As much I'm worried about next steps, I'm also relieved in two ways:
1) Fuller control over what I write. That's always nice.
And
2) Less need to worry about people only trying to get to know me because they see me as "connected". After I was first published in Analog, & Clarksworld, there were waves of people interested not in my work but my perceived access - and the same was true at OnlySky.
Now, when I have zero perceived access, is when the circle of superficials will thin out nicely. 👌🏻
Five times in Analog, going back years so I'd have to check the editions, especially since I think the first three were under "Maggie" instead of "ML". (My first SF sale was to Lightspeed, where I was discouraged from using the name I wanted to, and being a newbie then, it took a bit of time to muster the courage to change back.) Ten times for fiction at Clarkesworld.
@MLClark
What editions of Analog & Clarksworld were you published in?