With Many Shades

DARK FIRE: UPDATE

2011-07-02T17:39:00.002+01:00

Issue 52

Fiction

Feature Story: The Boatman - Nick Burrill
Vigil - Lawrence Buentello
Echoes - Thomas Dipple
Poker Face - Wesley Dylan Gray
Deadly Reflections - C.L. Raven

http://usersites.horrorfind.com/home/horror/darkfire/home.html

HUB: UPDATE

2011-07-02T17:29:00.002+01:00

Issue 141

Fiction

The Train by Keith Harvey

Reviews

The Thing on the Shore
Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale
Doctor Who: The Rebel Flesh / The Almost People
Doctor Who: A Good Man Goes To War

Feature
Coming to Terms with the End of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower Part II by Ro Smith

http://www.hubfiction.com/

BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES: UPDATE

2011-07-02T17:26:00.003+01:00

Beneath Ceaseless Skies

An Online Magazine ofLiterary Adventure Fantasy

Enter to win a signed copy of Erin Hoffman's new novel Sword of Fire and Sea, set in the same world as "Sightwolf"
Issue #72 -- June 30, 2011

Also available on Kindle and as Epub, Mobi, or PDF

"Sightwolf," by Erin Hoffman
The silver pool I had found, as things often were in the Other Forest, was still as glass, and impossibly clear. I saw his reflection first. Unlike the mother wolf, and the puppies, he was a wolf here as well as in the waking world. His coat was coal-black and silver-tipped, as the dark fourth pup would surely be when he was grown. You are not supposed to be here, he said. You are not.

"The Moral Education of a Mad Bastard," by Joe L. Murr
I charged off, blind as the proverbial. With the burlap around my head, at any moment I could've tripped on a root or run straight into a tree. I let my instincts take over. The space around me revealed itself to me. I could visualize the forest, each root and fallen tree, all the colors strange and smeared. Weaving through the trunks at full tilt, I believed that I might escape after all.

BCS Audio Fiction Podcasts
The BCS Audio Fiction Podcasts are on a short hiatus. Peruse our past episodes for audio stories by authors such as Rachel Swirsky, Erin Cashier, and Aliette de Bodard until new episodes resume in a month with stories by Marissa Lingen, Kat Howard, and more.

From the Archives:
"Stormchaser, Stormshaper," by Erin Hoffman, from BCS #14
His tone filled her with a strangeness. Some of it was pleasure at his diffident compliment, some of it was fear, and some more elusive tendril buried in the emotion was something unsettling, like watching a shark drift up out of the depths and vanish again. Sternly she told herself that all of this was normal, and Mother wished her to learn from this creature, who certainly would be strange! She would not let fear master her.

http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/

Dark Tales of Lost Civilizations

2011-06-26T12:31:00.007+01:00

Anthology:

"DARK TALES OF LOST CIVILIZATIONS"
Edited by: Eric J. Guignard

Publisher: To Be Announced
Release Date: Spring, 2012

Send submissions and questions to: eric.guignard@gmail.com

I am looking for dark tales of Horror, Speculative Fiction, and to a lesser degree Science Fiction, relating to civilizations that are lost, or have been forgotten, or have been rediscovered, or perhaps merely spoken about in great and fearful whispers.

Full Guidelines:

http://ericjguignard.blogspot.com/2011/06/now-accepting-submissions-new-anthology.html

(Many thanks to David J. West for this listing)

COMETS AND CRIMINALS

2011-06-22T21:19:00.004+01:00

Due to launch in Jaunary 2012

FICTION GUIDELINES

Comets and Criminals is looking for flash and short fiction up to 5,000 words within the Science Fiction, Adventure, Historical, and Western genres. We’re also looking for Crime and Mystery fiction up to 10,000 words.

Full guidelines: http://www.cometsandcriminals.com/?page_id=36

LOVECRAFT EZINE: UPDATE

2011-06-11T12:02:00.001+01:00

Issue 5

The Case of the Galloway Eidolona Lovecraftian Sherlock Holmes story by Bruce Durham

The Call of the Dancea Lovecraftian Sherlock Holmes story by William Meikle

Unearthly Awakeningby W.H. Pugmire

Dreams of Fire and Glass – part 2by Neal Jansons

Darius Roy’s Manic Grinby Brian Barnett

http://lovecraftzine.com/

INNSMOUTH FREE PRESS: UPDATE

2011-06-10T00:45:00.002+01:00

Innsmouth Free Press Issue 7

Cool Mist W.H. Pugmire
A Tour of the Catacombs Stephen Woodworth
On The Generation of Insects Byron Alexander Campbell
Nyarlathotep Don Webb
Black Sand Regina Glei
Every Little Sparrow Melissa Sorensten

http://www.innsmouthfreepress.com/

GENESIS ISSUE 1

2011-06-03T16:29:00.003+01:00

Genesis Science Fiction Magazine has long been a project that needed to be undertaken. Black people should have avenues to unapologetically share and showcase their thoughts, dreams, and aspirations. Black Science Fiction Society’s flagship publication will stay true to our goal to create, highlight, celebrate and develop black science fiction, speculative fiction, fantasy & horror. By working together we can accomplish great things.

This inaugural premiere issue of Genesis Science Fiction Magazine has interviews from the likes of Brian Williams, Dawud Osaze Kamau Anyabwile, Tony Cade, Vince White, and Turtel Onli. Also, there are featured stories by Carole McDonnell, Howard Night, Valjeanne Jeffers a discussion by S. Torriano Berry and comic art by Garvoe.

IT’S FINALLY HERE! GENESIS SCIENCE FICTION MAGAZINE (DIGITAL EDITION) ON SALE AVAILABLE NOW $4.99 PLEASE SHARE THIS IF YOU LIKE SCIFI

http://www.blacksciencefictionsociety.com/
http://www.myebook.com/GenesisScienceFictionMagazine

MIRROR DANCE: UPDATE

2011-06-03T13:52:00.002+01:00

Welcome to “Kunstkammern: Stories of Secrets and Curiosities,” the Summer 2011 Issue of Mirror Dance! In this issue…• Fiction by Sara Cleto, Nicole Votta, David Brookes, Melinda Giordano, and Dora Badger• Poetry by Sylvia Adams, A. J. Huffman, Aubrey Nesbitt, and Robert Shmigelsky

http://mirrordancefantasy.blogspot.com/

BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES: UPDATE

2011-06-03T13:45:00.001+01:00

Beneath Ceaseless Skies
An Online Magazine ofLiterary Adventure Fantasy

Enter to win a signed copy of Bradley P. Beaulieu's new novel The Winds of Khalakovo
Issue #70 -- June 2, 2011
Also available on Kindle and as Epub, Mobi, or PDF

"From the Spices of Sanandira, Pt. I," by Bradley P. Beaulieu
All was silence, and Uhammad was alone with the desert and his phial of spice. He held it above his left eye and focused on his strongest memory from their journey. After pulling back his lower eyelid, he tapped some of the powder into it. It burned worse than the bright red peppers he used to flavor his dishes. He felt weightless. Despite his sudden wish to fight its call, it had all too soon taken hold of his entire being.

"The Nine-Tailed Cat," by Michael J. DeLuca
I heft the shovel in my hand. The glint of it doesn't compare. If I sharpened it, maybe. If I flattened it out with a mallet and ran the edge against a stone until it sparked like death-day firecrackers, then it just might outgleam the cat's ruby torque.

Audio Fiction Podcast 061
"Cold Iron and Green Vines," by Wendy N. Wagner, from BCS #69
I crumbled to my knees on the front steps of the church as the hinkypunks closed in on Danny O'Neil. In the twilight of the village square, their bodies were like whirling balls of smoke and light, each one's single foot hopping almost too quickly for me to see. They had brought the smell of the bog with them, thick as sludge and duckweed.

From the Archives:
"And Other Such Delights," by James Lecky, from BCS #42
And what music he created. His sculpted notes and cascading chords--ripped from the heart of ruined, grieving PameMorturas--were sweet and somber, furious and mournful, filled with the longing of unfulfilled lives and stolen years. They spoke of things that once were and now could never be again, of the selfishness and jealousy of those who had wreaked destruction not only upon that poor city but on the future of mankind itself.

http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/

EVERYDAY FICTION: UPDATE

2011-06-03T13:42:00.002+01:00

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.

Feel free to browse around the site, check out our archives, or even sign up to receive a short story in your inbox... every day!

http://www.everydayfiction.com/

RAY GUN REVIVAL: UPDATE

2011-06-03T13:35:00.002+01:00

Ray Gun Revival (RGR) publishes four original short stories each month of up to 4,000 words each. RGR also features compelling book reviews, occasional movie reviews, our own columns related to the genre, and, as always, some of the best cover art in the business by artists from all over the world.

http://www.raygunrevival.com/

BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES: UPDATE

2011-05-23T00:48:00.002+01:00

Beneath Ceaseless Skies
An Online Magazine of Literary Adventure Fantasy

Issue #69 -- May 19, 2011
"Letters of Fire," by Margaret Ronald
Marten hesitated. This life in the Wrights' Division, ground under the heel of the Bull's soldiery, or the pyre... but he was a coward, and the books, the books.... He sagged and took Gerda's hand, nodding. Just till I can escape.

"Cold Iron and Green Vines," by Wendy N. Wagner
I crumbled to my knees on the front steps of the church as the hinkypunks closed in on Danny O'Neil. In the twilight of the village square, their bodies were like whirling balls of smoke and light, each one's single foot hopping almost too quickly for me to see. They had brought the smell of the bog with them, thick as sludge and duckweed.

Audio Fiction Podcast 060
"The Finest Spectacle Anywhere," by Genevieve Valentine, from BCS #68
I was a plant in the crowd to drum up excitement. Boss stayed in the tent all show and gasped during the finale when Elena "fell" and only caught herself by one foot in the very last second. I could hardly keep from laughing at the rubes that panicked and then applauded three times as loud as they would have if it had all been perfect. Elena and the others had Boss's copper bones--what could happen to them that couldn't be mended?

