In this issue, we have our regular spate of outstanding original stories--which is the next-to last issue of our 24th year of continuous publication!

Last weekend I attended Hallowcon in Dalton, GA. It's a small, Horror-themed con which is held a close to Halloween as is possible. Less than 200 attendees makes this more of a relaxi-con than any I've been to in quite a while. Matter of fact, this was the first in-person con that I attended since February of 2020. As much as I have come to enjoy online conventions, I've missed mingling with my con friends during the recent plague era. Thankfully, several of them were also in attendance, so that itch got scratched. I also got to make several new friends, as well as meet many of the members of The Rising Tide Publications group, so I decided that Hallowcon is going to become a regular event to attend. One of the perks was meeting most of the Stupid O'clock crew in person after sharing the streaming broadcast screen with them for almost two years now. Another was meeting so many of the Rising Tide folks. They assure me that they intend to make Hallowcon a regular gig, too. In fact, next year even more of them might be in attendance. Yet another was seeing some of the LibertyCon family there, too. I won't start naming names, 'cause I'm sure to miss someone, so let me just say it was a wonderful time for all concerned.

Since last month's issue came out, I've been on temporary assignment to rotating shifts at work. Hopefully, that will end soon, allowing me to return to daytime-only for the rest of the twenty-seven months I have to endure before my retirement from the factory. That's right, by the time the February 2024 issue of Aphelion rolls around, I will officially be a pensioner! That means I'll become a full-time writer, home-handyman, and a general nuisance to my lovely wife, LOL! I can't wait! This week I turned 64 years of age. So, by the time I retire, I'll be a freshly-minted 66. I've been thinking about adding two more conventions to my yearly schedule. One for each season, as it were, so I'm looking into one for Spring and another for Winter. Summer is, of course, LibertyCon. Autumn will be Hallowcon. One per season will have the virtue of getting Lindsey and I out of the house for a nice little trip every few months. That seems reasonable.

On the writing front; I've gotten permission to re-edit and submit my "Nightwatch" stories as a stand-alone novel! It's in my publisher's hot little hands even as I type. Hopefully, it'll pass muster, which will give me another tie-in to the Tom Darby stories. Speaking of Tom Darby, I'm down to the wire on the prequel to "Abducted" as a series of short stories destined for collection in one book. I have one story to finish and another to write, and off to the publisher that goes as well. "Tales From The Mare Inebrium" is being re-issued by a new publisher, who has commissioned me to write a Volume 2, and begin working with as many of the Online Mare Inebrium writers I can regain contact with for a future Shared Universe anthology of Mare stories not written by me. Early days on that yet, but I have gotten in touch with a few of the gang already. If anyone is in touch with Bill Wolfe or Wishbone, tell them to contact me, please. Other unfinished projects I hope to complete in the near future are my Fantasy story, "The Cat And The Crow," my steampunk stories, and a re-edit of a couple of pieces from my back catalog. I'll never want for things to finish, it seems, LOL! Stay tuned... 

All right, I'll need to wrap this up and put the new issue online. I have to finish up this week's night shift tonight. I hope it's an easy night, tonight.

I'll see you when I can see you. Twice weekly on Stupid O'clock and Last Man Standing on YouTube and Facebook, at a convention, or right here!

About time I quit talking and let you get to reading!

Dan