"An Unsuitable Job for a Human" is Live at Nature.com

One of the things that I've aspired to in writing is to have something that will last on beyond my lifetime. I own a large collection of science fiction and mystery digest magazines and sometimes when perusing through those I'll come across a story by an author I've never heard of before and it's always interesting to have that experience and realize that this publication may well have represented a major dream and accomplishment for that person.

In a way I've accomplished that with publication in Nature. "An Unsuitable Job for a Human" is live on their website today and will be in their print edition dated July 12, 2012. With this journal's prominence, that means that my story will end up in hundreds of libraries and likely stay in their permanent collections. (Well, as permanent as any print journal collection can be considered to be, I suppose.) Though this isn't the first publication you think of when you think of Science Fiction, I'm still very pleased at this milestone in my writing and publishing career. I do hope I can make it into one or more of the remaining digest magazines' print editions before those, as all things must, come to an end.

This sale is special to me for a number of reasons beyond that. It was my first pro-market sale, which opened up some additional opportunities for me. It was also the first story I had written (other than those for themed calls) which sold at the first market to which I submitted it.

Unlike many of my stories, this is one where I thought of the title first and then wanted to come up with a story to fit that title. I had to roll it around in my head for a little while, but I'm quite happy with the results.

I hope that you take a few minutes to read it -- it's short -- and that if you do so, you enjoy it.