Hello, and welcome to the first issue of Aphelion's 20th year!
There are a lot of goodies on tap for you all--not only this month, but
all year long. There will also be some surprises, too. Not just blasts
from the past, but a look into the possible future as well. So settle
back in a good comfy chair and let me show you a trick or two.
Hopefully, the novelty won't quickly wear off. I also hope you find it
entertaining as well.
Of course, within this issue you'll find the usual selection of
fantastic stories and poetry by our treasure trove of amateur,
semi-pro, and pro writers. You'll also find our yearly celebration of
the past "Best Of" works from our amazing authors, and as promised,
just a little bit extra, compared to most other Birthday issues. We've
gone that extra mile to provide tantalizing treats for your amusement
and edification. For instance, we have managed to score an excerpt from
one of our professional writer friends most recent novel. We're sure
you will want to rush over to Amazon or B&N and check out not
only this new novel series, but all the rest of her works as well. Her
name is Stephanie Osborn, she is a former NASA
scientist with multiple degrees and a resume' so heavy with adventure,
excitement, and really wild things that if someone were to type it all
up in one word processor file and hit the Print button, the resulting
manuscript would be so massive that it would quite likely suffer an
immediate gravitational collapse and become black hole large enough to
change the orbit of planets circling nearby stars. Hyperbole perhaps,
but with a large grain of accuracy nonetheless. So when you're finished
giggling at my witticisms, we'll move on to the main event of this
editorial.
To wit: Have you ever wondered what the future might possibly hold? I
know I sometimes do. And while my pontificating prognostications have
infrequently graced this august editorial space, I yet have wisdom
enough to know that I really have no idea what is going to happen next.
But, I have a pretty good idea what is coming next, at least for
Aphelion. But before I get to the "main event," as it were, I have a
couple of announcements to make. And they aren't happy ones, at least
not to myself and the Aphelion Staff. Aphelion is soon going to be
taking applications for at least one, most likely two, of our editorial
staff.
Nate Kailhofer has been associated with Aphelion for a decade or more,
and has served in various editorial positions for almost that long. But
the time has come for him to re-dedicate his energy to his own writing.
So he has come to the difficult decision that he will have to step down
as Aphelion's Flash Fiction Editor and Mastermind of our monthly Flash
Contests in our Forums. Yeah, it's the end of an era here, folks. Nate
has been one of the best editors to ever grace Aphelion's staff. I've
learned a lot from him, myself. Whoever steps into his shoes better be
Paul Bunion-sized! It's going to be a difficult example for anyone else
to live up to. Now, there are blessings here for Aphelion, because Nate
is determined to remain a contributing member of the Forums. But he
needs to make time to write his own stories, at last. We may be losing
the best Flash Fiction Editor we've ever known, but we are sure to gain
another resident pro writer in the near future. If you're one of the
people who takes your Flash Fic seriously, and have the bent to teach,
now is the time to convince Nate you are willing and able to carry on
his legacy. Naturally, Aphelion writers are preferred, because they
already understand the way we work. But the job is open, and we need a
worthy successor to step up and do the heroic deeds the job entails.
Applicants need only to go to the Aphelion Facebook page and indicate
their willingness to join our motley crew. And may the best applicant
win.
Kate Stewart, our newest editor, recently discovered that there is some
off-line embuggerance that is about to go down in her own life that
could prevent her from having any time to spare to remain our Short
Story Editor. She doesn't want to leave, and she isn't happy about
having to leave, but this is something that is going to keep her from
having the necessary free time to stay with us. Kate is a fiercely good
editor, and a good fit for the crazy that is the Aphelion Staff. We are
all saddened that she will be leaving. Her work has been exemplary, her
dedication has been without peer, and her absence will be difficult to
adjust to enduring. Once again, if you have what it takes to do the
hardest job Aphelion has, meet us on the Facebook page and make
yourself known. Better do it quick, too. I can say nothing more because
I wish to protect Kate's privacy.
Now that I have made that pair of sad announcements, I'm at a
loss as to how to segue' into the special surprise feature of this
editorial. Perhaps a bit of background will suffice. A few months ago,
the idea was discussed in Aphelion online staff meetings that perhaps
we should step up our game a bit in light of emerging technology and
fashion. It was proposed that we add interviews with some of our
writers, the ones that seemed most likely to be willing victims, as
either audio or video files to the Features section. Yes, we have done
the rare text interview, usually conducted VIA e-mail, but this was
mooted about in response to Webcasts and Podcasts that're now becoming
the "new norm" for websites. The staff decreed, with no dissent save
mine own, that I had the perfect voice for audio Podcasts and video
Webcasts. My ego was all for it, until I reminded the drunken sot that
we also were possessed by the absolutely perfect face for radio... And
looked like Aqualung's hobo cousin who'd just fallen off a train moving
West at 78 MPH, onto coarse gravel. My ego was a bit taken aback by my
irrefutable logic, yet proceeded to temp my better nature with
sugarplums of exceptional sweetness, saying "you already do those
writing panels at conventions and no one has had to be taken away in an
ambulance yet," and "people in those audiences laugh at your jokes,"
and even worse "you know you REALLY want to do it..." Suffice it to
say, I finally was seduced by the Dark Side-- Wait one, George Lucas
just filed an injunction... OK, my Lawyer replied "Common Usage, Slang,
Oxford Dictionary, Memes, NEGATIVE PUBLICITY," and George told us to go
do something anatomically impossible, but he hung up the phone!
So, this is now a thing. A video editorial, for which you will be the
first victims-- Um, the first to experience something unique in the
annals of... whoever keeps annals online, as it were. Yes the following
video is a mere proof of concept, which will hopefully lead up to
something actually worthy of your time and attention. I decided on this
because there weren't any willing victims, um, writers or staff members
leaping at the chance to be the test subjects, um, participants in this
grand experiment. It'll last about an hour, all told. Well, I am a bit
long-winded, as you well know. And so, with much ado about
nothing, I present to you, Aphelion's Next Step into the 21st Century:
BOILERPLATE:
First off, if you do the Facebook thing, feel free to join us
on the
Aphelion page there. The link is Aphelion Webzine.
As an aside, the Editorial Mafia and I have found Facebook to be very
useful. Given our different
locations and schedules, it's come in handy as a way to discuss
production details of new issues. Sometimes there are several of us
using Facebook at the same time, so it's almost like the old chat room
days.
My first collection of Mare Inebrium spaceport bar short stories was
published in February by Dark Oak Press. It is available in both Kindle
an Nook e-book formats, paperback, and hardback. I also that three
albums of instrumental music out through the Create Space
self-publishing
website. If you like, you can click on the photo or the link below to
fin all the info you would need to purchase my book in your preferred
format, or an e-book of Flash of Aphelion, buy a CD of my music, or
listen to tracks off of the albums on my Bandcamp website. Enjoy!
_______________ ON THE COVER Title: The Eskimo Nebula (NGC 2392) HUBBLE OPENS EYE. Photo Credit: NASA,
Andrew Fruchter and the ERO Team [Sylvia Baggett (STScI), Richard Hook (ST-ECF), Zoltan Levay (STScI].
