August issue submission deadline passed

Savvy authors know the submission deadline for the August 2024 issue has passed. :(
But never fear, you can submit now for the November 2024 issue. Good luck!
If you submitted for August: Thank You!
We, the editors, have been working on slush already, but now, the crunch time really begins! Back to work...

Deadlines

I have been working on a project with a bunch of tight deadlines this summer. Phew. Deadlines are very challenging! They can cause a writer to prioritize and drop less important tasks. But they can also be great motivators to get things done.
We have started working on the awesome August 2024 issue of Electric Spec!

The most important deadline for writers is our submission deadline of July 15, 2024. Get those stories in!
Good luck!

Congrats to the winners!

The Science Fiction/Fantasy Association (SFWA) recently announced the winners of the 59th annual NEBULA awards:

• Nebula Award for Novel: The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera
• The Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction: To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose
• Nebula Award for Novella: "Linghun" by Ai Jiang
• Nebula Award for Novelette: "The Year Without Sunshine" by Naomi Kritzer
• Nebula Award for Short Story: "Tantie Merle and the Farmhand 4200" by R.S.A. Garcia

Congratulations to all the winners!

Huzzah!

Huzzah for the marvelous May 2024 issue of Electric Spec! We published five stories (as usual). They are:

• Beyond Storms of Hurt by Austin Jacques
• Draconic Academy by Rachel Ayers
• Gilmore by Caitlin A. Quinn
• Hatch, Beast, Fly Away by Anna O'Brien
• Maybe You'll Sleep In by MM Schreier

Which is your favorite?

Marvelous May 2024 Issue Live!

The marvelous May 2024 issue of Electric Spec is live!
Thank you, authors! Thank you to our artist!
Thank you to the whole Electric Spec team!

Thank you, readers!
We hope you enjoy this issue as much as we did.

From May Author Ayers

We are pleased the author of "Draconic Academy," Rachel Ayers, in the marvelous May 2024 issue of Electric Spec sent us some comments about the story:

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I've always loved dragons, ever since I first picked up a copy of Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey. At some point I started to develop my own idea of what dragons are - less lizard and more air elemental, great spirits of magic and mystery. These dragons are hoarders, true, but also curators and archivists; their collections are specific and lovingly tended. They are shapeshifters, and choose to be somewhat humanoid in their dealings with humans, as that is more convenient for whatever meddling they want to get up to. They bring magic into the world by their very existence (in much the same way that good stories do).

Of course, dragons are their own mythology, and they are regarded differently throughout the world. In western folklore they are often seen as terrible beasts who steal virgins and burn crops and eat livestock. In eastern folklore they are more likely to be friendly or helpful spirits. In either case they come into the epic tale, bringing a might and magesty that you don't find with pixies or dryads or even unicorns, for the most part. Dragons have bigger tails, erm, tales. The Aurelian is a creature of epic battles, mischief, and an age of history beyond human scope... and yet she dips a wing into this handful of pages about Rukmini, who wants nothing more than a peaceful life as a librarian and researcher.

Stories, like dragons, can shift their shapes unexpectedly. But as humans, especially as authors, we also have choices in how we shape our own stories, whether we tell them as epic adventures or quiet reflections. We may not always control the narrative, but we can choose our focus, and sometimes the details we latch onto make all the difference between tragedy or comedy, laughter or tears, loss or learning. May you curate your library brilliantly, whatever shape your stories take.

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Interesting! Thanks, Rachel!
Readers, be sure to check out all the May 2024 stories!

From May Author Quinn

We are pleased the author of "Gilmore," Caitlin Quinn, in the marvelous May 2024 issue of Electric Spec sent us some comments about the story:

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“Gilmore” is essentially the product of a good prompt gone bad. I was participating in the NYC Midnight 500-word micro-fiction challenge, and the prompt called for a comedy that involved a dozen eggs and washing a dog. I immediately thought of how washing my own dogs is a chore—for all of us—and how, at times, I could swear they time their shaking to get me the most soaked. As a writer who is most comfortable in the speculative world, the idea came to set the story in a post-apocalyptic world on a spaceship. The narrator’s voice flowed somewhat naturally in my head, and I saw him surrounded by all these animals with differing personalities and idiosyncrasies. And then I thought, “The animals MUST be in charge. Because, truly, we are doing a crap job taking care of this planet.” Over time, I expanded the story from its original 500-words but still saw it as a flash piece. I have ideas for additional short pieces about these characters and this world. Maybe even a novel down the road. Who knows? Here’s to Laika and her revenge!

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Interesting! Thanks, Caitlin!
Readers, be sure to check out all the May 2024 stories!