Got my second rejection letter, this time from The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction:

Thank you for submitting “The Perfect Toast” [the name of my story] but I’m going to pass on it.  This tale didn’t grab my interest, I’m afraid.  Good luck to you with this one, and thanks again for sending it our way.

Sincerely,

John Joseph Adams
Assistant Editor

In retrospect, I’m not sure this story’s worthy of publication – the core idea is interesting but the execution could be a bit better.  However, I’m taking it as a call to do better next time rather than a sign that I’m not cut out to write fiction.

The one good thing from all these “bounce-backs” is that I can see which fiction magazines are still in operation and which have shut down.  Unfortunately this story is 20 pages heavy and $1.35 worth of postage, so I wish I’d chosen a “lighter” story for my first submission.

Oddly, my second story (written during a long and dull all-day session on pricing) is two pages long and (in my opinion) much tighter and more interesting.  After this first round of submissions is finished, I’m looking forward to submitting the next one to a wider variety of publishers.