World Fantasy Award nominations end May 31. Here's how to nominate, and some of our best-reviewed stories of 2010. Thank you for your consideration.

From the Archives:
"More Full of Weeping Than You Can Understand," by Rosamund Hodge, from BCS #53 and Audio Fiction Podcast 047
For the first few years, she only passed information, while the reports of faery incursions began to grow. Then--when they went to London for Violet’s introduction into society--three things happened. The faeries turned the Prime Minister’s fingers into twigs and his eyes into acorns. Papa died. And Thomas discovered what she was.

http://beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/

HUB: UPDATE

2011-05-23T00:44:00.003+01:00

Issue 140

Fiction

Warts and All by Mark Morris

Reviews and Features
Feature
Interview: Steve Niles with Richard Whittaker

Reviews
The Cypress House
The Good Fairies of New York
Doctor Who: The Curse of the Black Spot
Doctor Who: The Doctor's Wife

http://www.hubfiction.com/

LOVECRAFT EZINE: UPDATE

2011-05-16T16:30:00.001+01:00

Issue 4

All the Gold by Joseph S. Pulver
Dreams of Fire and Glass by Neal Jansons
O, Lad of Memory and Shadow by W.H. Pugmire
Dragon Star Lucky Food by John Medaille
Curse the Child by David J. West

http://lovecraftzine.wordpress.com/

Absent Willow Review: Update

2011-05-16T12:56:00.002+01:00

Glass Walls by Brad N. Phelps
Bentley-22 by Paul Anderson
Photograph by Jason Dextradeur
A Pearl from the Sea by Teresa Spano Bradley
The Salesman by Michael Freeman
Rhonda’s Choice by Fox Mc Geever
At the End of the Corridor by J.S. Watts
The Shell of Knowing by Douglas Wynne
Blinded by Cynthia D. Witherspoon
Schrodinger’s Cat by David M. Smith
The Wolf and Red by Pam Jessen

http://absentwillowreview.com/

BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES: UPDATE

2011-05-05T12:30:00.002+01:00

Beneath Ceaseless Skies
An Online Magazine ofLiterary Adventure Fantasy

Enter to win a signed copy of Genevieve Valentine's new novel Mechanique

Issue #68 -- May 5, 2011
"The Finest Spectacle Anywhere," by Genevieve Valentine
I was a plant in the crowd to drum up excitement. Boss stayed in the tent all show and gasped during the finale when Elena "fell" and only caught herself by one foot in the very last second. I could hardly keep from laughing at the rubes that panicked and then applauded three times as loud as they would have if it had all been perfect. Elena and the others had Boss's copper bones--what could happen to them that couldn't be mended?

"Buzzard's Final Bow," by Jason S. Ridler
They ran through the tumbles and bumps, grips and leaps, Buzzard tossing and turning with Razor as she barely noticed, thrashing about to make it look real. And as they tussled on the ground, Buzzard snaking his python choke around Razor’s mighty furred neck, he spied the balcony. All the children were leaning over, pointing and laughing, ignoring Lady Astra, who smiled and nodded, then shoved Konrad hard through the stone rail--

Audio Fiction Podcast 059
"The Fairy Gaol," by Heather Fawcett, from BCS #66
I do not want his scrutiny now, with the cool blade of the dagger pressing against my thigh. On the nearest dance path, a woman laughs as a fat prince covers her ears and throat with wet kisses. I feign interest as he spins her across the path, through the starlight that pours into the atrium. Unbidden, I picture our last dance together, on a night so similar and so different.

From the Archives:
"Waiting for Number Five," by Tom Crosshill, from BCS #40 and Audio Fiction Podcast 036
He'd called her excellent! Four's heart soared, and she sped up to keep pace with the music's racing beat. Oh, let them watch. Let them ooh and aah, them with their foul stinking breath. Even when sweat rolled down their noses and fell to her platform in large blobs, splashing so she had to jump out of the way, she never flinched. Let Master see how strong she was.

http://beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/

AN ELECTRIC TRAGEDY: UPDATE

2011-05-04T13:47:00.001+01:00

Issue 1 May 2011

Mr. Universe - John Paolicelli
The Destruction of Paradise - Joseph Farley
The Farm - Melissa Colbeth
The Devil’s In The Details - Christian A. Larsen
Home - Marc Shapiro
A Matter of Time - Lawrence Buentello
Flawed - Stefan Milicevic
On The Other Side of the Mirror - James Lecky
The Human Beings - Keith G. Laufenberg

http://www.anelectrictragedy.com/

DARK FIRE: UPDATE

2011-05-03T22:45:00.002+01:00

Issue 51

Fiction
Feature Story: Today is a Bad Day - Luke Walker
Butcher Bob - Chris Castle
A Nun's Tale - Pete McArdle
The Shackled Tome - K.A. Opperman
Garden of Shrunken Heads - Crowerd Robinson

http://usersites.horrorfind.com/home/horror/darkfire/

HUB: UPDATE

2011-05-03T22:42:00.002+01:00

Issue 139

Fiction
All your needs and wishes by Steven Ellis

Reviews
Rivers of London
Sucker Punch
Doctor Who: The Day of the Moon
Feature
Interview: Matt Frank with Richard Whittaker

http://www.hubfiction.com/

Onirismes‏

2011-05-03T22:32:00.003+01:00

Onirismes is a bilingual webzine (English - French), dedicated to publishing short fiction and poetry that belong in the fields of speculative and fantastic literature (Fantasy, Science fiction, and all kinds of interstitial experiments).

Fiction

The Prophet's Daughters by Michael J. DeLuca

A Map of the World on the Shell of a Snail, by Lavie Tidhar

She in Ashes, by Claude Mamier

http://onirismes.com/

AN ELECTRIC TRAGEDY

2011-04-22T13:39:00.003+01:00

Issue 1 due 1st May 2011

General
This is a Speculative Fiction webzine, hence all work must contain some element of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, etc

We are looking to purchase First Rights only

Reprints not accepted

No simultaneous submissions

So much has been done in the genre, try and push the limits as far as you can. In fact, erase the limits.
Cliches are fine if you can do something to keep them interesting
Violence, sex and language are ok if they add to the plot, but we don't want anything for shock value only
When submitting work, please state if we may archive it in The Vault

As we are designed for emerging writers, we feel it acceptable to offer comments on work we accept or deny. If you would like your work considered exactly as sent and do not wish for suggestions to change it in any manner, please let us know when submitting. Furthermore, if you would like to respond to any of our comments please do so. We want to work with you to improve both your work and ours.

Stories
1,000 - 10,000 words
Longer works will be considered for serialization. Please inquire before sending anything over 10,000 words.

Flash Fiction and Prose Poems
Up to 1,000 words
Please specify if you would like the work considered Flash or Prose

Flash Fiction will be published under stories in the May issue, we will have a seperate Flash page online for June
Prose Poems will be published under poetryLine Poetry

No hard limit on length

All formats and styles accepted

Payment At the time we are only able to offer token payment, $3 per story and $1 for flash fiction and poerty. All payments are made through PayPal. We hope to increase pay rates as the site develops a reading base.Submit up to five stories/poems at a time. Response time will always be within a week. All submissions should be sent via email, attached in doc. pages. or rtf. format to...nathan(AT)anelectrictragedy.com

http://www.anelectrictragedy.com/index.html

BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES: UPDATE

2011-04-21T15:57:00.002+01:00

Beneath Ceaseless Skies
An Online Magazine ofLiterary Adventure Fantasy

Enter to win signed copies of Marie Brennan's novels Warrior and Witch
Issue #67 -- Apr. 21, 2011
Featuring cover art by Tina Marie Lane

"Dancing the Warrior, Pt. II," by Marie Brennan
Anger gave Sen cold focus, but it made Leksen crazy. She sidestepped his first wild blow and got in a solid kidney punch that made him howl; he grabbed her arm and slugged her in the stomach. Sen snarled that away and clawed his face, leaving bloody furrows down his cheek. It wasn't a Dance of any kind, but she didn't care. It was her sacrifice to the Warrior. Either he was going down, or she was.

"Memories of Her," by Greg Linklater
I take one stone hand in the other and unscrew it. Inside my hollow wrist is a padded pocket. A mantis scuttles out, tethered to me by a chain as fine as hair but stronger than anything I could name. It scurries up my arm, across my cheek, and props on the tip of my nose. “Time now,” it clicks. “You go.”

Audio Fiction Podcast 058
"Love, Resurrected," by Cat Rambo, from BCS #65
This half-life dragged at her. She felt weary all the time, a chilled-bone sluggishness of motion that belied the quickness of her thoughts. It was not painful to breathe, but it was tiring, and she began to eschew it when alone and unworried about frightening the living.

