The New Issue Is Out!

The marvelous May 2021 issue of Electric Spec is out! Woo hoo!

Thank you so much to all the authors! To the cover artist! To the Electric Spec team! It's an honor to work with so many great creatives. Woo hoo!

And, of course, the reason we're all here: Thank you Readers!

from Author Pawley

We are excited to feature a brand new tale from Andrea M. Pawley in our marvelous May 31, 2021 issue of Electric Spec. It is called "The Kipnibbles Singularity." Here's what the author had to say about it:

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Here's a fun thing to do -- find out how the brains of your friends work. I promise that interesting conversations will result.

Start by telling a friend that you're going to say a few sentences and that you'll ask afterward about what you just said. Then say something like this, "You see a person walking beside the street. Someone going in the other direction passes with a dog, and a car drives by." It doesn't much matter what you say. Just be sure to leave out the details, and only offer a few simple sentences about a scene. Then ask your friend to tell you what you just said.

Some people will add texture to the recollection. Some will stick to what you said. Others may only be able to recall one sentence. Regardless, when that's done, ask your friend if the thing they just recalled was something they saw or something they heard or something else entirely. The point is to get to how they formed and retained the memory.

In doing this little brain glimpse exercise with one of my favorite writer friends, I learned that she created the memory of what I said completely in sound. She had no visual at all. It turns out that when she writes, she doesn't see anything either. I was stunned at the time, but my conversation with her was an early one. I've since learned that the way memory works is all over the place.

I have about six mental tracks going at once with four of them completely visual. In my field of view when my eyes are open, the layers I can see exist on top of each other. One of the non-visual mental tracks sometimes ponders what it would be like not to have so many tracks observing and thinking about things all the time. The irony isn't lost on me.

In my visual way, I wrote "The Kipnibbles Singularity." I started with the name Vespasian. The image of a cat immediately came to mind, and I started to look around in my brain for what was in Vespasian's environment and what was important to him. The house revealed itself to me from the ground up. I saw that Vespasian had very strong feelings toward his food bowl, and that bowl was special in a science fiction way.

That story was a lot of fun to write. My mental tracks don't spend much time visualizing a technological singularity, but when they do, Vespasian the Cat is always involved.

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Very interesting! Thanks, Andrea! Check out all the stories on May 31, 2021!

from Author Guilt

We are excited to feature a brand new tale from Elizabeth Guilt in our marvelous May 31, 2021 issue of Electric Spec. It is called "Jeremy Sleeps." Here's what the author had to say about it:

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Sleep can telescope or collapse time, and can mess with our perceptions. Yet because it's something that we (usually) do every day, we regard it as mundane.

Sometimes we're not even aware that we are sleeping. How often have you seen someone asleep on a sofa, snoring, only to have them open their eyes and deny that they've been asleep? Sometimes, lying awake at night, I feel as if I haven't slept at all - but am aware that the time has passed too quickly for that to be true. I might have memories of things that happened during the night which, when considered in the literal light of day, are too fantastical to have actually happened. Conversely, sometimes people will tell me things I said or did which I don't remember at all.

Years ago, I woke up in the middle of an argument; I was furious that a friend refused to accept what I was saying. As I repeated my point over and over, my conviction faded until I realised that I was talking absolute rubbish. By the time I was properly with it, I couldn't even remember what it was I'd been trying to say. The friend, by the way, was genuinely present, and was somewhere between amused and baffled by their end of the conversation - apparently I'd appeared completely alert the entire time, forming sentences that were syntactically correct, but utterly meaningless.

I am a sound sleeper, and often my alarm clock intrudes into a reality which waking-me wouldn't recognise. The things I believe about this little, ringing monster beside my bed - and the decisions I can take while wrestling with it - often owe far more to dream logic that sense. I am, quite literally, not myself when only half awake.

Sleep is, by any definition, a mind-altering substance, and I wanted to write a story which explored the experience of living more permanently in that half-space between sleeping and waking.

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Very interesting! Thanks, Elizabeth! Check out all the stories on May 31, 2021!

from Author Mabry

We are excited to feature a brand new tale from Sean Mabry in our marvelous May 31, 2021 issue of Electric Spec. It is called "The Law of Stonekin." Here's what the author had to say about it:

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Why non-human protagonists?

That is the question I often ask my imagination, and always with a tone of accusation. After all, it’s much more difficult to write non-human protagonists. Whenever I do, I have to work that much harder to help the reader relate to them.

So what makes Guillaume the Gargoyle like us? What makes his story worth our time? A few things. First, he has an insatiable desire for novelty. I once read an essay about early human sex differences. It talked about the male tendency to push out into the unknown even in times of relative peace and comfort. That's weird, isn't it? And while it's not exclusive to males, it does speak to a certain impulse that makes our species unique.

