Editor Interview: Bottle Rocket Literary Magazine

Narrative realism.

New World Writing. Citywide Lunch. Pembroke Magazine. Reckon Review. Gargoyle.

Peter Orner, Emily St. John Mandel, John Williams, Ernest Hemingway.

I offer editorial suggestions and feedback on all accepted pieces and try to offer something of value in response to most rejections.

We tend to shy away from many of the gimmicks and tropes generally associated with flash fiction publications (hermit crab pieces, list pieces, stories that rely on twist endings, 2nd person stories, prose poetry, etc.) in favor of traditional narratives able to tell a complete story in under 700 words.

As close as you can get to your version of Hemingway’s “Indian Camp.”

Submitting work that clearly is not aligned with other work we’ve published.

Only the story matters.

I read every piece submitted from beginning to end. Often numerous times.

Occasionally a piece is accepted pending that certain agreed upon changes or suggestions will need to be made/considered.

I generally read submissions within a day or two of their arrival in the inbox.

The level of editing a piece receives varies wildly, but almost every accepted piece is edited to some extent, and I often offer suggestions that I hope have the potential to strengthen the piece.

I plan to nominate for all awards the pieces we publish are eligible for.

I personally fund the project.

We promote all of our published pieces on X.