From the Archives:
"The Bone House," by James Lecky, from BCS #20 and Audio Fiction Podcast 018
I like to carve. I like to sculpt. But the ironwood trees in the forest shatter even the finest blades. Father says that the war has changed them, that the magic of the battlemages has infected the land, and I have no cause to doubt him--he has been my educator and my window on the world. Bone is easier to shape.

http://beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/

HUB: UPDATE

2011-04-21T15:53:00.002+01:00

Fiction
Cycloparalleladrine by Saxon Bullock

Reviews
Soulless
The Empathy Effect
The Hammer

Feature
Coming to Terms with the End of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower Part I by Ro Smith

http://www.hubfiction.com/

ABSENT WILLOW REVIEW: UPDATE

2011-04-21T15:41:00.002+01:00

April 2011

Through the Church Window - by Steven Avila
As Martha Waits - Edward Turner III
Abigail - James C. Bassett
Emergence - A.J. Faust
Caught in a Trap - Terry Light
Lonestar - John Richard Albers
Desolation Dreaming - Sean A. Lusher
Wildman - Richard Marsden
Touch of Death - BV Lawson
From the Field - Nick Medina
Human Resources - Gregg Chapman

http://absentwillowreview.com/

LACUNA: UPDATE

2011-04-21T15:34:00.003+01:00

Lacuna
A Journal of Historical Fiction

Issue 4

Bride of the Water by James Lecky

The Elder Brother Washing His Hands by Adrian Van Young

Anne Boleyn to the King by Jean Hollander

Newgate Jig by D. J. Cockburn

Edgar Cayce by Jack Peachum

Centurion’s Choice by R. S. Pyne

The Painting Called Love Victorious by Gabriel Malloy

Ethel Rosenberg on her Trial and Execution for Treason by Liz Dolan

Ben JohnsonDay by Ricky Ginsburg

Reviews

A Penny Always Has Two Sides by Steffie Steinke

Day of Revenge by Deanna Poach

http://lacunajournal.blogspot.com/2011/04/issue-4-april-2011.html

HUB: UPDATE

2011-03-16T11:55:00.002Z

ISSUE 136

Fiction

The Walker by Adam Christopher

Reviews and Features

Feature
Interview: James O’Barr

Reviews
The Age of Odin
Nekropolis
Castle Ravenloft / Wrath of Ashardalon

http://www.hubfiction.com/

ABSENT WILLOW REVIEW: UPDATE

2011-03-16T11:46:00.002Z

March 2011

Michael Moorcock Interviewed

Fiction

Kevin Pinkham... Gnawing at the Root

Richard Beland... Enki

Joe Jablonski... Digital Embrace

Naomi Bergner... Something to be said for a little drama

S.G Rogers... Falling Upwards

Sylvia Hiven... All That Was Left

Chris Stevens... Aira

Oscar Connell... Letters to Chelsea

AJ Brown... Mickie's Stars

CB Iovas... The Cursed Man

Steven Avila... The Bridge

Shannon Marcello... Pins and Needles

http://absentwillowreview.com/

BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES: UPDATE

2011-03-11T22:35:00.002Z

Beneath Ceaseless Skies
An Online Magazine ofLiterary Adventure Fantasy

Issues available in the Amazon Kindle Store

Issue #64 -- Mar. 10, 2011

"Breathing Sunshine," by Garth Upshaw
"You're one of the lucky ones. We could put a mask on you, keep the particles out for a few days. You'd turn back into what you were before." I moved closer to the fort and took another reading. The needle hovered over yellow. My tongue felt as dry as sand.

"Mr Morrow Becomes Acquainted with the Delicate Art of Squid Keeping," by Geoffrey Maloney
They couldn't be serious, Morrow thought, could not possibly be...but then the Major allowed the squid to slip from his fingers and into his mouth. Miss Twickenham stifled a horrified gasp. Morrow's heart quickened its beating. Surely, there had been some sleight of hand in the Major's actions. What he had witnessed was impossible, and he wondered just how strongly the professor’s tobacco had been tinctured with laudanum.

Audio Fiction Podcast 055
"The Ghost of Shinoda Forest," by Richard Parks, from BCS #63
Whether I was drunk or sober, Princess Teiko haunted my dreams. I had always assumed, if I drank enough that one day this would no longer be true, but there had been fifteen years of drinking after we parted, plus two more after her death, and now my optimism was quite exhausted. As this foolish hope had been all that I had to fight her with, there was nothing left for me to do tonight except the only sensible thing--I surrendered.

From the Archives:
"Six Seeds," by Sara M. Harvey, from BCS #27
Dollies were the chore of my life: winding them, mending gears, and keeping good care of their pricier parts which pleasured the men.

http://beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/

ABSENT WILLOW REVIEW: UPDATE

2011-03-09T15:47:00.002Z

We are very excited to announce that we are now accepting entries for the Absent Willow Reviews' 2nd Annual Short Story Contest!

First Prize: $150.00

Second Prize: $75.00

Third prize: $25.00

Plus Honorable Mentions

First, Second, Third, and selected Honorable Mention winning stories will be published in future issues of the Absent Willow Review

Entries must be received by June 30, 2011.

Details and submission forms can be found by visiting the website or our contest page at : http://absentwillowreview.com/contest

ARCANE

2011-03-06T19:02:00.002Z

Arcane publishes the best horror and weird fiction quarterly in print and for ereaders. The first issue is scheduled to be released spring 2011.

Arcane is a fiction magazine concentrating on weird horror, the supernatural and the fantastic. Imagine if all of the “cool kids” from the original Weird Tales — H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Clarke Ashton Smith, etc. — has been writing continuously from that day until this; what would they be producing? We prefer story lengths from 1,000 words up to 6,000 words but will consider longer – just realize that a long story will have to be better than the two or three shorter stories it would replace.

The biggest plus a story can have is voice. Let us know that you’re comfortable with the English language — in fact, that it’ll sit up and bark like a dog for you.

http://www.arcanemagazine.com/

DARKFIRE: UPDATE

2011-03-05T08:58:00.002Z

Issue 50

Fiction

Feature Story: Storm Chase - D. Nathan Hilliard
The Bones of Winter - Chris Castle
Dark Legacy - Curt Jeffreys
'Til Death Us Do Part - C.L. Raven
Two O'Clock on a Thursday - Luke Walker

Plus:

Editorial - The Editor speaks...

Review - JournalStone's Warped Words for Twisted Minds, edited by Christopher C. Payne

http://usersites.horrorfind.com/home/horror/darkfire/home.html

LOVECRAFT EZINE: UPDATE

2011-03-03T15:42:00.003Z

Some Distant Baying Sound by W.H. Pugmire

A Different Morecambe by Simon Kurt Unsworth

False Light by Adrian Chamberlin

Allure by Josh Wagner

http://lovecraftzine.wordpress.com/

BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES: UPDATE

2011-02-25T12:09:00.003Z

Beneath Ceaseless Skies
An Online Magazine ofLiterary Adventure Fantasy

Issues available in the Amazon Kindle Store
Issue #63 -- Feb. 24, 2011
"The Ghost of Shinoda Forest," by Richard Parks
Whether I was drunk or sober, Princess Teiko haunted my dreams. I had always assumed, if I drank enough that one day this would no longer be true, but there had been fifteen years of drinking after we parted, plus two more after her death, and now my optimism was quite exhausted. As this foolish hope had been all that I had to fight her with, there was nothing left for me to do tonight except the only sensible thing--I surrendered.

"Dirt Witch," by Eljay Daly
The house was bigger on the inside, as Dorota expected from a witch. What she didn't expect, in the flickering candlelight, was the filth. Spiderwebs, of course, in the corners, in the grimy chandelier, festooned with crumbling bits of insects trapped, dismembered, neglected. The floor might have been red, might have been stone; the thick black grease of it gripped the soles of Dorota's boots as she inched through debris down the long corridor. The walls might have been red, too, red wallpaper dancing with bouquets of slime and countless handprints.

Audio Fiction Podcast 054
"Silent, Still, and Cold," by Kris Dikeman, from BCS #62
A group of officers cluster below the mark on the wall. One balances an inkpot, another copies the symbol onto parchment, a third notes its location on a map of the city. Near where they stand there is a patch of bloody ice splashed against the stones next to an odd-shaped bundle of rags, the buckles of a Legionnaire's uniform winking out at us. We stare, and the officer with the map waves us away.

From the Archives:
"Lady of the Ghost Willow," by Richard Parks, from BCS #53
I had little talent for poetry, but my instruction in the classic metaphors was probably no less extensive than Akio's. The poem was both an entreaty and a question; that much was clear. But what was the answer? One who might be able to tell me was beyond speech now and might be for some time, if not forever.

http://beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/

HUB: UPDATE

2011-02-21T18:48:00.002Z

Issue 135

Fiction

The Twelfth Day by Ro Smith

Reviews and Features
Reviews
The Way of Kings
Black Swan / Never Let Me Go

Feature
Being Original by Lee Harris

http://www.hubfiction.com/

BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES: UPDATE

2011-02-18T16:10:00.004Z

Beneath Ceaseless Skies
An Online Magazine ofLiterary Adventure Fantasy

Issues now available in the Amazon Kindle Store
Issue #62 -- Feb. 10, 2011

"Silent, Cold, and Still ," by Kris Dikeman
A group of officers cluster below the mark on the wall. One balances an inkpot, another copies the symbol onto parchment, a third notes its location on a map of the city. Near where they stand there is a patch of bloody ice splashed against the stones next to an odd-shaped bundle of rags, the buckles of a Legionnaire's uniform winking out at us. We stare, and the officer with the map waves us away.

"The Adventures of Ernst, Who Began a Man, Became a Cyclops, and Finished a Hero," by Jesse Bullington
Ernst fumbled with the new sword at his side, but it had some ivory-inlaid clasp keeping it in place and he screamed in terror, at which point the medium muttered something and all the lights went out. Ernst freed the sword and swatted in the dark with it, backing against a wall, which was when he felt the itchy spider hairs rub against his throat.

Audio Fiction Podcast 053
"Mamafield ," by Corie Ralston, from BCS #61
I finally scent Leaver at far edge of mamafield, past where my roots have ever dug. I don't feel safe so far outcircle, but he's traveled alone for years. He's been so far outside we wouldn't even scent his death. And that's what he deserves.

