Basking in the February glow...

Phew! We're still basking in the glow of the fabulous February 2024 issue of Electric Spec.
We're so proud to present our stories:

• "Artifacts" by Christian H. Smith--There's a secret way to bring wonders from dreams into the waking world, but some dreams turn into nightmares.
• "Family Roots, Family Thorns" by Brian D. Hinson--The heir apparent to a spacefaring agricultural dynasty faces the dangers of ambition, betrayal, and DNA splicing.
• "Neither Snow nor Rain nor Gloom" by Kathryn Yelinek--Delivering mail in faerie tale land takes muscle and determination... and a bit of sass doesn't hurt.
• "Wane and Wax" by Devan Barlow--A princess with long hair, a tower, and a handsome suitor. This time, it's not what you might expect.
• "The Howl of Darkest Night & Other Tales" by Alex James Donne--Horror stories are supposed to haunt us, though maybe not this much.

Which one is your favorite? I can't decide!

Announcing 2024 RMFW Anthology

Many of the Electric Spec editors have been, or are, members of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers (RMFW).
We are excited about the 2024 anthology "Without Brakes, Fingers Crossed" which will be published September 7, 2024 and will include a story by the fabulous Paolo Bacigalupi!

Read all about it on the March 8 RMFW blog,

From February Author Hinson

We are pleased the author of "Family Roots, Family Thorns," Brian D. Hinson, in the fabulous February 2024 issue of Electric Spec sent us some comments about the story:

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A woman walks into a bar in New Taichung, Callisto…

Mirjana settled in at the Jammed Neck Ring, where a human bartender served. His braided red-blonde beard reached his belt. As she sat, he asked, “Perhaps you would like to try Quevedo Reposado Tequila?”

A group of New Mexico professional SFF authors, under the banner of Turquoise Apocalypse, meet once a month to critique. The quote above is from my novel that’s currently in search of a literary agent, but when it was under critique, Rebecca Roanhorse (Between Earth and Sky Trilogy) took issue with the scene above. “Would they really have tequila on the moons of Jupiter?”

Fair point. Tequila is made from blue agave, which takes an average of ten years to mature before it can be harvested for tequila production. It needs mineral-rich soil and a semi-arid climate that’s not excessively hot. The highest quality blue agave is grown in the state of Jallisco, Mexico where the altitude is around 5,000 feet, a major contributor to the necessary mild clime.

So, Rebecca had inspired me to write about the fictional Quevedo dynasty: centuries-long growers of agave and distillers of tequila. And Liquor Royalty. In the background of “Family Roots, Family Thorns,” the Quevedo family packed up the business when Earth’s climate made growing agave naturally beneath the skies impossible. Instead of going underground with climate-controlled greenhouses to scratch profit from a dwindling earth market, the Quevedos struck out for the Outer, where the market was untapped. Some genetic tweaking with the agave gave it maturity in two years.

And so the story begins with trouble in the dynasty, when the father chooses an heir to the fortune. And genetic engineering isn’t confined to the crop. It's employed in bizarre and contemptible ways during this brother-against-brother family war. And the effects stretch beyond what either brother predicted.

So, enjoy a shot of Quevedo Tequila, “…a little sunshine makes all the difference.”

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Interesting! Thanks, Brian!
Readers, be sure to check out all the February 2024 stories!