BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES: UPDATE

Beneath Ceaseless Skies
An Online Magazine of Literary Adventure Fantasy

Issue #37 -- Feb. 25, 2010

Table of Contents.
"A Skirt of Many Colors," by Catherine Mintz
I go further in, to the ghosts. The first ghost is the ghost of the Boots. They are two holes in the wave of stone that half-fills a room of the old house. No telling who felt inside the pair of holes and found they were the shape of the inside of a boot. If you slide your feet into them—first checking that nothing has gotten there first—you can ask the ghost for a wish.

"Pale," by Kathryn Allen
There's always a woman. And she plays her part, one way or the other. “The stranger’ll come for you,” I tell her, trying to tip-toe round the vulgarity. Whether it’s The Marshal or The Hired Gun, the innocent’s champion gets the woman. He’ll be good to her, but she’ll never forget, never be quite the same when he rides away.

Audio Fiction Podcast 032
"To Slay with a Thousand Kisses," by Rodello Santos, from BCS #36
Her age was impossible to say, for her face was crusted with muck and roots. Her teeth were like kernels of mottled corn. She was naked, her skin textured like stone, gray and gravelly. Wet, bulbous mushrooms grew in the moss around her womanly crevice. Her reek nearly brought me to my knees.

APHELION: UPDATE

February 2010

In A Time Past

By J. E. Deegan

Cleo and her beloved dog, Joe -- or at least their spirits -- visited their graves every year, remembering the lives they had led and the events that had ended their brief lives. But this year would be different...

The Homecoming

By K. A. Masters

When Larissa Macsterna found the stranded and injured merman in the tidal pool, her life would never be the same.

Dreams On The Wind

By Steele Tyler Filipek

As punishment for their crimes, working on the Atlantic Basin High-Altitude Wind Plant -- a gigantic wind turbine suspended miles above the earth -- had seemed better than the death penalty. But if Corey and Jackson couldn't fix the cables that kept the machine suspended like an enormous kite, they would ride the wreckage all the way down.

The Rebound Effect

By Roderick D. Turner

He thought he was pretty ordinary -- less than ordinary, judging by the way most people treated him. But then the girl said he had potential, and told him to meet her yesterday...

Wanderling

By Benjamin Taylor Jr.

The Captain of the Wanderling seemed to think his current assignment as skipper of a research vessel was boring after years commanding combat ships. The Chief Scientist almost agreed with him -- their mission to gather water samples from remote locales was hardly likely to produce any interesting results. The First Officer, however, found magic in the simplest things.

The Collector

By James Mascia

Jerry was a collector. He retrieved surveillance devices from their observation stations when their tasks were complete. It only looked like he was kidnapping children from their beds.

Best Short Stories of 2009 (Selected by Robert Moriyama)
The Glass Cage

By James Lecky

Ulphia's beauty was legendary. No man could resist it. To preserve it, she would pay any price... (Originally appeared in the February 2009 issue.)

The Wellness Center

By Lee Gimenez

When humans colonized Azulation, they found the natives to be very useful, as slave labor -- and more. But when some of the Blues forget their place, Detective Erik Larson must investigate. (Originally appeared in the March 2009 issue.)

Faux Pair

By Patrick Welch

Apprentice thief Brendell was elated to be given an important assignment the moment he arrived in Perlenz. There was, of course, a catch -- no one who had attempted the job in the past had returned. (Originally appeared in the April 2009 issue.)

Virtual

By T. Richard Williams

Alexis was to participate in a total-immersion telepresence mission to Sedna. Two men thought they knew why; both were wrong. (*Contains adult situations*) (Originally appeared in the May 2009 issue.)

By Invitation Only

By Noel Carroll

Cassie and her husband wanted to see something special on their vacation in the Greek islands. They got their wish at a quaint, very out of the way restaurant... (Originally appeared in the June 2009 issue.)

Wood, Mud, Blood

By Mark Ward

The wizard Edmund Farrier had been sent to investigate trouble in the North Country -- an escalating battle between the king's soldiers and an army of ludkin -- magically animated wooden men...(Originally appeared in the July 2009 issue.)