From the Archives:
"As Below, So Above," by Ferrett Steinmetz, from BCS #56
Son squeezed billows of black ink around the ship to mask his approach, remembering what Two-Father had told him: Always curl your tentacles around the front, never in the back where the whirling tail-blades lie. Never rest your tips on the deck, lest they chop off the ends of your sensing-limbs. And should you brush against a long, thin tube of metal, draw away quickly before it squirts fire.

http://beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/

HUB: UPDATE

2011-02-18T16:06:00.002Z

Issue 134

Fiction
The Progeny by Mark Morris

Feature
Interview: Antony Johnston

Reviews
The Sentinel Mage
The Devil’s Plague
Conflicts

http://www.hubfiction.com/

ABSENT WILLOW REVIEW: UPDATE

2011-02-18T15:57:00.004Z

The First Sign of Aggression
by Elizabeth Green

The Probability Machine
by Arthur M. Doweyko

The Blood of God
by A.J French

Long Lost Love
by James Beaton

The Perfect Aunt Gift by Peggy McFarland

The Long Way Home by Michael W. Garza

Maybe What We Need Are More Trolls Under The Bridge by B.E Scully

Town by Tim Matlack

Bacchante by R. Christophe Ryber

A Taste of the Grave by Ben Nardolilli

http://absentwillowreview.com/

DAILY SCIENCE FICTION: UPDATE

2011-02-18T15:54:00.001Z

"Science Fiction" means—to us—everything found in the science fiction section of a bookstore, or at a science fiction convention, or amongst the winners of the Hugo awards given by the World Science Fiction Society. This includes the genres of science fiction (or sci-fi), fantasy, slipstream, alternative history, and even stories with lighter speculative elements. We hope you enjoy the broad range that SF has to offer.

http://dailysciencefiction.com/

EVERYDAY FICTION: UPDATE

2011-02-18T15:51:00.002Z

http://www.everydayfiction.com/

SHORT STORY ME: UPDATE

2011-02-18T15:43:00.003Z

Daily short stories from various genres.

We like hard genre fiction. That means crime, detective, fantasy, horror, mystery and science fiction. Some people call "Literary" a separate kind of short story, but it's not. Genre fiction today can be just as literary as any fiction in the way it develops characters, spotlights the human condition and is told with elegant style.

http://www.short-story.me/

LOVECRAFT EZINE

2011-02-02T22:54:00.004Z

Issue 1

Introduction to Issue #1

by Mike Davis

Sledding and Starlings

by Bruce L. Priddy

Rickman’s Plasma

by William Meikle

The Brown Tower

by John Prescott

The Crane Horror

by Bruce Durham

http://lovecraftzine.wordpress.com/

BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES: UPDATE

2011-02-01T20:52:00.005Z

Issue #61 -- Jan. 27, 2011

"Recapitulation in Steam," by Margaret Ronald
Izzy pushed himself up, trying to see. A flickering light like the reflection of moonlight on the ocean cascaded over the hall, and through it shadows darted like knife-edged fish--Society guards, he realized a little late, moving between him and the light. A gentle roar and boom heralded the trundler automaton's actions: settling down again, after whatever it had done to contain someone.

"Mamafield," by Corie Ralston
I finally scent Leaver at far edge of mamafield, past where my roots have ever dug. I don't feel safe so far outcircle, but he's traveled alone for years. He's been so far outside we wouldn't even scent his death. And that's what he deserves.

Audio Fiction Podcast 052
"Two Pretenders," by Marie Brennan, from BCS #60
He had sworn never to speak of it, not to anyone, but his tongue betrays him in an instant. "Sometimes I think I’ve been here before. In my dreams...I have the strangest dreams." He pauses, fighting not to say more, and into that pause comes the young man's quiet answer. "Dreams of this place. Not this cell--a proper chamber, with a proper bed, and servants, and no shackles. But a prison just the same."

From the Archives:
"More Full of Weeping Than You Can Understand," by Rosamund Hodge, from BCS #53
For the first few years, she only passed information, while the reports of faery incursions began to grow. Then--when they went to London for Violet's introduction into society--three things happened. The faeries turned the Prime Minister's fingers into twigs and his eyes into acorns. Papa died. And Thomas discovered what she was.

http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/

RAY GUN REVIVAL 2.0

2011-02-01T20:47:00.002Z

The Greeny at Old Smokey Lake – Larry Hodges

Overlords’ Lair: RGR 2.0 – by Paul Christian Glenn

Featured artist: Ed Lopez

Ray Gun Revival (RGR) publishes four original short stories each month of up to 4,000 words each. RGR also features compelling book reviews, occasional movie reviews, our own columns related to the genre, and, as always, some of the best cover art in the business by artists from all over the world.

http://www.raygunrevival.com/

SKULL SALAD REVIEWS

2011-01-24T23:15:00.003Z

Think of Skull Salad as a "word of mouth" site for the digital age.

Some of the best speculative fiction (especially short stories and novellas) comes out of the small press, and it's our mission to spread the word. These are recommendations, good fiction we found well worth our time.

http://skullsaladreviews.blogspot.com/

ABSENT WILLOW REVIEW: UPDATE

2011-01-16T14:04:00.003Z

Absent Willow Review January 2011

Preacher at the End of the World

by Andrew C. Porter

Date Night

by Edd Howarth

Done Wandering

by D.R Pinney

Only Skin Deep

by Blake Swensen

A Compassionate Death

by Ash Krafton

Sin

by Aaron Callison

The Thoughtful Dead

by Carrie Vaccaro Nelkin

Fragile

by Bill Blais

The Train Set

by Chris Tarry

Madness in its Eyes

by Richard Bell

Blind

by B. Morris Allen

Rosebud

by Thomas Wortman

Unicorn 2

by Anna Sykora

http://absentwillowreview.com/

BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES: UPDATE

2011-01-13T22:41:00.002Z

Beneath Ceaseless Skies
An Online Magazine of Literary Adventure Fantasy

Issue #60 -- Jan. 13, 2011

Featuring new cover art by Kerem Beyit

"Two Pretenders," by Marie Brennan
He had sworn never to speak of it, not to anyone, but his tongue betrays him in an instant. "Sometimes I think I’ve been here before. In my dreams...I have the strangest dreams." He pauses, fighting not to say more, and into that pause comes the young man's quiet answer. "Dreams of this place. Not this cell--a proper chamber, with a proper bed, and servants, and no shackles. But a prison just the same."

"Over a Narrow Sea," by Camille Alexa
Staring into the witch's cup, I feel something loosening inside myself, a knot I hadn’t known resided in my chest. I nod as though drowsing, despite feeling in some ways strangely alert, aware of minute details: the snap and hiss of the driftwood fire; the whuffle and scuff of gull feet scrabbling on the windowsill; the heavy presence of Katte’s broken body. Almost, I think I can hear the knitting of my friend’s fractured skull, the remaking of her rent skin.

Audio Fiction Podcast 051
"Transitions of Truth and Tears," by David G. Blake
Garran spotted the fountain long before he reached its base. Water spurted into the air, sprung from a stone wineskin held by a life-sized statue of the founder of Vihal...one of the murderers of Beliath. Garran repeated that fact in his head as he pushed through the last throng of people, a part of him both amazed and horrified that no one had stopped him yet; a much deeper part shamed that he had not stopped on his own.
　
From the Archives:
"Oil Fire," by Kate MacLeod, from BCS #23
Oh, poor Enanatuma! We had been estranged long before my banishment. I had seen her only once since the day ten years ago when I had given up dancing and devoted all my energies to magic. I had done her a favor in return for the thousand kindnesses she and her father had shown me and had intended never to see her again. But she was still my sister.

http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/

AURORA WOLF: UPDATE

2011-01-04T19:51:00.003Z

January 2011

The Inheritance by Jenna McKay

Thin Blood by James Lecky

Masks by Megan Arkenberg

Of Dragons and Courage by George Stewart

The Temporary Wizard of Lochlynn by S.G Rogers

http://aurorawolf.com/

HEROIC FANTASY QUARTERLY: UPDATE

2011-01-02T21:57:00.002Z

Heroic Fantasy Quarterly Issue 7

Fiction

LORD OF THE BRASS HOST, by Dariel Quiogue
Dare we call this beauty a tale of S&S steampunk upon the steppes? We dare!

THE LAST FREE BEAR, by J. S. Bangs
Hope drives them across the tundra, and revenge into a world of legend!

SHATTERING THE SPEAR, by P. Djeli Clark
When the forces of the Witch Priest threaten the Southlands, only the mighty Zhusa and their allies stand in the way. But are unbreakable spears enough to stop this ancient evil . . .

Poetry
LAMENT FOR THE FATHERS, by Joshua Hampton
A poem seemingly straight from the middle ages! With this his second poem to grace our electronic pages, Mr. Hampton currently reigns as HFQ’s Poet Laureate. (You can check out the prior here, from the halcyon days of ’09.)

METTLE, by Scott Matthews
We couldn’t have asked for a better winter poem. Short but powerful, certain lines of this piece are sure to warm the hearts of heroic fans everywhere — you’ll know ‘em when you see ‘em!

Art
This quarter’s artwork is “Wizard’s Fire” by Simon Cowell. Mr Cowell is a freelance concept artist, Illustrator, and painter living in Sydney Australia.

http://www.heroicfantasyquarterly.com/

DAILY SCIENCE FICTION: UPDATE

2010-12-31T16:22:00.002Z

Daily Science Fiction showcases some of the best science and fiction fantasy being written today!

Original science fiction and fantasy emailed to you every weekday.

http://dailysciencefiction.com/

EVERY DAY FICTION: UPDATE

2010-12-31T16:18:00.002Z

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.

Feel free to browse around the site, check out our archives, or even sign up to receive a short story in your inbox... every day!

http://www.everydayfiction.com/

BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES: UPDATE

2010-12-30T14:20:00.002Z

Issue #59 -- Dec. 30, 2010

Issues available in the Amazon Kindle Store

"The Sumer King," by Megan Arkenberg
"Shit," I said, and that sat there ugly and twitching between us for a few seconds before his stallion decided he'd had enough and wanted to go check out the mares. The King just had enough time to swoop up into his saddle before the horse made a beeline through the crowd. "Come and see me sometime, Livia!" he called, and then he was gone, swallowed up in the blue.

"Transitions of Truth and Tears," by David G. Blake
Garran spotted the fountain long before he reached its base. Water spurted into the air, sprung from a stone wineskin held by a life-sized statue of the founder of Vihal...one of the murderers of Beliath. Garran repeated that fact in his head as he pushed through the last throng of people, a part of him both amazed and horrified that no one had stopped him yet; a much deeper part shamed that he had not stopped on his own.

