, The Fifth Di…, The Horror Express, and Zillah.

     Recent releases featuring my work:
     + Erotic Fantasy: Tales of the Paranormal, edited by Justus Roux; currently available online from Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble (yes, contains adult material); very attractive anthology, containing over 350 pages of short stories and poetry by the likes of J.R. Cain, David Bain, Bruce Boston, Mark McLaughlin, and many more.
     + Lunatic Chameleon, Issue 3, edited by Nancy Purnell; available through Project Pulp; the third issue of this great magazine contains work by James Cain, Charlee Jacob, Cindy Main, Christina Sng, Scott H. Urban, and many more; also features front and back cover art by my wife, Tracey Potter Zumpe!
     + Black Petals, Issue 26, edited by Kenneth James Crist; available through Project Pulp; with a great color, wrap-around cover, this issue features four of my poems, and a short story I co-authored with Rob Carbaugh; Kendall Evans and Gary West are among other contributors.
     + Aoife's Kiss, Vol. 2, Issue 4, edited by Tyree Campbell; available through Project Pulp, once again I am fortunate enough to appear alongside names such as Nancy Bennett, Bruce Boston, Marge B. Simon, and Julie Shiel; my poem "Primitive Baptist Church, Tennessee" is complimented by the pen-and-ink "Church and Graveyard" by my wife, Tracey Potter Zumpe.
     + Beyond Centauri, Vol. I, Issue 3, edited by Tyree Campbell; available through Project Pulp; Tracey and I combined our talents to produce the recurring feature "Field Guide to Intergalactic Organisms"; this issue introduced the series with "Y'bootha"; other contributors to this issue include William Jones, Gary West, and Cathy Buburuz.

     During the first quarter, I also managed to meet some of my other goals. In late January, I purchased a new PC, a new printer, and a new scanner. More importantly, however, in March I finally completed Dark Legacy, Issue 13. Contributor copies will go out the first week of April, and the magazine will be available through Project Pulp very soon. Click on the link at the top of the page for more information about Dark Legacy.
     I'm currently reading submissions I have received for Dark Legacy 14; but I am not taking any new submissions until later this year.
     Oddly enough, now that I've managed to build an issue from the ground floor up, I have taken on a new challenge. Dawn M. Callahan, editor of the vampire-themed Night to Dawn, has decided to give up the magazine to focus on other pursuits. Two of her contributors have opted to take over editorial responsibilities. I will join forces with Barbara Custer later this year as co-editor of Night to Dawn. Expected to see more information about this in the coming months.

Since funds have been scarce, no new acquisitions to report this time.