The Sword in Zoe's Hand

By Gary W. Feather

All that Zoe had left of Michael -- her lover and her sensei -- was a sword and the skill to use it. And with zombies everywhere, it was a very good thing to have. (Originally appeared in the August 2009 issue.)

Pale Nations of the Dead

By James Lecky

In Pame Glorias, the Llorona Xalbadora wept tears of ruby crystal, and waited for one who could free her from her eternal sorrow. (Originally appeared in the September 2009 issue.)

Rad Day

By Roderick D. Turner

Most people sealed themselves in their homes on Rad Days, when radiation levels rose to dangerous levels. But intrepid reporter Kayla Foster knew that the best stories happened when the weirdos figured there were no witnesses... (Originally appeared in the October 2009 issue.)

Blood, Bears, and Canvas

By P. F. White

A two-fisted -- well, two-pawed -- tale set in the dark and dirty world of underground interspecies boxing. (Originally appeared in the November 2009 issue.)

Thy Kingdom Come, My Will Be Done

By Frederick Rustam

The starship TerraNav carried scholars for every major discipline on a mission of exploration. Unfortunately, it also carried a frustrated Chaplain and an A.I. that was eager to hear The Word. (Originally appeared in the December 2009 / January 2010 issue.)

Receipt For A Dragon

By Stuart Sharp

Brian was between jobs, and about to be between girlfriends, thanks to his love of reptiles. Investigating the odd receipt he found in an old book would at least occupy his time.

http://www.aphelion-webzine.com/

ABSENT WILLOW REVIEW: UPDATE

Tales of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror: February 2010

Across the Ashes

by Robert Norton

The Dog

by J Westlake

The Interment of Fedella

by Sylvia Hiven

Devil’s Club

by S.P. Miskowski

Plus New Fiction from:

Kate Kelly

Ali Eickholt

Donald Lunsford

and others

http://absentwillowreview.com/

RESIDENTIAL ALIENS 4.2

Speculative Fiction from the Seven Stars

WAIT UNTIL LAST YEAR
by George Duncan
I suppose if you enjoy baseball – OK, if you’re a baseball fanatic – and deal in the science of time travel, you have to expect a few surprises from time to time. Errors – those unexpected bloopers that can change the outcome of a matchup – are just part of baseball. And, of course, there is always that unpredictable element in science. Some call it chaos theory. I just call it part of the game.

NEITHER FISH NOR FOUL
by Walt Staples
“The Law was made for Man, not Man for the Law.”– a Galilean carpenter.
Major Erik Mellien looked up from the papers in his hands at the knock on the door and called, “Come.”
The officer from the Judge Advocate General, Captain Meyer, opened the door and walked in. Mellien eyed the folder in the JAG’s hand with a distaste made up of a 60/40 mixture of experience and fear. Lawyers carrying papers were rarely a good thing in the Fallschirmjäger major’s life.

APOKALUPSIS
by James C. Clar
The four cavalrymen sat in the cold barracks and played cards by the feeble light of a kerosene lantern. The harsh wind outside the ramshackle structure carried the neighing, stomping, and snorting of their mounts from the nearby stable.

ARTIST INTERVIEW: JASON ZAMPOL

ARTIST INTERVIEW: SAMANTHA MOON

http://www.resaliens.com/

BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES: UPDATE

An Online Magazine of Literary Adventure Fantasy

Issue #36 -- Feb. 11, 2010

Table of Contents.

"To Slay with a Thousand Kisses," by Rodello Santos
Her age was impossible to say, for her face was crusted with muck and roots. Her teeth were like kernels of mottled corn. She was naked, her skin textured like stone, gray and gravelly. Wet, bulbous mushrooms grew in the moss around her womanly crevice. Her reek nearly brought me to my knees.

"The Motor, the Mirror, the Mind," by T.F. Davenport
"When you sat down so suddenly, the movement caused an infinitesimal trauma to the flesh in your head. In that chaos, a few of the tiny creatures that compose your brain were killed. Are you sad for them? Or do you only care about them so long as they provide you with movement, emotions, the mirrors that reflect my mind in yours?"