Audio Fiction Podcast 050
"The Suffering Gallery," by Matthew Kressel, from BCS #57
Mielbok stared at the boy. "I'm Mielbok the White Worm! Mielbok the Foul! Mielbok the Eater of Minds! What can you do for me, human? To me, you’re just food not yet ripe. A fruit just waiting to be plucked! Quiet yourself, before you wake the Lady. She'll make a mockery of you!"

From the Archives:
"The Sacrifice Pit," by Brian Dolton, from BCS #16
Sanquor shook his head. How could such foolishness, such misunder- standing, have taken root? Of course the thoravids had to be destroyed; of course any trace of them had to be scourged. They were an abomination in the sight of the Tetharan.

http://beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/

BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES: UPDATE

2010-12-16T21:11:00.002Z

Issue #58 -- Dec. 16, 2010

"Red Dirt ," by Ian McHugh
The shadows on the buildings seemed alive with movement, although the air was too cool for mirages. The memory of my dream still lingered, fooling my weary brain into believing that I glimpsed animal shapes writhing there. I hurried my pace along the empty streets, wondering if I should just pay the Commissaire's bribe and be done with the place.

"Lession's Tower," by Fox McGeever
Lession's first catch was an old drunk, a silver-haired sailor who was staggering through one of the back streets. When he bit a chunk from the drunk's shoulder, the man went limp. The initial thrill of tasting meat soon evaporated. The flesh was old, sour, steeped with alcohol. He couldn’t take this back for Hurkerna. No. Goat would taste far better.

From the Archives:
"Sorrow's Blade," by Rita Oakes, from BCS #24
Meurig scrambled to his feet, confused. “Your pardon, that I missed prayers,” he said to Father Ambrose. “My heart is too heavy for my words to rise.” He had pierced the skin of worlds, however briefly. Now Rhiannon was a sword again, and Caedmon would die."

http://beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/

ABSENT WILLOW REVIEW: UPDATE

2010-12-16T21:07:00.003Z

December 2010

Emma Bovary

by Lee Robertson

Fade to White

by Michael James McFarland

Yesterdays Tomorrows

by Devin Hodgins

The Mirror

by Brandon Taylor

The Last Boy Left in Town

by Chris Castle

Button Breather

by Chris Castle

Adversary

by Wayne Faust

Popcorn

by Christine Dougherty

What God Made First

by Stephen McQuiggan

Unicorn 1

by Anna Skyora

Next Hero

by Emily Crawford-Margison

http://absentwillowreview.com/

HUB: UPDATE

2010-12-14T21:47:00.003Z

Issue 133

Fiction

And The Northmen Brought Their Gods by Louise Morgan

Non-Fiction

Reviews
Corvus
The Terror and the Tortoiseshell

Feature
Open Sourcing Armageddon by Alasdair Stuart

http://www.hubfiction.com/

ABANDONED TOWERS: UPDATE

2010-12-06T01:04:00.004Z

New fiction and poetry from

Christopher Heath

Doug Hilton

Sandra S. Richardson

Carol Scott

Dustin Wier

Timothy A. Sayell

Trent Amor

Tim McDaniel

Erik VanBezooijen

Sandy Wardrope

Robert Mancebo

David Pilling

S.J. Higbee

Richard Marsden

Harry Calhoun

Richard H. Fay

Emily Hayes

Troy D. Young

Christina Getty

Denny E. Marshall

Michael D. Turner

Rick Coonrod

Robert William Shmigelsky

Chad Weiss

Allen Kopp

http://abandonedtowers.blogspot.com/

IRON BOUND: UPDATE

2010-12-06T00:56:00.003Z

December 2010

Tall Tale Newly Told by Changming Yuan

Un Lound Secret by Sunil P. Narayan

Meeting by Joanna M. Weston

The Statue by Rich Feitelberg

Blood of Warriors, Blood of Kings by Alva J. Roberts

The Rekein Boy by Tannen Bell

Douglas by E. J Leora

Etchings by Ben Johnson

http://ironboundmag.wordpress.com/

BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES: UPDATE

2010-12-02T15:38:00.003Z

Issue #57 -- Dec. 2, 2010

"The Suffering Gallery," by Matthew Kressel
Mielbok stared at the boy. "I'm Mielbok the White Worm! Mielbok the Foul! Mielbok the Eater of Minds! What can you do for me, human? To me, you’re just food not yet ripe. A fruit just waiting to be plucked! Quiet yourself, before you wake the Lady. She'll make a mockery of you!"

"A Bounty Split Three Ways," by Peter Kovic
A floating tree starts as a seed in the sky but needs no soil. It takes air, sun, and rain and turns them into leaves and branches. It doesn’t need roots either. It only grows more leaves and branches, until a full-grown floating oak is like an uneven ball of leaves. I asked L'Acoste, are they the work of nature or some wizard so long ago that he had been forgotten? His response was "who knows these things."

From the Archives:
"The Shades of Morgana," by Dean Wells, from BCS #48
Sully could practically feel her glance brushing along his skin like silky smooth lips. It could, more to the point, the thing inside him, exploiting his senses as if they were its own. She stood and stretched, then strolled to the doors of carved tulgey wood that opened into the mews outside. Sully caught her fragrance, the scent of her feminine places, a smell of spice and rich dark petals of bloodleaf. "Sabrina? Don’t get too close."

http://beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/

3 LOBED BURNING EYE ANNUAL

2010-12-02T15:32:00.003Z

Three-lobed Burning Eye Annual - vol. V
Edited by Andrew S. Fuller

This collection features stories of horror and wonder by: Vera Searles, Graeme Penman, Edward Morris, Dirk van Nouhuys, Neil Ayres, Jason Hauser, Bret Tallman, Lida Broadhurst, Miranda Ciccone, Isaac Fellows, Nadia Bulkin, Matthew Chrulew, Kelly Barnhill, John Medaille, D. E. Wasden, Mari Ness, Chuck Von Nordheim, Ward Crockett, Georgina Bruce, Jessica Reisman, Adam Browne, J M McDermott, Cheryl W. Ruggiero, Ferrett Steinmetz, Jennifer Stakes, Shweta Narayan, DeAnna Knippling, Justin Lee, Seth Cadin, and Jennifer Hollie Bowles.

Order here http://www.legionpress.com/3lbe5.html

WILD STACKS

2010-11-01T01:44:00.002Z

Almost all types of fantasy will be considered, from horror to heroic fiction, sword & sorcery, urban fantasy, steam-punk, supernatural, surreal, weird fiction, and noir crime. No hard science fiction, erotica or stories designed to gross out."

Welcome to Wild Stacks: the Library of the Imagination, the online magazine that is home for stories that explore and expand the imagination. Wild Stacks is published quarterly by The Alchemy Press. Issue 1 is due shortly. Meanwhile, for Issue 0 we're proud to present stories from Allen Ashley, Mike Chinn and Anne Gay.

FLAT TOP By ALLEN ASHLEY

BY RIGHT OF THE STARS By ANNE GAY
LOCO MORTIS By MIKE CHINN

http://www.wildstacks.co.uk/

BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES: UPDATE

2010-10-22T22:34:00.002+01:00

Issue #54 -- Oct. 21, 2010

Issues now available in the Amazon Kindle Store

"Dying on the Elephant Road," by Steve Rasnic Tem
Abe experienced the odd sensation of Madame Oljon inside his head aligning her face with his, pushing eyes and lips forward past his own as they both stared at the small figure near the center of the room sitting cross-legged on a high cushion, naked save for a loincloth, smiling idiotically (not unlike, Abe thought, the wizard Philoneus’s own idiotic smile).

"Beloved of the Sun," by Ann Leckie
I had seen the image in the Zuxugo girl's cloak, in the basketful of butterflies she had brought, but those had been stylized and lifeless. These butteflies were alive, brown, with one wide, staring eye on each upper wing. They didn't fly straight as the hawk would have, but bobbed and circled, haphazard. Their wings were far more delicate than any gold or stone image could depict.

Audio Fiction Podcast 047
"More Full of Weeping Than You Can Understand," by Rosamund Hodge, from BCS #53
For the first few years, Violet only passed information, while the reports of faery incursions began to grow. Then--when they went to London for her introduction into society--three things happened. The faeries turned the Prime Minister’s fingers into twigs and his eyes into acorns. Papa died. And Thomas discovered what she was.

From the Archives:
"System, Magic, Spirit," by T.D. Edge, from BCS #17
But experience had taught me that dissertations on magical systems are incredibly dull for all save the oblivious nincompoop who actually believes anyone wants to listen. No, when people ask you what you 'do', all they really want is a snappy line or two they can repeat over dinner later. Well, to hell with that.

http://beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/

ABSENT WILLOW REVIEW: UPDATE

2010-10-18T23:38:00.003+01:00

The Worg King by K.R Hager
The Pen by J Rodriguez
Carved by Craig Pirrall
A Shepherd of Mules by John Conners
Karma, Inc by Barry Sykes
The Guardians by Robert Walford
Love and Fame by Steven Gulvezan
Eustace by Curt Jeffreys
Remembering Human by Bint Arab
Kiss Me Blarney Stone by Tony Peak
Hallo-Whoosh by Pamela J. Jessen
Beast of the Red Path by Christopher Hivner

http://absentwillowreview.com/

HUB: UPDATE

2010-10-14T19:32:00.002+01:00

Issue 130

Fiction

If You Believe In Me by Emma Jane Davies

Feature
The Crimson Rivers

Reviews
Toy Story 3
X-Necrosha

http://www.hubfiction.com/

BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES: UPDATE

2010-10-08T15:20:00.002+01:00

Beneath Ceaseless Skies
An Online Magazine ofLiterary Adventure Fantasy

Issue #53, Second Anniversary Double-Issue -- Oct. 7, 2010

Featuring new cover art by Wolfgang Wachelhofer

"Lady of the Ghost Willow," by Richard Parks
I had little talent for poetry, but my instruction in the classic metaphors was probably no less extensive than Akio's. The poem was both an entreaty and a question; that much was clear. But what was the answer? One who might be able to tell me was beyond speech now and might be for some time, if not forever.

