Author Archives: Editor

Future Imperfect

“Future Imperfect” by Desmond Warzel If I’d been driving, he’d have been scenery and I never would have noticed him. But his presence on the Victory Bridge that evening coincided with one of my periodic, fleeting dalliances with healthy living; … Continue reading

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Five Reasons for the Sign Above Her Door, One of Them Unspoken

“Five Reasons for the Sign Above Her Door, One of Them Unspoken” by Izzy Wasserstein Lilith has kept her eye on the young man for two days, since he arrived at her hostel. Why was he there? Was he like … Continue reading

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The Bringer’s Duty

“The Bringer’s Duty” by Heather Pagano Lea was cold. She crouched outside her father’s house and hugged her knees tight, waiting for the sun to rise. Chill damp seeped through her boots from the mud-crusted snow that still sheltered beneath … Continue reading

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Editorial: Online this Time

When there have been pandemics in the past that necessitated quarantines — voluntary or otherwise — loneliness and boredom were probably much more of a problem. Let us be grateful for the resources that we have, whether online friends, online … Continue reading

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A&A reviews Across the Universe: Tales of Alternative Beatles

Across the Universe: Tales of Alternative Beatles (Fantastic Books) Edited by Michael A. Ventrella and Randee Dawn Reading the introduction by Nancy Holder felt more like work than a non-serious Beatles fan like me was expecting. This book, she warns … Continue reading

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A&A reviews The Hunchback’s Captive

The Hunchback’s Captive and Others: Stories and Poems of the Darkly Fantastic (Fairy Thrush Press) by Jay Sturner Jay Sturner’s collection—The Hunchback’s Captive and Others: Stories and Poems of the Darkly Fantastic (Fairy Thrush Press, 2019)—is comprised of 24 pieces. … Continue reading

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A&A reviews The Sideman

The Sideman (John Simon book 2) by Bryan Thomas Schmidt I love this series I requested an ARC of this book because I enjoyed the first book in the series, Simon Says, so much. I was not disappointed. How could … Continue reading

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Cargo Cult

Marc Ruvolo Cargo Cult The dust on the beetle’s backsideIridescent, gold-flecked(beneath the worn, ornate saddle)Tickles your noseAnd you, ah, youSneeze.It can hardly be called a road –Rutted dirt; fragrant weeds And a trickling ditch.Man-faced manatees swimTo the sand spars, shells … Continue reading

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Under the Boards

Misha Penton Under the Boards The house is empty. Window-doors, white and tall and narrow, swing wide to let in the blue whales. Diaphanous curtains swoosh to and fro. Outside is all sand, stillness, and quiet. Cliff-high dunes curve and … Continue reading

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Prisms

Stephanie Smith Prisms Every second is a falling starburning a hole in my heartA blissful shiver in the shadows ofanother eluded dayEach moment I cling to fantasya science-fiction tale gone awryI ride a spaceship set to auto-destructI’m unable to abortJust … Continue reading

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