Second, he's selfish, but in a particular way. He has an idea of what he wants and he makes the deadly mistake of assuming others want the same. Worse, he acts on it. If Guillaume wanted to hurt others, especially Benoit, then he'd be a flat, boring villain. Instead, his fundamental goodness becomes corrupted by a subtle and devious Ego. Sound familiar?

Third, and finally, he’s trapped in the Cycle of Trauma. Tauri the Stoneweaver created the Stonekin to suit his own needs. Guillaume created Benoit to suit his. Is Guillaume not perpetuating the same harm as before? He is, at first. He only escapes the cycle by sacrificing his own happiness for the autonomy of his new friend. Of course, that very decision earns him a second chance.

And if a weatherbeaten gargoyle can find his redemption, can't we all?

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Very intersting! Thanks, Sean! Check out all the stories on May 31, 2021!

from Author Foster

We are excited to feature a brand new tale from Luke Foster in our marvelous May 31, 2021 issue of Electric Spec. It is called "The Annie Scam." Here's what the author had to say about it:

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Not every pandemic story is about a virus. Last year, many people tried their hand at online dating, some for the first time. Other people tried to take advantage of them. Those stories inspired "The Annie Scam."

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Fun! Thanks, Luke! Check out all the stories on May 31, 2021!

Cover Reveal!

We are excited to feature art by Michael Anthony Dioguardi for our May 2021 cover. He shared "We Get to Eat Now" with us:

About the piece, he says: My mushrooms need goopy yellow plutonium juice to thrive. They need to eat, right? We must continue to provide for them. Quinuclidinyl benzilate does wonders for their spore production And dimethylheptylpyran--such an aphrodisiac!

Fun! Thanks for sharing, Michael! Check out his bio on our Artists page. Check the whole issue on May 31, 2021!

Production Meeting Report

The marvelous May 31 2021 issue of Electric Spec is coming in less than one month! Woo hoo! We had a great Production Meeting recently. I think we had as many cats in attendance as people--that's virtual meetings for you! Hopefully, it was our LAST virtual meeting! It was great because we got a lot of excellent stories and we were in agreement about how fabulous they were. If you submitted: thank you! We are very grateful to get so many excellent stories and pieces of art.

Down to business... All authors should have received an email from us with a yea or nay by now or within the next couple of days. If you haven't heard from us: please resubmit. Mysteriously, it does seem like cyberspace eats a story every once in a while. :(
Savvy readers of this blog know 'yea' emails are accompanied by a contract. Please send those back ASAP so we can start editing your story. Don't worry! We edit with authors.

All this means we should start posting blog entries from contributors in this exact space very soon. Woo hoo! Stay tuned!

May the Fourth Be With You!

behind the scenes

We are preparing the marvelous May 2021 issue of Electric Spec! We are working hard to finish those last stories in the slush pile. We are rereading all the stories in hold-for-voting. We are ranking the stories in hold-for-voting. We are chosing our favorite cover art. We are polishing items for Editor's Corner. We are planning the Production Meeting.

Bottom line: next week I'll give the Production Meeting report here.

Thank you very much for submitting your stories! We really appreciate it!

utilize your uniqueness

The deadline for the marvelous May 2021 issue of Electric Spec has passed--but never fear, you can submit for the awesome August issue. :)
We have received many, many excellent stories. Thank you for submitting! The time-crunch is on to finish the stories in the slush-pile. If you submitted, you should hear from us within the next two weeks.

How do you get your story published? You write the story only you can write. This means we want to see unique specific details of setting, world(s), characters, thoughts, feelings, and the like.
What are you passionate about? Why? Show us! What do you have expertise on? Why? Show us! What experiences have you had? What people have you known? What are your values and ideals? What are your dreams? What are your worries and fears?

When you incorporate your specifics, your story will shine!
Good luck!

Your First Page

The deadline for the marvelous May 2021 issue of Electric Spec is fast approaching: April 15, 2021. Get those stories in!
We get hundreds of submissions for each issue. (Yay!) This means we do not read every story in the slush pile from start to finish. Sorry.

This means your first page needs to be very good, and your first paragraph needs to be very good. Grab the attention of the editors with something unique. This could be beautiful prose, a dramatic problem, a personable voice, or a fascinating world. This could be a speculative fiction genre we don't get often such as steampunk, or humorous horror. This could also be a fun mash-up of speculative genres.

