I was pleasantly surprised today to receive my first acceptance for a work of fiction I'd submitted to a publication.
That publication, Sci Phi Journal, received the 2022 European Science Fiction Society Hall of Fame Award for Best SF Magazine, so I'm thrilled that they liked my work.
It's a short piece, so not a lot of money, but I guess now I can claim to be an "Author" as well as an "Internationally published author"! I'm not sure when the story will actually be published, but will share that information once I receive it.
Thanks to all of the people in the SCWA Science Fiction/Fantasy Virtual Genre Group and the other SCWA critique groups I participate in for the constructive criticism I've been given since joining.