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Thank you, Randy!  I am going to be doing reveiws for a while to build up points.  Some of which will be on your books, of course.  Hugs.

I used to be in academia.  I'll never forget the rejection letter that went, "Employment decisions are arbitrary, subjective, and just plain stupid.  We can't explain why we rejected you, but we did.  Good luck with your job hunt."  The people then gave me an interview, berated me for not applying, and then rejected me again.  Oh, well.  This is why I'm a tutor.  God bless the free market. I have just received two rejection letters, one right after the other.  The first was from Fiery Press.  I can't take it seriously.  I only sent out an application to see if I would duplicate the experience of the writer her who got rejected almost before he got acknowledged.  Well, it took a little longer in my case, but the rejection letter was so formulaic, I could not infer that they actually read my story.

Not so, the one from Winterwolf Press.  They had obviously read my story, liked it, and rejected it anyway.  I'm tempted to use a suitably edited version of it as a testimonial for my book--for the next publisher I try or for my self-publishing.  Here it is:

"(We found the piece to be an amazingly detailed fantasy story which was very open and frank about its discussion of sexuality. The Celtic mythology mixed in and the sci-fantasy spin propelled it from a normal fantasy into something more unique. Though the humorous parts are important in some aspects, one reader felt that at times the humor, though landing well, took away from the heavy impact of other parts of the story. Again, this is subjective opinion rather than a qualitative judgment. We wish you well in placing it, as we feel it's a very strong piece and it won't be hard to find a publisher.)"

Just a slight editing and there you have it.  My amazingly detailed fantasy story, open and frank discussion of sexuality, and Celtic mythology and the sci-fantasy spin, something more unique, with important humorous parts that landed well.  Cool.

I think they're wrong about it not being hard to find a publisher.  They did say it was 'something more unique.'  Who wants unique?  Formulas.  That's the way to go, man.

But again, God bless the free market.  If you need it done right, do it yourself.
lol

Thanks, j.p. for this information.

Enjoy yourself, Doug.  I've taken off from the Internet, and my dsl was down for three months.  I found that telekinetically accessing phone lines works when that happens, but it is energy draining.  Have fun disconnected.

Kdot wrote:  This is all easy to fix eg...
"a) Ensure the birds never leave the battle so that they don't appear at the perfect moments
b) Mention the Wyms & the wyrm camps and their comings and goings - again removing the nick-of-time effect
c) You don't get much bang for the buck by having the pirates show up - maybe have Rhiannon lose that city and has to go rescue it herself
d) Reduce the red kites to only the vrouaca - since they were already introduced to the story - one less divergent element
e) Basically I'd recommend the trolls be the only surprise cavalry in this secction
edit: Sorry, didn't mean to imply there was only the one fix. Another method is adjust the timing.
We learn of the attack on the Delta - then we learn of the rescue a few paragraph later. Perhaps separating these two events by a chapter or two will allow R (and the reader) to dwell on the attack longer before it's flipped over to a non-problem."

KDot:  Thanks for these suggestions.  I went over and introduced the birds right as Rhiannon and Marlais march out, making their songs part of the auditory background.  I have a mention of harpies earlier.  When Yttrbyr arrives he tells of some of the comings and goings from wyrm encampments, including wyrm surveillance by blue dragons.  I then change the dragons in New Angley to blue dragons.  Red kites are red birds of prey, (a common expression for them once upon a time); as I assume the reader won't think her bird flocks are chickadees or humming birds, I leave them in.  Although it is an interesting idea to substitute bats (vrocalacas) for them. I did have them as part of the bird flock and mention eagles and harpies, so it won't be a complete shock The only element in the attack not mentioned  earlier are the goblins, and the comic relief depends on it being a surprize.  I didn't separate the problem and the solution by the pirates by a chapter, as it is mentioned right before the big wrap up, but I did have it separated by the ultimate battle scene with the rebels so it looked like a residual problem, and one that had to be sovled when the solution arrived.  And the word count wasn't changed all that much.  (I may have to trim by 7,000 words to meet my potential publishers requirements.  One darling I'm ready to eliminate is "Trouble's Coming."), but the battle scenes, if anything, might have to be expanded.  Thanks, again.

CJ I appreciate all comments. Until I hear back from the publisher, I consider Book Ii a work in progress.  I'll probably even do if it's suggestions before I hear back. Lol

My stories are character-driven.  Most of my readers want to know what is happening with the characters--whether she will have to go to bed with the yucky prime minister to form an alliance, what will happen when she proposes to one woman, and her two ex-lovers show up the same day. They like the wit and humor and interaction of the characters, are sad when it looks like, even twenty years later, they are still stuck in a dilemma.  Some say all the plots have been written, although I suspect it's the people who say that who lack originality, not the writers. I sometimes write because I'm interested myself in some questions--what did people do before flush toilets?  Well, I asked that questions before I found out that there is a sub-specialty in archaeology now that is finally getting around to investigating it.  (You could have knocked me over with a feather when I found out the flush toilet wasn't invented by John Crapper (hence the development of a certain verb), but the ancient Romans.)  So I have a scene where the characters go to a public toilet.  What would a deep space flight be like?  Not fun is the answer.  The best advice, though, is still from Hemingway, who said the best way to write a story (and that would include moving the story on) is to begin at the beginning, go through the middle, and when you're at the end--stop.

In print, a 700-page book costs more to publish, but the same cost as a 200-page book, if an e-publication.  So it could be the same price unless you think people will value the 700-pager more.  In that case, sell it for more.  For how much?  You experiment.  If $4.99 works, sell it for that.  People will also think that a higher priced book is of more value than a lower priced book. So, if you sell it for less, you get fewer sales.  I'd suggest looking at the prices, and pricing your right below the highest price, and leave it at that.  Lower, you will get fewer sales, as people will think it's crummy; higher, and they will go, 'Are you kidding?  Not paying that for an e-book.'

After you're a newbie, become a best seller.  Then everyone will be sorry when you're on the New York Times Best Seller List, and they can only read your work for $17.95.  Make 'em pay.  lol

Serously--what Gacela said.

Thank you, CJ.  I appreciate that.  Oh, and thanks for being one of my first buyers.  To add to your consternation, I'm finishing a rough draft of yet another book--taking place about thirty years in the future from these stories.  Rhiannon's son, Pryderi, falls in love with a slave girl from New Prydain, and has a rather tempestuous honeymoon with her, as the Queen of New Prydain wants to re-enslave her, she liberates a whole colony of slaves, has to deal with a spell that makes him murderously jealous, free miners from Tommy Knockers. and rescue his sister (who was born in the short story I just posted) from the Land of the Men where men treat women as animals (based on the habit of men treating women like animals).  She has to communicate with her husband by barking in Morse Code, so brush up on that, as some of the dialogue is in dots and dashes.

Gacela. Thinking of a split infinitive!  I'm shocked.  And here I thought you were such a nice person.  In the immortal words of Winston Churchill (British Prime Minister and Savior of his country), "A split infinitive is something up with which we will not put!"