Audio Fiction Podcast 031
"Shatterach Gates," by Paul Daly, from BCS #35
The warmth, then swift coldness, of piss on my legs brings me back from the rolling horror oozing over the dirt-pack towards me. Still a league distant, it is monstrous. A grotesque boil on the earth; a seething mass of tree spars and rocks that scalds the ice around it into steam. The way it moves! Questing forward, then rushing into the blackened space before it. Each thrust accompanied by boulders grinding, great snappings of century-old trunks as it heaves ahead.

THE NAUTILUS ENGINE: UPDATE

February 2010

Heavenly / Robert E. Porter
Jesus, cloned from the Shroud of Turin to be their organ-grinder's monkey, tries to escape the machinations of the Church. Inspired by the Beatles, he'd find refuge -- and himself -- behind the walls of a recording studio.

My Father the Boogeyman and the Candied Ears / Kenneth M. Muise, Jr.
When your father is a monster of undefinable nature it can wear on a family's social standing and just plain ruin the holidays.

Dead Man's Hand / Hereward L.M. Proops
When a card shark begins to dominate the poker tables of Desolation Springs, the citizens are baffled by his unusual talent.

The Farm / Kevin R. Doyle
Abandoned for years, the ranch had held onto its secrets. And when a visitor finally came, he brought with him secrets of his own.

Girls of the Apocalypse / Matthew Burgess
Surrounded by the shattered remains of a world that has burnt itself to the ground, I find hope in the plight of two young girls who are left with no other choice but to turn to me for survival.


Damn Lights / Dave Kiefaber
With dirt in his sleeves and garbage cooling against his leg, Amon Smith confirmed that the lights were a bad thing.

Masquerade / Benjamin Winship
Stan has no idea what he is in for when he volunteers for a science experiment to boost his political standing. He thought it would be quick and painless until the Prime Council of Earth decides to show up.

After the End of the World / Chris Castle
A story about the end of the world and what happens afterwards.

Nor Shall My Sword / Terence Kuch
A bucolic town in Eastern Washington state: an old house is demolished, but one wall resists. The wall grows, slowly but inexorably, until it extends through the town. Citizens are disturbed, annoyed; but others see possibilities.

The Third Man / Christian Dzadek
In an alternate dimension of space and time, the dominant species on the planet has achieved symbiotic harmony with nature. When some of their kind fall prey to a strange transformation, they summon an unlikely hero to help them restore balance.

Grandfather's Room / Jeff Miller
It was all so unfair, Billy's grandfather locked in his own bedroom, unable to see anyone or be with his own grandson.

Memory Lane / Shaune Lafferty Webb
Antique-trader Reuben Tenkate has been waiting a lifetime for one very special piece to make its way back to his shop. Now it’s arrived and, for Reuben and the man who brought it, nothing will ever be the same again.

A Day at the Circus / John Paulits
Reality shows may one day save the planet. Or maybe not.

The Nighty Knight / Fred Anderson
The problem with suicide is that it leaves a mess for someone else to clean up.

http://rnwrrn.googlepages.com/home

Just Checking...

It's probably my own paranoia. But does anyone actually use this blog? Let me know that you're out there and that I'm not just shouting into the ether.

Just a quick comment, that's all I ask, to let me know that I'm not alone.

REALMS OF FANTASY: UPDATE

April 2010 issue of Realms of Fantasy

“Just Another Word” by Carrie Vaughn

“Hanuman’s Bridge” by Euan Harvey

“The Hag Queen’s Curse” by M.K. Hobson

“A Close Personal Relationship” by Thomas Marcinko

“The Fortuitous Meeting of Gerard Van Oost and Oludara”

by Christopher Kastensmid

http://www.rofmag.com/

INNSMOUTH FREE PRESS ISSUE 3

Fiction in a Lovecraftian vein.

David Conyers The Swelling
Danielle Eriksen Mary, Mary
Rebecca Nazar’s The Black Ship
Orrin Grey Nature vs Nurture
Avery Cahill One Dead Eye
G.W.Thomas If You Want to Leave a Message …

http://www.innsmouthfreepress.com/

EVERYDAY FICTION: UPDATE

Every Day Fiction is a magazine that specializes in bringing you fine fiction in bite-size doses. Every day, we publish a new short story of 1000 words or fewer that can be read during your lunch hour, on transit, or even over breakfast.

Frequently features SF/F/ Horror fiction.


http://www.everydayfiction.com/