Well, I don’t know if it’s actually progress.  It is, to be exact, a blank self-addressed postcard with a photo of rue anemone on the front.  I chose the rue from a collection of Appalachian wildflower postcards in a wry moment during the submission process.  My novel submission process is full of wry moments.

Anyway, I got my postcard back in the mail today–still a blank self-addressed postcard, with the small difference of a very blurry cancellation that reads “San Francisco 26 June 2013.”

What this means is that my submission to Chronicle Books, mailed in early February, has now been opened.  Chronicle’s website indicates a 6-month turnaround time for submissions, so it looks like they weren’t kidding.

And that’s it–my current answer from the great beyond that is publishing.  A tiny blip on the frequency of radio nowhere.  And what it really means is what it always means:

Keep writing.