"The Curse of Chimère," by Tony Pi
I walked down the aisle, passing frozen spectators whose eyes were riveted to the screen and weeping blood. I recognised the Mayor immediately by his bold muttonchops, and beside him, the actor Franchot Aucoin, whose lecherous exploits were as legendary off-screen as on. Both men were bleeding as though their eyes had been gouged out and pressed back in.

"The Girl Who Tasted the Sea," by Sarah L. Edwards
A lift of a wing and their soaring arc encompassed the whole of the house. They swung around it and Abby could see them now, the twin pillars of stone upon which she’d lived all her life. Suddenly she was dropping nearer, nearer, and then they landed in the carved hollow in one pillar just a foot above the tide. She ignored the trembling in her legs as she crouched at the edge and dipped her fingers in the water.

"More Full of Weeping Than You Can Understand," by Rosamund Hodge
For the first few years, she only passed information, while the reports of faery incursions began to grow. Then--when they went to London for Violet’s introduction into society--three things happened. The faeries turned the Prime Minister’s fingers into twigs and his eyes into acorns. Papa died. And Thomas discovered what she was.

Audio Fiction Podcast 046
"The Girl Who Tasted the Sea," by Sarah L. Edwards, from BCS #53
They landed in the carved hollow in one pillar just a foot above the tide. She ignored the trembling in her legs as she crouched at the edge and dipped her fingers in the water.

http://beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/

INNSMOUTH FREE PRESS: UPDATE

2010-10-04T22:00:00.005+01:00

Issue 5

The Concierto Of Señor Lorenzo

by Kenneth Yu

The Night We Burned Our Hearts Out

by Paul Jessup

The Changeling

by Tom Hamilton

Beneath The Cold Black Sea

by Martin Hayes

Borgan’s Deli

by Jarrid Deaton

The Green World

by Julio Toro San Martin

The Song of Tussagaroth

by James Lecky

Nibbling

by Cheryl McCreary

http://www.innsmouthfreepress.com/

HUB: UPDATE

2010-10-04T21:58:00.003+01:00

Issue 129

Fiction

Tashi’s Future Lover by Dave Hoing

Reviews
Saturn’s Children
Against The Darkness
Infoquake: Book 1 of the Jump 225 Trilogy

Feature
Marble Hornets and the Urban Myth Creation of Doom! by Phil Lunt

http://www.hubfiction.com/

HEROIC FANTASY QUARTERLY: UPDATE

2010-10-01T10:56:00.002+01:00

Issue 6

Fiction

David Pilling - Heart of Man

Robert Rhodes - The Sea Wasps

Poetry

Charles Saplak - Ambition, Purpose, Outcome

Shennandoah Diaz - The Dance

Artwork by Mariusz Gandzel.

http://www.heroicfantasyquarterly.com/

IRON BOUND ISSUE 1

2010-10-01T10:53:00.002+01:00

A new ezine of sword and sorcery and fantasy fiction

Issue One includes

Ty Johnston - Behold Now the Behemoth

A.D Dawson - The White Rabbit/ The Mole Hole/ Rose's Baby

Jesse Dedman - Moranet's Rebirth

David J. West - Sailing to Valhalla

James Lecky - The Cold Legions

http://ironboundmag.wordpress.com/

BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES: UPDATE

2010-09-30T00:44:00.002+01:00

Issue #52

"The Guilt Child," by Margaret Ronald
Carla caught her breath as the shape came clear: a face of pipes and fittings and gears, its eyes glowing faintly with the sheen of werglass. The mouth was only an expressionless line of cable, but when the voice spoke again there was no question whose it was. "Who is she?"

"Invitation of the Queen," by Therese Arkenberg
I demanded the return of Tahileh. She was mine, and had been working for Leuhovesen instead for far too long. I thought of the cries I heard the night before when I slept beneath the attic, but I refrained from saying anything, which given Leuhovesen’s temper that day was probably wise.

Audio Fiction Podcast 045
"Winecask Bellies and Owl Wings," by Liz Coleman, from BCS #50
So I made a horse. I made bones of iron and a mane of silk. Tendons of rubber from the king's caravans. I gave it a belly made from a wine vat. Around this I wrapped a skin of black and brown velvet--brindled bars such as no horse had, but that would make a cage to contain its life. I would ride this horse to freedom, away from my prison to the wastes where I’d fly with my sisters on owl wings.

From the Archives:
"The Tinyman and Caroline," by Sarah L. Edwards, from BCS #17
It came to Jabey that Sloan’d never looked at these glasses in proper light; what if they were just a cheap shiny? But the sudden sharp panic receded as he pulled them from his pocket and unwrapped the linen. They were indeed a tiny pair of opera glasses, with a simplicity and a heft about them that suggested expense.

http://beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/

DAILY SCIENCE FICTION: UPDATE

2010-09-22T19:33:00.001+01:00

Edited by Jonathan Laden and Michele Barasso, Daily Science Fiction does exactly what it says on the tin - delivering sf and fantasy stories to your inbox every weekday.

Recent authors have included Colin Harvey, Cat Rambo, Melissa Mead, Ree Young and Debs Walker.

It'll only cost you a little time to subscribe and any new market for short fiction is always worth supporting.

http://dailysciencefiction.com/

ABSENT WILLOW REVIEW: UPDATE

2010-09-16T18:34:00.002+01:00

Kathy Watness – Crossroads
Morgen Knight – The Best He Could Give
Valerie Geary – All That Was Left
Rebecca Roland – The Leaving is Joyful
Paul Demopoulos – For Peanuts
Thomas Cowan – Mr Mao’s Meat World
Allison C. Meier – The Rat King
J.B Ronan – A Piece of Home
Donovan Hall – The Dying of the Light
Ryan Neil Falcone – Adrift
James W. Morris – The Fools
Philip Roberts – Words in the Dirt

http://absentwillowreview.com/

ONIRISMES

2010-09-15T13:31:00.003+01:00

Onirismes is a bilingual webzine (English - French), dedicated to publishing short fiction and poetry that belong in the fields of speculative and fantastic literature (Fantasy, Science fiction, and all kinds of interstitial experiments).

Word limit: Between 2000 and 4000 words for short stories. We have no fixed rule for poetry, just don't send us the Iliad.

http://onirismes.com/

PORT IRIS: UPDATE

2010-09-09T18:39:00.001+01:00

Issue 3

Fiction:

The Father of the Riverborn

by Megan Arkenberg

Salary Ninja

by Aidan Doyle

Watching

by Jeremy C. Shipp

http://www.portiris.com/

BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES: UPDATE

2010-09-09T18:32:00.003+01:00

Issue 51

"Two by Zero"

by Garth Upshaw

Katherine's hands found the button at the throat of her dress, and she unstrung the tiny loop that kept it fastened. I gazed at her milk-white skin and swallowed. Katherine laughed. Her fingers flew down the front of her dress like birds, shedding waves of fabric with every motion. She stepped out of the pile of material at her feet and stood naked before me.

"The Swallow and the Sea"

by E. Catherine Tobler
'Twas Abigail who answered, standing some way across the deck. It sounded like the entire crew took a collective breath at the sight of her. Water streamed from her now ill-fitting gown. It seemed as though she was coming apart, becoming water as she crossed to us. Through corset and skirt, it drenched her.

Audio Fiction Podcast 044
"And Blow Them at the Moon," by Marie Brennan, from BCS #50
A church grim like Magrat could taste death, scent it on the air, feel it in the marrow of her bones. Every mortal carried a little bit; death was always a possibility, from accident or disease. But sometimes the possibility grew stronger, closer, when a man stood at a fork in the road, then chose the path that led toward peril.

From the Archives:
"Kreisler's Automata," by Matthew David Surridge, from BCS #10
The Prodigy scampered forward at once and sat before the pipe organ’s keyboards. Kreisler was with him. Together they began to play, calling the automata back to their city. Just as we had planned. And I, I ran after the Clockwork King, driven, as ever, by the thought of Olympia. For I had more that I would know.

http://beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/

HUB: UPDATE

2010-09-08T18:12:00.004+01:00

Issue 128

Fiction

The Traveller by Stephen Ellis

Features

Why You Should Read Clive Barker

Reviews

Dante's Journey

Human Centipede (First Sequence)

http://www.hubfiction.com/

DAILY SCIENCE FICTION

2010-09-01T15:33:00.002+01:00

Original science fiction and fantasy emailed to you every weekday

An Adventure in the Antiquities Trade
by Jeff Hecht

The flimsy blue paper was faded, its edges rough where a dull paper cutter had slit the seals. I had carefully unfolded it and slid it into a plastic sheet protector before Mr. James arrived to examine it. I served him English Afternoon tea and settled him in a gently aged leather armchair in the office of my antique document shop before I placed the letter before him.

http://dailysciencefiction.com/

HUB: UPDATE

2010-09-01T15:28:00.002+01:00

Issue 127

Fiction

Murderess Lane by Louise Morgan

Reviews
Halting State
And Another Thing

Feature
Interview: Guy Davis with Richard Whittaker

http://www.hubfiction.com/

BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES: UPDATE

2010-08-27T17:16:00.001+01:00

Issue #50 • Aug. 26, 2010

Win a signed copy of Marie Brennan's new novel--

details here

"And Blow Them at the Moon," by Marie Brennan
A church grim like Margat could taste death, scent it on the air, feel it in the marrow of her bones. Every mortal carried a little bit; death was always a possibility, from accident or disease. But sometimes the possibility grew stronger, closer, when a man stood at a fork in the road, then chose the path that led toward peril.

"Winecask Bellies and Owl Wings," by Liz Coleman
So I made a horse. I made bones of iron and a mane of silk. Tendons of rubber from the king's caravans. I gave it a belly made from a wine vat. Around this I wrapped a skin of black and brown velvet--brindled bars such as no horse had, but that would make a cage to contain its life. I would ride this horse to freedom, away from my prison to the wastes where I’d fly with my sisters on owl wings.

