Enter Through the Book Shop

I’d been published, or had upcoming stories to be published, 11 different times. I was already so happy about this. Add on to that, my two most recent accomplishments, getting published in Cosmic Crime Stories and Adelaide Literary Magazine, were the biggest publications that I’d gotten published in thus far.

And then I saw something on one of their sites to the effect of, “You can purchase this publication on Amazon.”

I thought, “Hold on. If this is sold on Amazon, where else is it sold?”

It turns out many different bookstores, local ones by me, Barnes and Noble, etc. they have past issues of these publications on their sites. So… would they have the upcoming issues too?

The short answer, yes. I found many bookstores that carried Cosmic Crime Stories and Adelaide Literary Magazine. I already had some physical copies on their way, but hold on, what if I could see the publication in a physical bookstore? What if I could see my work at a bookstore?

Turns out that, yes, that was a possibility.

Walking up to the bookstore, knowing that my work was inside.

Going into the bookstore, seeing my work being sold.

You know, not solely my work. But my work was a part of it. But yeah, wow.

I did my best to be present during that moment. And I was. But I was also in another place simultaneously. It was so amazing, I was so happy, but it was so surreal. It didn’t fully feel real until afterwards. But I still remember seeing the publication that my story “Unkilling” was in inside the establishment and just thinking that that was one of the coolest moments of my writing career so far.

I’ll remember that one for… well… ever.

If anyone is interested in reading my story “Unkilling” you can find it in the September 2025 issue of Cosmic Crime Stories. And you can find that publication online and at many bookstores, which just sounds so crazy to say. If you’re interested, and if you can support a local bookstore, please do!

This wound up being a full day of being out and about, heading to the bookstore, celebrating with food and drinks and dessert. It was a whole day in which I would normally spend a lot of time working on my projects. I didn’t spend much time, if at all, on my projects that day.

Sometimes this happens and I have the immediate thought of, “Well, I didn’t get much work done today.” And then I think of myself as lazy and unproductive. But only because I’ve trained myself to work hard for what I want all the time. I realize it deep down inside, after. I don’t always realize it in the moment because it’s a habit for me to work hard.

I did make sure to stay in the moment of the whole day, though. Of celebrating. Of savoring the moment. It’s important to work hard for the things I want. I know that. But I’m realizing more and more, when these little things come up, these little days for celebration, they are so important to cherish and to savor. It’s a huge part of this whole writing thing. Getting to experience the success. Feeling the accomplishment. I’m glad I get occasional days like this, even if they feel foreign and my first thought is that I am being lazy by partaking in this and not in actual work.

Foreign is good. Foreign is variety. Variety is the spice of life. I don’t eat food with no seasoning.

And my first thought may be that I am being lazy… but I am getting better at jumping to my second thought more quickly. “Enjoy it!”