from Author Oxford

We're excited to feature "Ms. McCrae's Metaphysical Cleaning Agency" by L.D. Oxford in our marvelous May 2026 issue of Electric Spec. L.D. was kind enough to send us some comments.

---

I'm sure it's possible for some writers to pinpoint the exact origin of a story. That's never been true for me. I'm a magpie, a dragon, collecting images, sentences, ambiance. Eventually, after much wrangling, some of those items come together into a beginning, a middle, and an end.

This particular story--"Ms. McCrae's Metaphysical Cleaning Agency"--is a love letter to New York City. When I was young, I had a very clear vision for my life: I was going to be a writer, and I was going to live in New York. Only one of these has come true (so far). But still, I'm drawn to the rich stories of that storied city, and apparently wanted to contribute my own small part. It wasn't planned, not really. I didn't set out with the intention, "I want to write a story about New York." But as Ms. McCrae and her brethren took shape, it was clear that was their home. Stories, in my experience, have the tendency to grow in unexpected directions. You don't know it's the right path until you've tried it out.

This story also grew from grief. From the process of having to wrangle it and figure out what on earth to do next. For those of you wrestling with the same thing, I wish I had any sort of advice, but what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another. For me, I just had to write my way through.

For a long time, the story was only its protagonist, Jean McCrae, bopping around in my head. I knew she had ghosts. Beyond that, it was blurry. So I sharpened the cast of characters around her. The story's antagonist, Mrs. Bardot, was actually the last to coalescence into a (somewhat) solid form. Once she did, the story followed.

If this sounds like many twists and turns, some non sequiturs and nonstarters, that's because it was. Writing--creativity--is not linear. There are always surprises along the way. And isn't that why any of us do it? The joy of discovering what's next. If we all knew how it ended, we'd never pick up the pen in the first place.

Thanks to the journey it took to get here, I'd like to dedicate this story to those battling their own ghosts. Maybe try offering them a cup of tea.

---

Interesting! Thanks, L.D.! Be sure to check out "Ms. McCrae's Metaphysical Cleaning Agency" and the rest of the May 2026 stories!

Marvelous May 2026 Issue Live!

The marvelous May 2026 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.

Marvelous May TOC!

Greetings, Readers and Writers! The editors are hard at work behind the scenes on the marvelous May 2026 issue of Electric Spec.
We are excited to share the Table of Contents with you right now!
The stories we will feature are:

• The Mythology of It by John Leahy
• The Eleventh Wild Swan by Taylor Jones
• Ms. McCrae's Metaphysical Cleaning Agency by L.D. Oxford
• The Ballad of the Bell Knight by Scott Wall
• Haggard by L.M. Conkling

Check it out on May 31!

Fabulous February 2026 Issue Live!

The fabulous February 2026 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 Author Blatchley

We're excited to feature "Smoke and Mirrors" by Nyki Blatchley in our fabulous February 2026 issue of Electric Spec. Nyki was kind enough to send us some comments.

---

Smoke and Mirrors is a story about my recurring character Loshi, whose previous story The Guild’s Share appeared in Swords & Sorcery Magazine in 2023. Loshi is a teenage thief in the city of Shimeth, trying to strike a balance between making a dishonest living and surviving against people far more ruthless than her.

The aim is to create something of the spirit of classic sword & sorcery, but with a difference. As a thief, Loshi has little use for swords and avoids violence (though it often finds her), surviving instead on her wits.

I’m fascinated by liminal conditions, and this includes Loshi’s state as someone barely out of childhood trying to prosper in an adult world. In Smoke and Mirrors, I’ve mirrored this theme with a secondary character who is (literally) a child in an old woman’s body. While I set out to tell an exciting tale, this exploration of the borderland between adult and child is at the heart of the story.

---

Interesting! Thanks, Nyki! Be sure to check out "Smoke and Mirrors" and the rest of the February 28 stories!

February 2026 Cover Reveal!

We're excited about our cover art for the fabulous February 2026 issue of Electric Spec. We will be featuring "Landing Party" by artist Barbara Candiotti.
So, without further ado...

From Author Zhang

We're excited to feature "Wife of the Iron Road" by Wanying Zhang in our fabulous February 2026 issue of Electric Spec. Wanying was kind enough to send us some comments.

---

What inspired you to write this story?

The core of this story was inspired from the history of Chinese railroad workers in America. In light of recent events that stirred anti-Asian sentiment, I looked into the history of Chinese-Americans and was interested in the experiences of Chinese immigrants who arrived during the Gold Rush in the mid-1800s. When I dug further into their role and living experiences in building the transcontinental railroad, I was struck by the extent of their exploitation and erasure as "cheap labour." Since this was minimized or overlooked in American history, I was inspired to write a story to give a voice to the people who sacrificed their lives to build one of the nation's most used infrastructure.

I also drew inspiration from Chinese folklore, particularly the legend of Meng Jiang Nü, where a widowed wife journeys to seek her deceased husband along the Great Wall of China. For the horror aspects of the story, I was influenced by Pu Songling’s ghost stories, especially his depictions of female spirits who confront injustice.

More broadly, I was interested to explore generational and familial trauma in immigrant families, and examine how historical violence shapes the present. In doing so, I hope I can honour the cultural memory.

Did the story develop in any surprising ways as you wrote it?

Yes, this story evolved in several unexpected ways over the course of many revisions. In my first iteration of the story, the ghost was the central figure driving the story and the protagonist functioned as a distant observer from the future. However, when I revised, I realized I wanted a stronger connection between the past and present, so I revised it to give the protagonist greater agency and purpose and to let the narrative unfold through his lens.

My research also progressed in stages which altered several details in my story in terms of world-building, dialogues and characterization. Initially, I relied mostly on secondary accounts reported in news articles or historical texts. But eventually I found some firsthand testimonies that allowed me to incorporate more specific details and authentic voices. As I learned more about the racism, violence and harsh working conditions faced by the Chinese railroad workers, the story naturally grew darker. Gordon H. Chang's book, “The Chinese and the Iron Road: Building the Transcontinental Railroad," was an invaluable resource that provided first hand accounts of their living experiences and ballads from their families.

In my more recent revisions, I gave my protagonist a more distinct Chinese-American voice and internal conflict. He became a more fully realized character that evolved along with the story, which strengthened the emotional core.

Is this story similar to your other writing, or were you trying out something different?

Yes, currently I write a lot of speculative fiction that is inspired by Asian folklore and myths. However, before this story, I had written a lot of western fantasy/horror. This was the first piece where I fully leaned into Asian folklore and history. In doing so, I began to find my voice. I wrote the first draft in 2021 in response to a submission call with the theme of "Asian Ghost Stories." It was rejected, but I believed in this story’s core and theme, so I continued revising it on and off over the years until it was published. In the time since, I have written many other stories, and in my more recent revisions, I was able to bring the voice I had developed elsewhere back into their piece, allowing it to fully come alive.

Would you like to dedicate the story to anyone in particular?

I like to dedicate this story to all the railroad workers who gave their blood and sweat for America, and may their voices and memories be remembered. I also like to dedicate it to my husband for his unwavering support for my writing and for sparking discussions regarding labour movements.

---

Interesting! Thanks, Wanying! Be sure to check out "Wife of the Iron Road" and the rest of the February 28 stories!