Tagline: Rosalyn was interested in getting to know Hugh better..and little did she know that he felt the same!
Woman's World Tropes: Couldn't find any.
Observations: I liked this story a lot better than last week's story by Young. I remember a story about a Halloween carnival fortune teller, but it was so many years ago, this story felt fresh.
Anyone who has ever worked or volunteered at a school knows the cafeteria lady is always referred do as the cafeteria lady, so that rang true for me and gave me a chuckle.
I liked Rosalyn's spunky attitude here:
But she was just the "cafeteria lady" with the ponytail and shapeless uniform. Hardly competition for the cute English teacher or the girls' PE coach who ran around in shorts all day.
And then later there was this little bit when she was "telling his fortune..."
"I am beginning to get a picture of someone."
"Not the English teacher who likes to correct my grammar," Hugh warned, "or the girls' PE coach with that infernal whistle around her neck."
I thought that was cute and clever how Hugh unknowingly countered her self-doubt.
Photo credit: Milestoned via Flickr Creative Commons License
11 comments:
Mary Jo has so many stories published in Woman's World, she could be their weekly feature! Cute story…as is the one in this week's issue! Way to go, Mary Jo! Wish I had your expertise!
Thanks, Bonny. I just hit a lucky streak and only hope I can make a few more sales next year. I do think Patricia is bringing more lively stories to the Romance page. Didn't you love Jody Lebel's recent story? It sounded just like her.
Another thank you to you, Kate, for being so faithful about following up on the WW romances.
I am sure all of us wish the American women's short story market offered more opportunity to writers. Only Woman's World is keeping a light in the window.
Loved this story, Mary Jo. The characters were warm and fuzzy and so true to life.
Kate, thanks for another great review.
Loved, loved, loved this one. Congratulations Mary Jo!
Mary Jo, can I ask how long it took you to hear from Woman's World? I had a story published in 2014 (and many others rejected before and after) and I remember it was quite a wait between submitting and receiving a response. My last submissions were in August but I used an email address I got by calling the phone number listed in the magazine. Now I'm wondering if I should have submitted some other way. Congrats again!
Shyra, Thank you for your kind words. I honestly don't keep a very good track of the time element. I just keep submitting stories and hope for a good outcome. However, I would say that you can expect a wait of a month or two. If you will take a look at the Woman's World guidelines that Kate offers on her blog, there is an update from Patricia that tells you how to submit your work. As it stands now, you will get an email acknowledgement of your submission, but you won't hear more unless your story is accepted for publication. After a wait of four months, you will probably assume it was a no.
Well done, Mary Jo, on a lively, fun story. Like Kate, I liked the way that Hugh addressed Rosalyn's doubts when she read his fortune. Nicely done. So good to see more of your stories in the magazine these days. And yes, Jody's romance a week or so ago was great too. Maybe Kate has yet to review that? I haven't been around for a while and have missed a lot of reviews.
Shyra, there are two email addresses for subs, one for writers lucky enough to have had work accepted with WW already, and another for those like me who haven't hit the target yet. Make sure you're submitting to the right one. Good luck. And don't forget to try any rejects with overseas mags. What doesn't make it with WW could well be successful here in the UK, or Australia or S. Africa. You may need to rework them a bit, or up the word count to fit other guidelines, but it's always worth a try.
Thank you Mary Jo and Chris. This is very helpful!
Jody's story was in the October 31st issue of WW. Really a cute, well-written romance with a ghost tucked in for good measure. Kate should be taking a look at it here soon.
Chris, has anyone made an overseas sale with something written for WW? It would be interesting to know of their experience.
yes, it has happened Mary Jo, although not as often as it might if more people tried it. I think a lot of writers are put off by the smaller pay cheques they get from other mags, including UK ones. But surely some money for a story is better than none if WW say no. I know Betsi sold a story to People's Friend here in the UK a while back and Mary Ann had one accepted by Fast Fiction in Australia. I'm not sure about other writers. Just keep trying, that's all I can say!
Great story Mary Jo. I am catching up on reading many back issues of WW stories now, so am a little behind on commenting. But I thought it was really cute and certainly different. I also loved how her comments about the two other teachers got turned around. Great writing.
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