Audio Fiction Podcast 043
"Eighth Eye," by Erin Cashier, from BCS #49
The spider creeps closer, dragging its meal behind. Moira counts its eyes again. Seven. The spider's the only thing that has reality. It's realer than she is, right now. She's already on her way out--has been since the burns, really. She tries to breathe, but the wrappings are so tight, and the weight on her chest is so heavy.

From the Archives:
"The Five Days of Justice Merriwell," by Stephanie Burgis, from BCS #13
My voice sounds thin and choked when I speak. "Let the soldiers choose for themselves," I say. "Let those who wish to flee leave now, in good faith. I will not have them stay to be murdered for a cause they cannot support. But let food and bandages be stockpiled through the day, and close the gates"--I almost say, at nightfall, but it is always night now--"before midnight. We will hold my father’s fortress until the last."

http://beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/

HUB: UPDATE

2010-08-23T11:36:00.004+01:00

Issue 126

Fiction

The Nightmare of You and Death in the Room by Adam Christopher

Feature
On Being Scully, and SyFy's new series, Haven

Reviews
Scott Pilgrim vs The World
Changes
Starhyke

http://www.hubfiction.com/

THE LORELEI SIGNAL: UPDATE

2010-08-18T10:42:00.003+01:00

D amsel in Distress - Paul Celmer

F lowers for the Sentinel - Jasmine Giocomo

When the Dead Lands erupt with Undularnia’s ancient enemies, the Sentinel does not rise to combat. Can a lovelorn girl manage to wake him and save her people?

H eart of the Salamander - Ripley Patton

Maddy's entire life has been cursed by fire. Her parents were killed by it. Her body and heart have been scarred by it. And now her village has gone up in flames and Maddy is being accused of wielding, through witchcraft, the one thing she hates most. What happens when you hide from the fire in your heart? And what happens when you finally embrace it?

I Am Dryad - Robert William Shmigelsky

Immutable - William Knight

When Hamrick becomes involved with a young woman - he fails to see the danger she brings

A Mother's Gift - Stelios Touchtidis

A whore and a Hestian virgin find out they’ve more in common than they think, when their shadows cross in ancient Ionia.

M other Cassie Goes on Account - T.L. Barrett

When you think to call in old favors in seeking vengeance - be sure you don't ask for more than is owed.

P oor Little Rich Girl - Marva Dasef

Cadida's in trouble again. But then, when is Cadida not in trouble? Captured by raiders, she's thrown into a cave to be eaten by demon. Or is it a demon?

T he Video Game - Cathy Douglas

Sometimes even a modern princess needs a little saving.

Warrior Champion - Beatriz F. Fernandez

MYSTIC SIGNALS exclusive story
The Forest Paradox - Verna McKinnon

http://www.loreleisignal.com/

SORCEROUS SIGNALS: UPDATE

2010-08-18T10:34:00.003+01:00

A Matter of Conscience - Marge Simon

Matters of conscience can weigh heavily on a person - particularly when there is family and a familiar involved.

T he Cost of Magic - Joshua Abbott

Everything has a cost and a consequence - the true cost of magic is sometimes only apparent when the magic is gone.

D udes in Distress - Aaron Kubacak

T he Grim Faced Warrior - Michael D. Turner

Irascible - Barbara Davies

Marjan has always known Irascible, the dragon she is the exercise rider for, hated her. Now she has to actually race him in the biggest race of the season. Will she be able to control enough to make it though the race. To heck with winning -- surviving is the more important goal.

S plit Second - Abigail Carter

Innates are those who have a specific inborn magical talent - and they are hunted and 'quieted'. Ryal is a mage who assists in hunting these fugitives. However, when he meets a powerful innate, mind to mind - he finds he must make a decision to reveal himself as an innate and be quieted or let this person continue killing others. It is a decision that must be made in a split second.

S tolen Immortality - Michell Plested

T he Water Garden - Rab Foster

When revolt brings a disgraced relative of the Emperor back to his home, the body guard of his spoiled daughter learns just how much danger can be hidden by beauty.

T he Wizard's Gift - Ardyth DeBruyn

A Noble Fir tree is horrified to find himself uprooted -- only to discover he's now human and must help Ann-Marie on her quest.

MYSTIC SIGNALS exclusive story

The King Therein Resides - Thomas Canfield

http://www.sorceroussignals.com/

ABSENT WILLOW REVIEW: UPDATE

2010-08-16T10:13:00.003+01:00

Under Ravenswing by Lucy Suitor Holt

The Invader by J. Westlake

In The Belly of the Viridian Whale by Sean L. Patterson

Blade by Anne Petty

A Sea of Dust and Stone by Marie Fleming

http://absentwillowreview.com/

HUB: UPDATE

2010-08-16T10:10:00.001+01:00

Issue 125

Fiction

Jump by Jennifer Williams

Reviews
Predators
Hawkmoon: The Mad God's Amulet

Feature
Life In The Shadows: Joan De La Haye

http://www.hubfiction.com/

BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES: UPDATE

2010-08-12T19:11:00.003+01:00

Issue #49 • Aug. 12, 2010

Issues now available in the Amazon Kindle Store

"Eighth Eye," by Erin Cashier
The spider creeps closer, dragging its meal behind. Moira counts its eyes again. Seven. The spider's the only thing that has reality. It's realer than she is, right now. She's already on her way out--has been since the burns, really. She tries to breathe, but the wrappings are so tight, and the weight on her chest is so heavy.

"The Book of Autumn," by Rachael Acks
They thought of it as a game, these dusty old men. Tease the dim, pretty little poppet with bits of magic to keep her dazzled and quiet. They’d never realized how much I had actually understood until I’d raised my head from my work and pulled back my hair so they could see my eye, see that I’d received the curse of knowledge. Then they were frightened, and rightly so.

Audio Fiction Podcast 042
"Prashkina's Fire," by Vylar Kaftan, from BCS #48
The nightmares had mostly stopped now, and my face only ached on hot days. I never looked at myself in the stream, so I wasn't sure what color the scars were, but my fingertips told me the skin was tough and dead. As for the rest, once I washed myself out with lemon juice, I just went on with my rituals in the temple, because someone had to. I tried not to remember. Not to let it rule me. But now that he was at the temple too, I felt a little safer.

From the Archives:
"The Puzzle Box," by Chris Tissell, from BCS #25
“You?” I stood, furious, and as I did the red brazier-light glinted on something behind the throne that I could not see. “Did you not have enough of father’s blessings while he lived? He gave you gifts, and horses, and talked of the great kingdom you would inherit. Meanwhile I sat in your shadow and the heap of your scorn. No, brother. For this once I will have something that you have not had first.”

http://beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/

A FLY IN AMBER: UPDATE

2010-08-06T20:50:00.005+01:00

Stranger’s Child by Anna Schwind

The Capture of Snake-Eyed Sue by David Washburn

Music of a Family Man by Gwen Veazey

Rainbow’s End by Aubrie Dionne

Seeds by M.M. Bergstrom

Wagon Wheels by Angelina Morris

http://www.aflyinamber.net/

APHELION: EXTRA UPDATE

2010-08-06T20:04:00.002+01:00

A new short story has been added to the current issue of Aphelion:

The Sound of Apples By Koos Kombuis

Desmond awoke with the extremely uncomfortable feeling that everything was spinning -- not just the room, but the very earth beneath his feet. And that was just the beginning...

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

APHELION: UPDATE

2010-08-04T13:00:00.003+01:00

The Navigator By Mark Ward

He had been a farmer, until the spider plague drove him from his land. Now a stranger wanted him to set sail on a mad voyage to the deepest waters known to man.

My Salieri Complex By Marina Julia Neary

Kemp had grown up sickly, an outcast, but had become a star among the students at University College in Victorian London. Then Griffin arrived, and made him seem almost ordinary -- Griffin and his strange, secret project.

The Way of Children By Kristen Lee Knapp

The war was not going well. The sorcery used by the invading Azbeki army, fueled by the lives of children, was too powerful. Mutan had to make a choice...

The Weaver of Gossamer Webs By jaimie l. elliott

The mender had been given an impossible task: heal the fractured mind of the vicious Tyrant, or die.

Homer and The Goddess By Cary Semar
The poet and storyteller Homer had a few things to learn about the importance of pleasing his audience. For example, dismissing the existence of the Gods was a Very Bad Idea.

Terra Incognita By E.S. Strout
They were trying to bend time as a way around the impossibility of moving faster than light. The side effects were...interesting.

Shift / Change By Roland Allnach
The new guy working the night shift at the morgue called himself John Smith. His reasons for being there were a little complicated -- and related to the obscene side business run by the other employees. *** Contains adult situations ***

A World of Good By Kevin Gordon
The Large Hadron Collider had unleashed something that turned Europe into a firestorm that was consuming the world's oxygen far faster than natural processes could restore it. For the rest of the world, all that was left was survival, one day at a time.

The Edge of Tomorrow By Bruce Memblatt
The heart attack had killed Justin Clarke, for a minute or so. When he came back, his view of reality was ... different.

Sealed Away By Philip Roberts
Bill was working another long, cold night shift at the courier company when he found the unlabeled package. He didn't think much about it (although it was strangely warm) until it started to whisper to him.

Awakening By Roderick D. Turner
Jack's best ideas came to him in dreams. They made him the top man at the small advertising agency. But lately, the dreams had started to overlap with his real world.

How Monsters Are Made By Jack Pettie
Dr. Waters had been working with Victor for months, trying to ease the effects of the still-secret childhood trauma that had haunted him for most of his life. But today, she would learn more than she ever wanted to know about him.

Jenny Ogiwara and the AntiFems By Gary W. Feather
Captain Jenny Ogiwara and her band of mercenaries -- the best of Gomez's Gals -- had been sent in to deal with an AntiFem takeover of a mining town on the moon of a gas giant in the Miranda system. As always, the job was harder than the brass expected.

Immortality Bites By Ray Prew
Living forever was no guarantee of happiness. In fact, Tim Adler found it to be complicated and sad -- at least every time he had to leave a family behind, or watch them die.

