So here we are at the final edition of 2015.

I can’t believe what a year we’ve had. We’ve been chuffed for all the nominations for awards that our writers have got, and to have been a part of that process. For 2014 stories in our mag to have been recognised in several different countries, in several Best of Year anthologies, is truly humbling for us.

The magazine is undergoing a bit of a renovation in its processes, in its quality and content. Evolving is a quite challenging process and we’re keen to be better.

I feel like this edition is not any different. It came together, not with any particular aim, but this edition has drawn together a collection of female voices in a variety of worlds. It has a finishing understated hopefulness that I feel is a wonderful rounding off to the year.

Edition 23 is finishing with a new cover artist, Toe Keen, from Spain. How excellent is his creature. When the cover came together, we found it supremely stunning. Check out more of his work at http://www.atoekeneffort.weebly.com.

We’re very pleased to welcome Lee Battersby, this edition’s invited writer, with a poignant look at humanity and our fears of artificial intelligence through the lens of an android in The Smell of Wet Grass.

Lindsey Duncan’s Stolen Moments finishes its two-part run in this edition. We come to the final showdown, two friends against the strength of an unfair bargain.

We have a real coverage of the globe with our stories this edition. Sarah Fallon’s A Girl and Her Dog, looks at a disintegrating relationship where one partner suddenly becomes a dog. Girls’ Gun comes all the way from Clint Spivey in Japan, and is a thoughtful supernatural tale of historical heroes and growing up. In A Necessary Evil, Jason M Harley shows us that even in an advanced world, technology cannot help us to be better human beings.

The Guardian of the Mountain came to SQ as a submission for our fairytales edition (Edition 20), and while it did not fit with that line-up, there was a delightful humanity in Erin Gitchell’s story. That saying about never being able to go home again seems to be the basis for Where the Time Travellers Go by David Barber, where a young man doesn’t seem troubled by the consequences until he realises that the time machine won’t return him to where he came from.

In reviews this edition, I review The Ghost of Matter from Octavia Cade, a strange fiction novella in Paper Road Press’ Shortcuts Series. Mysti Parker reviews supernatural novel Little Girls by Ronald Malfi, as recommended on a 2015 Horror To-Read list. Damien Smith takes his review down a little bit of a different road this time: he’s looking at The Martian, both novel and recently released feature film.

Thanks for following us this year, and for all your support in sharing our ezine, following us across multiple platforms, or by submitting or subscribing. Doing so has allowed us to reach a larger audience and other excellent contributors.

If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve read, think about sending us a small donation. It’s easy: hit the donate button on the left hand side of the web page and choose what works for you. We’d like to thank the authors who have donated their fees back, and our advertising partners.

As we head into the holiday season, we here at SQ Mag would like to wish you all a prosperous end to the year and look forward to seeing you bright and early in 2016.

Sophie
Editor, SQ Mag