I’m Going to be Published!!

So, this just happened:

“Hi Angelika,

This is Amanda Bergloff, editor at Enchanted Conversation Magazine, and your story, “Magic in the Night” was selected for The Elves and the Shoemaker December Issue.”

Eeeeep!! I’m going to be published! With a fiction story! In a real online magazine!

Here’s the awesome piece of artwork Amanda Bergloff did as the cover image for my story:

MagicInTheNight-OFFENWANGER-ArtAmandaBergloff

“The Elves and the Shoemaker” has always been one of my favourite fairy tales, so when Enchanted Conversation announced that that was the theme for the December issue, I had to give it a try. As a matter of fact, it was my first few thousand words for this year’s NaNoWriMo – and the last few thousand, as well, as I was editing it at the very end.

Incidentally, “The Elves and the Shoemaker” counts as a Christmas story, as the climax of the tale, when the shoemaker and his wife spy on the elves, happens “just a few weeks before Christmas”.

One of the reasons I love this story so much is that it has a thoroughly happy ending for everyone involved, and the reason for that happiness is goodness and kindness. Unlike the parallel story of “Die Heinzelmännchen zu Köln” (“The Little Gnomes of Cologne”), where the elves disappear after being offended by a mean trick – the housewife scatters peas on the stairs to make them slide and fall so that she can catch them – in this story they leave after the grateful shoemaker’s family gives them gifts. The shoemaker no longer needs the elves’ help, and the elves get rewarded for their good work – goodness is rewarded all around, and they all live etc etc (you know the drill).

In my version, there’s a bit of a twist to that… But you’ll have to wait to find out what it is until the magazine comes out, which will be very soon! I’ll be sure to let you know when it’s up.

Meanwhile, pop on over to Enchanted Conversations and check out their fantastic back issues, for example the “Diamonds and Toads” one from last April.

Life, the Universe, Elves and Shoemakers – and my very first published story!