Scattered Things: Contents
Spotlight!Cindy Lynn Speer, author of Blue Moon from Zumaya, two short stories out from Drollerie Press, and a new novel coming soon, talks about the influences on her very imaginative brain and how she began to write. Author Spotlight! Cindy Lynn Speer Mark Teppo takes us farther into the jungle of The Weird. Genre Spotlight! This issue we spotlight the “pods”, that is EscapePod, PsuedoPod and PodCastle, in a special interview with Rachel Swirsky of PodCastle, who fills us in on all the deets. MediaCecilia Chapman and Jeff Crouch provide us with an entirely weird Sideshow at the bottom of Page 5. While you’re at it, don’t forget to check out the art of Scott Gray, both “Terrified” on Page 13 and his “Wicked Baby” on Page 9, and be sure to visit “Guardian” by Jody Gore on Page 16. Visit our mermaid art too, such as the stunning photo on our first page by Вита Лапковская, the wire sculpture by Reynaldo Molina on Page 60, and “Mermaid” by Murat Süyür on Page 33. Don’t forget to click on the art and photos to see it in the lightbox for better visual impact. Don’t miss the Spotlight! on PodCastle. On the bottom right is a link to one of their stories, Run of the Fiery Horse by Hilary Moon Murphy. Flash FictionKajsa Wiberg’s flash fiction transforms its protagonist in just 311 words. Gar Lipow’s transformation is even faster, though no less strange, at just 105 words. Finally, Joe Conat offers a fast transformation and the promise of a long, slow time to feel it. |
FictionGood stories of the Selkie are a joy to find. Both Denise Golinowski and Deborah Grabien, one of our very favorite authors around here, tell one about the same legend, from very different points of view. Both are moving and well worth the read. Kathleen Wallace gives us a tale as charming as she is (which is a pretty steep order), and it fits both last issue’s theme and this one. It’s perfect: transformation by ghost!
Erika Jahneke serves a up tale of entirely natural (making it even more disturbing) almost-transformation. Isabelle Santiago’s story is a sensual whirlwind, as is only proper when you’re talking about the siren’s song. Lida Broadhurst’s story is chilling; a can’t miss tale of betrayal by transformation. Ennis Drake takes us on a wild ride through the eyes and mind of a young man who sees wonders and terrors beyond his imagination, but who cannot transform himself. Visit the seaside with Kelsie, in David Sklar’s disturbing tale of that jagged place where the unknown meets the known. In Nicholas Ozment’s story, “Frank” finds himself in a brand-new, adventurous life, and MST3Ks it for us as the adventure unfolds. Frank Hunter vs. the Crawling Brains Eden Hail takes us to another time and place with her charming changeling tale. |
Ken Goldman lends us a creepy tale of transformation. This story first appeared in Storyteller Vol. 6, Issue 3 (Canada/December 1999), and then in Mooreeffoc Magazine #2, (Winter 2000-2001), Virginia Adversaria Vol. 3, No. 1 (fall 2002), and SciFantastic #4 (UK/April 2006). It holds up well. Nathalie Boisard-Beudin provides us with an unusual look at shapeshifting in her story. PoetrySupernatural transformations are one way to change dramatically. Time and circumstance are another. In this issue’s poetry, we take a look at both. We’ve been graced with two different poems with Changeling in the title. This one by Penny-Anne Beaudoin visits home at bedtime to illustrate how different two family members can be. Amy J. Benesch’s poem visits another kind of changeling, and on the same page, Sargam Garg’s poem illustrates a transformation none of us can avoid. Next up, Cristy Shauck examines time and transformation in a different way, while Rico Aurelia III writes about the transformation of repurposed items. On Page 11, we have two Johns (Hayes and Grey) who take a look at the transformative wolf in strikingly different ways. ReviewsThis issue we review some disappointingly bad erotica (It had to happen sometime, I suppose), and take a look at one of the freebies from Tor. |