    
Hello and welcome to the February 2023 issue of Aphelion!
This is the first issue of of 2023; a
new year and a Happy Birthday for Aphelion!
The end of one year and the beginning of the next is always a busy time
for all of us. So much to do, so many obligations, and no place to
hide! We're glad to welcome you back to our 26th year of bringing you
the best in amatuer fiction. As the years go by, my Editorials seem to
grow shorter and shorter. Sorry about that. I'll see if I can generate
a more pithy editorial next month, but for now I'm wearing too many
hats again. I'd like to thank Jean-Paul Garnier for being our Short
Story Editor for the past six months, but he has stepped down to
concentrate on his own work. Which means I am the default Shorts Editor
once again. If anyone wants to take on the task, I can surely use your
help. Being the Shorts Editor is the most demanding job at Aphelion. No
one can keep up the pace for too long at a time, but everyone who has
done it has been magnificent! I thank all of you who have done the job
so well for so long.
On
a related note; 2023 will be my final year of gainful employment at the
factory. This time next year, I will be retired, after 46 years (!) of
working for the same employer. I'll not be just sitting back and
relaxing, however. No, I will instead transition into full-time
writing, possibly add a couple more conventions to my vacation
schedule, and working around the house on lo those many tasks that seem
to come with home ownership. I foresee a general uptick in the
explorations of my skills as a plumber, carpenter, gardener, automobile
mechanic, landscape artist, painter--both house and artwork, composer,
online raconteur, and if I play my cards right there might even be a
foray into voice acting and audiobook narration. In other words, I'll
be busier than a one-armed wallpaper hanger.
My health is still
good. My outlook on life is still excellent. I do tend to fall asleep
on live chat shows a bit more often than I'd like, but not having to
get up for work the following day will probably aleviate that, LOL! But
I won't lie to you;the prospect of not having the weekly paycheck that
the had almost-half-century as afforded me is a tad scary. I've done
everything I can do to provide for my "reclining years" but change of
this magnitude is still daunting. Nevertheless, I will turn 66 years
old next November, so it is high time I was able to concentrate on
living to the fullest every year I have left on this mortal coil. This
past January just about flew by. I expect the following months will be
just as rapidly fast-paced. I may be scared, but I am ready for the
future to become whatever it will. I refuse to waste time in worrying.
Whatever happens, happens. C'est la vie.
The online streaming shows "Stupid
O'clock" and "Last Man Standing" have been uploaded live to YouTube as
well as several Facebook pages for over two years now. They are
basically live-streaming chat shows covering a range of topics, modeled
on the types of conversations people have after hours at SF&F
conventions. Joe McKeel and I have archives of past shows on our own
YouTube channels. Check 'em out if that sounds like something you'd
enjoy I've put links in our Features section that will take you to the
YouTube archives of both shows.
With all that said, it's high time I
shut up and let you get to reading.
Enjoy
yourselves,
Dan
ON
THE COVER
Title: Pillars of Creation
Courtesy: SCIENCE: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI
IMAGE PROCESSING: Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI)
Our first James Webb image!
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