Very nice rejection

I received a very cool rejection from Lon Prater at Neverary. I never really tried this market before because it is almost always closed. He said some nice things:

Thanks for sending me this story.  It held my attention throughout and some of the swashbuckling elements--even the humor at the end--reminded me favorably of Dumas.
 
That said, I'm sorry to inform you that I am going to pass on this one.  The story is very close, and probably spot-on perfect for a venue such as Adventure Fiction Online, SDO Fantasy, or maybe even Black Gate (if you can stomach the long wait time at BG.)  I think the thing that pushed this over the edge for me into non-buy territory was more a matter of personal taste. Specifically, a lot of the action seemed too Hollywood-predictable, and also (again a matter of personal taste) your sentences seemed too uniform in structure.  I tend to buy stories with more of a mixture of structures, for what it's worth.

All things considered, you obviously know how to pen a decent yarn.  I'd be happy to see more from you this reading period, if you have anything you think might suit Neverary.

I haven't read Dumas since I was 14. I did like The Man in the Iron Mask best, though and that's the sort of feel I was going for in this story. Unfortunately, SDO fantasy and AFO have already nixed this one. Maybe I'll send it into Black Gate for a year or two. NOT!
 
Ilenna will have to wait a while before she can see her namesake in print. I need to research who can publish this. I hate to send it out to a free site, but that way I don't have to worry about it any more.
 
I need to strike here while the fire is hot. Neverary closes soon and I don't have anything to send him. I hope A&A rejects the Speed Trap story and I can send it off to Neverary.