Often authors waste precious real-estate on the first page with backstory, setting descriptions or world-building info-dumps. Another way of putting this: often authors start the story too early. Start your story when the story starts.
If you must include backstory, descriptions, info-dumps, etc. put them a little later. (Notice this is market-dependent; some markets like front-loaded description.)

I hate to be negative, but ... If you have weird formatting, grammar issues or other similar problems on your first page, it will count against you.

Good luck making your first page awesome!

don't annoy the editors

The deadline for the marvelous May 2021 issue of Electric Spec is a little over a week away. Get those stories in! Thank you for submitting! :)

Today, I thought I'd pass along some tips regarding not annoying your editors.

• Don't ask for an update on your story. Unfortunately, we just don't have the resources for this.
• Don't ask for exceptions to various submission rules. Please do attach your story as an rtf file. Please do use standard formatting.
• Don't send your submission to the wrong email address. It likely will get lost even if you send it to editors at you-know-where. Again, we just get too much email to deal with this.
• Don't submit a story outside the word count limits. We won't bend the rules for your story.
• Don't critique instructions on the submisisons page or elsewhere on the website.
• Don't tell us the wrong things in your cover letter. I don't want to know you've never published a story before. I don't want to know your political or religious or other very subjective opinions. If you've published dozens of stories before I don't want to know the names of all the markets; pick the top few. Don't summarize your story.
• Do tell us your name (and pen name, if relevant), your story name, your story genre, your story word count. Do tell us a short writing-related bio.
• Don't open your story with a lot of racism, misogyny, brutal murder-of-editors (!), or other offensive stuff.

Good luck!

Consider Kindness

Yes! We are working hard on the marvelous May 31, 2021 issue of Electric Spec. The submission deadline for this issue is fast approaching: April 15, 2021 U.S. Mountain Time Zone. Get those stories in! Thank you if you have already submitted.

I must admit some real-world events have overtaken us, or at least, me. I live less than a mile from a recent mass-shooting in the U.S. The rest of the editors live in the same general area. Consequently, I have no stomach for stories full of dead bodies. If you have such a story, please wait to submit it. If you've already submitted such a story: sorry, try another market.

We will all get through these challenging times with time and kindness.

Take care!

Consider vaccination

The pandemic has been challenging for everyone.
Please continue to follow best safety practices: wear a mask, keep your distance, wash your hands, avoid crowds and poorly ventilated spaces.
Please consider getting the vaccination when you are eligible.

I'm looking forward to the day when we're all safe! Take care!

Consider writing positive

We're still enjoying the fabulous February 2021 issue of Electric Spec. But we have started reading slush for the next issue. We've already received many, many stories. If you've submitted one: thank you!

The last year has been difficult for everyone. At the last Electric Spec meeting the editors discussed how tough it had been and how we didn't really have the stomach for negative, depressing, or dytopian stories.
So, if you're writing, consider creating a story with a more positive spin. Optimistic stories will get more editor-love in the near future.

Hopefully, things will get better and better as 2021 progresses...

Fun February Issue!

The February 28, 2021 issue of Electric Spec is loads of fun. Did you see the excellent cover art:

by Anselmo J. Alliegro?

Did you read part 1 of Nikki Baird's enjoyable short story "The Iron That Binds?" What will happen in part 2?

Did you read the fascinating interview of D.A. D'Amico Interview by Candi Cooper-Towler? How has D.A. managed to published in Electric Spec multiple times? What does he know about audio publication? Read about these topics and much more!

Woo hoo! New issue!

We're still very excited about the fabulous February 2021 issue of Electric Spec. Perhaps you've already devoured the whole thing? If not...

Here's what we've got for you in our first 2021 issue:

• "Al and the Skeleton Tree" by Paul Wilson--Is the most notorious tree in a run-down neighborhood really haunted...or is the mystery even deeper?
• "Keeper John" by Bill Hughes--An elite courier of magical artifacts receives the deadliest package of his career.
• "The Flip Side" by Jay Tyler--Extreme measures to control overpopulation conceal an even darker secret.
• "Visiting Hours" by Selah Janel--The faerie hunter known as the Erlking pursues the one mortal who escaped him.
• "Paper Wings" by Brian Low--In the chaos of the Three Kingdoms era, a young scavenger befriends a magical paper bird.

Woo hoo!

The February 2021 issue is live! Woo hoo!

The awesome February 28, 2021 issue of Electric Spec is live! Woo hoo!

Thanks so much to the cover artist and all the authors!

Thanks so much to all the Electric Spec staff.

And, especially, thanks so much to all the readers!