In The Icehouse By Dave Weaver
The ice core samples taken at the Antarctic research station provided vital evidence in the climate change debate. Unfortunately, it contradicted what the science team had been sent to prove. Now John Mathers had a choice to make between truth and survival.

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

AURORA WOLF: UPDATE

2010-08-03T00:09:00.003+01:00

Mermaid Silk by Jamie Simo

Spider Hunt by Kenneth Yu

A Sea-Fairy Tale by Steven R. Southard

My Little Green Problem by Agnes Cadieux

Skarthonian Consequences by Timothy P. Remp

Agony of Lost Souls by Opal Edgar

http://aurorawolf.com/

ABYSS AND APEX: UPDATE

2010-08-02T23:52:00.004+01:00

Fiction
Chinvat Bridge by Erin Cashier
Fairyland by Jennifer Greylyn
Invention by Jamie Mason

Ice Moon Tale by Eilis O'Neal
Prelude to Battle by Gwendolyn Clare

Flash Fiction
In The Bag by Kit St. Germain

Poetry
Frank The Lamp by Rich Ives
Kafka On Vacation by Karen Greenbaum-Maya
Leaving Evolution by Shivani Sivagurunathan
Tiamat by Joshua Gage

http://www.abyssandapex.com/

RAY GUN REVIVAL: UPDATE

2010-07-31T00:47:00.010+01:00

Issue 56

Dark Encounter

by James Hartley

The Battle Over Procyon

by James Coughtrey

The Green Planet

by Gordon Ross Lanser

Lifeline

by T.M. Hunter

The Vnimajici

by Caleb Jordan Schulz

Checker

by J.D. Williams

Of Machinery and Sea Life

by Pete Carter

http://raygunrevival.com/

JUPITER: UPDATE

2010-07-31T00:42:00.003+01:00

Issue 29

July 2010

Features fiction from:

Rosie Oliver

Emma Knight

Mike Wood

Nigel Fisher

James Lecky

Cover art by Greg Hughes.

http://www.jupitersf.co.uk/

BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES: UPDATE

2010-07-30T01:12:00.001+01:00

Issue #48 -- July 29, 2010

Issues now available in the Amazon Kindle Store

"Prashkina's Fire," by Vylar Kaftan
The nightmares had mostly stopped now, and my face only ached on hot days. I never looked at myself in the stream, so I wasn't sure what color the scars were, but my fingertips told me the skin was tough and dead. As for the rest, once I washed myself out with lemon juice, I just went on with my rituals in the temple, because someone had to. I tried not to remember.

"The Shades of Morgana," by Dean Wells
Sully could practically feel her glance brushing along his skin like silky smooth lips. It could, more to the point, the thing inside him, exploiting his senses as if they were its own. She stood and stretched, then strolled to the doors of carved tulgey wood that opened into the mews outside. Sully caught her fragrance, the scent of her feminine places, a smell of spice and rich dark petals of bloodleaf. "Sabrina? Don’t get too close."

BCS Audio Fiction Podcasts
The BCS Audio Fiction Podcasts will be taking a short hiatus in July, but they will return in August with audio stories by Vylar Kaftan, Erin Cashier, and more.

From the Archives:
"Blighted Heart," by Aliette de Bodard, from BCS #22
I felt the first cut like a violation. Pain burst in my chest, would not cease. I screamed and screamed until my voice was raw. No. No. I never asked for this! I saw a priest lift out a bloody, pulsating thing dizzyingly high above me, and a sensation of emptiness spread from the hole in my chest and swallowed me.

http://beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/

ABSENT WILLOW REVIEW: UPDATE

2010-07-16T12:55:00.002+01:00

Capture Station Robinson by Jon Wallace

The Oracle by Ann Gimpel

Déjà vu by Michael Simon

The Owners by Christine Dougherty

Fire Wall by Kat Heckenbach

Captain Amberson’s Amazing Electric Menagerie by Ian Denning

Remembering the Ape Girl by Kevin Doyle

For the Love of Evil by Lorena Dorantes

Crude by Patrick Scalisi

House of Reflections by Eric Bonholtzer

The Cemetery Wraith by K. A. Opperman

Hell Sings Along by Maria Mitchell

http://absentwillowreview.com/

SHORT-STORY ME

2010-07-16T12:49:00.003+01:00

"We like hard genre fiction. That means crime, detective, fantasy, horror, mystery and science fiction. Some people call "Literary" a separate kind of short story, but it's not. Genre fiction today can be just as literary as any fiction in the way it develops characters, spotlights the human condition and is told with elegant style.

On the other hand, the story comes first. We like good, old-fashioned pot-boilers. Some publishers decry a twist ending as a gimmick. We disagree. There is nothing as fun as a surprise at the end of a story, as long as it fits logically into the narrative and is neither forced nor telegraphed. We don't publish romance, cozies, children's, poetry, erotica, polemics or non-fiction."

http://www.short-story.me/

BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES: UPDATE

2010-07-15T19:02:00.003+01:00

Issue #47 -- July 15, 2010

"The Territorialist," by Yoon Ha Lee
"They will want you always," said Madame. "If you do not find a way to guard against them, they will pursue you. They love to destroy, and you make it possible for them to destroy again and again. If you are in their power, they can cut that page's throat again and again. You understand? They need not find something new to smash until they have wrung all the joy out of one toy, if you are with them. You must not let them take you."

"Throwing Stones," by Mishell Baker
The body was my own, and not my own. It was no mere trick for others’ eyes; my very joints seemed strung together more loosely, and my breasts ached under the tight bindings I had always worn. By the end of each night I had nearly adjusted to this female form, only to be wrenched back to my natural male one at the first whisper of dawn.

BCS Audio Fiction Podcasts
The BCS Audio Fiction Podcasts will be taking a short hiatus in July, but they will return in August with audio stories by Vylar Kaftan, Erin Cashier, and more.

From the Archives:
"Of Shifting Skin and Certainty," by Justin Howe, from BCS #26
Such is our addiction. Living formless is its own refuge--our skin-shifting a means of escape, to always have a new identity waiting in the tank for when the one we wear becomes overly tiresome and persistent. But the King no longer wearies of change, and has but one face now to show the world. And though it resembles candle wax, it remains. "That is my difference," he says.

http://beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/

HUB: UPDATE

2010-07-14T17:16:00.002+01:00

Issue 124

Fiction

The City by Keith Harvey

Feature
Cogs and Biros, Arts and Science

Reviews
Turn Coat
Retribution Falls
Dead Streets

http://www.hubfiction.com/

DARK FIRE: UPDATE

2010-07-02T18:14:00.002+01:00

July 2010

Fiction
Feature Story: You Killed Me - Edward Vitolo
Clock Watchers - Lachlan David
A Change of Profession - Michael Haynes
Stranger on a Train - Lori M. Myers
The 4th of July - Derek Napoli
Belong (gone) - Clayton Stealback

http://usersites.horrorfind.com/home/horror/darkfire/home.html

BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES: UPDATE

2010-07-01T11:46:00.003+01:00

Issue #46 -- July 1, 2010

The Six Skills of Madame Lumiere

by Marissa Lingen
"They will want you always," said Madame. "If you do not find a way to guard against them, they will pursue you. They love to destroy, and you make it possible for them to destroy again and again. If you are in their power, they can cut that page's throat again and again. You understand? They need not find something new to smash until they have wrung all the joy out of one toy, if you are with them. You must not let them take you.".

The Isthmus Variation

by Kris Millering
The true story the Slow Game tells is depicted in the scenes that are enacted as we players meet in the maze and move towards the central tableau. The audience members meet with each other, share what they have seen and try to decipher the overall meaning. The Slow Game moves ceaselessly, a great beast that never seems to shift and yet is never in the same place twice.

Audio Fiction Podcast 041
Memories in Bronze, Feathers, and Blood

by Aliette de Bodard, from BCS #45
His pain is too much; we cannot hide any longer. In a flutter of copper wings, we descend from the pine tree, settle near Nezahual: the hummingbirds on his shoulders; the parrots on the stone rim of the fountain; the lone quetzal balancing itself on the handle of the broom.

From the Archives:
"Six Seeds," by Sara M. Harvey, from BCS #27
Of course, this was very nice for all the other women of the world, but not for me. For me, Dollies were the chore of my life: winding them, bathing them in oil, mending gears and joints, and keeping good care of their pricier parts which pleasured the men. I cannot say that I hated it, nor that I was fond of it, only that it was my task every single day to care for these immortal metal beauties.

http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/

HEROIC FANTASY QUARTERLY: UPDATE

2010-07-01T00:46:00.002+01:00

Issue 5

ANCIENT SHADES
by James Lecky
Although the admission pains me, I must confess that, under certain circumstances, I am a man for whom the goods of others become a temptation. Had I given myself more time...

ALDROM
by Matthew Wuertz
The sun pulled away from me like a warm blanket as men led me up the wide steps. Someone’s cough echoed in the vast interior of wherever we were, and though curious, I left...

NO TWO STONES
by Christopher Wood
1. Now. Still I am the strongest! I am atop this hill on the Third Moon. Behind me, my soldiers struggle up the slope. I raise my iron sword over my head; it shines...

BEFORE THE BATTLE
by Vonnie Winslow Crist
On this witch-kissed morning, as I trudge northward, dampness frizzes my hair, worms its way into my joints. Beneath winter clouds draped like dark cloth above...

WHAT SIEGLINDE SERPENTSLAYER SAID TO...
by Megan Arkenberg
The truth, my lord, is that I am sick of monsters. I am sick of the smell of mountain aeries and brood caves, cool and salty-wet. I am...

http://www.heroicfantasyquarterly.com/

PORT IRIS: UPDATE

2010-06-29T02:07:00.003+01:00

Fiction:

The Swan Maiden

by Lindsey Duncan

The Sonic Tomography Experiments of Dr. Ira Taylor

by Chris Peterson

Stella's Last Dance

by Meghann McVey

http://www.portiris.com/