Woo hoo!

from Author Hughes

We're excited to feature the story "Keeper John" by Bill Hughes in our upcoming fabulous February 28, 2021 issue of Electric Spec. Here's what Mr. Hughes had to tell us:

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To me, one of the wonderful things about classic pulp fiction was how fast the stories were. The authors I like best are the ones who would just drop you in the middle of something without any explanations. If a background detail is important, it will become clear enough as you go--and if it isn’t important, who needs it? At least that’s the theory. Several writers--especially crime writers like Mickey Spillane and Paul Cain—wrote some ferociously quick fiction that way. I can't pretend to be as good at it as those guys, but I try to keep their example in mind when I sit down to write.

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Thanks, Bill! Very interesting!
Be sure to check out "Keeper John" and all the other stories on February 28!

from Author Janel

We're excited to feature the story "Visiting Hours" by Selah Janel in our upcoming fabulous February 28, 2021 issue of Electric Spec. Here's what Ms. Janel had to tell us:

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I was one of those kids who had a giant imagination growing up. It wasn't just the fact that I was creative, but I tended to carry my what-if's into whatever real life situation I was in. Family vacations turned into epic adventures in my head, the little day to day tasks became romanticized while looking at them from new angles. Everything presented a special possibility, everything opened up questions. What if a relative I was visiting was really a witch (I had a thing for haunted houses even then, so this wasn't an insult)? What if aliens landed and I had to teach them what everything was for on Earth? What if magic was real?

What if?

I loved playing outdoors, and loved hiking trails with my parents in the nearby state parks. There was just something about trees that opened up possibility for me, that made me feel safe and gave me a sense of freedom I didn't get walking around the neighborhood. It wasn't hard to imagine that creatures lurked in the underbrush. Between my early love of folklore and the fact that all of the 1980s marketed magical creatures to girls, it wasn't hard to make the leap in my mind. Of course pixies hid under the trees! Why couldn't some Midwest version of selkies hide in the creeks? A friend of mine once found an alligator snapping turtle in his backyard, so who knew what I could wake up to!

Deep down, I knew it was pretend. It was never anything I tried to convince other people to believe--I knew how reality worked, even as a kid. I treasured those moments, though, those peaceful walks where the air smelled green and every rustle of leaves held the promise of something elusive, something that may or may not exist. Those ruminations always got me thinking, and in some ways, I think they made me very self-aware and in touch with my own emotions. They also opened up the possibility of public embarrassment and many, many family stories of which I'll never hear the end of, but it's a small price to pay.

As I got older, those what ifs served me well as a writer, but they took a more adult tone. What if a person wished hard enough, worked long enough, and it just still wasn't enough? What if magic wasn't enough to save someone? What if two characters loved each other, but never got around to actually admitting it to each other? What if magic was real, but it couldn't cure every problem?

What if?

That mix of childhood daydreaming and adult sensibility led me to Birch's story. After the death of my grandparents over the years, I came face to face with the fact that they were people who had ups and downs, did their best, loved and lost, just like a lot of people do. I had to face the giant wall that now separated me from them, had to face the swirl of emotion that each passing brought up. Each death also brought me closer to who they were as people, and made me question my own place in the world. T

Inevitably, they eventually merged with my story ideas and mental meanderings through imaginary forests. My grandparents had no magic cure for the hardship in their lives, so what would happen if a magical creature had to accept the limitations of their power and consequences of the human realm? Could a creature like that take joy in the little things, or would it forever be a game to it? The character of the Erlking has always fascinated me. He's someone who's known for his cruelty, for stealing away maidens and feasting on the souls of children. There are many different interpretations, and you see hints of him pop up in other characters--you'll never convince that there isn't at least a bit of Erlking in Labyrinth's Jareth. There's also loads of stories alluding to the relationships of faeries and mortals, but what would that even entail? What would that mean in the modern world, and what would a faerie do if even his power couldn't protect him from love, or protect the object of his love from death?

What if, indeed.

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Thanks, Selah! Very interesting!
Be sure to check out "Visiting Hours" and all the other stories on February 28!

from Author Low

We're excited to feature the story "Paper Wings" by Brian Low in our upcoming fabulous February 28, 2021 issue of Electric Spec. Here's what Mr. Low had to tell us about the story:

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Generals and heroes are interesting for sure, but I've always been more fascinated by the struggles of the less-privileged in times of war: soldiers, farmers, and in this story, scavengers. But what if the things you're scavenging are also trying to kill you? As for why I set this story in China's Three Kingdoms' period, I thought I'd like to write (and read!) something a little different from the Western-inspired settings that I mostly read.

I hope you enjoy the story too!

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Thanks, Brian! Very interesting!
Be sure to check out "Paper Wings" and all the other stories on February 28!