Welcome back for 2016’s last edition for SQ Mag. We’ve been busy bees the last couple of weeks: the Story Quest Contest has begun (don’t forget to submit); our new submissions are currently open; Star Quake, Best of 2015 has been finalised and submitters notified.

We’re excited to open for serialised fiction again, and we have also opened for general submissions. To ensure that we are getting a mix of wonderful authors previously published with us, and new talent, we’ve got two areas for submission.

While there is a new method in place, which I think will make the whole experience better, there will be some tweaking of the process as we go on—we will make sure we don’t need to take long hiatuses and also so we can get our responses back to authors sooner. It’s part of big ideas, crucial to preparing for bigger and better.

Speaking of bigger and better, we have two invited authors this edition. First, Lila Bowen, alter ego to Delilah S. Dawson, drops by with a tale from the world of The Shadow, where her books Wake of Vultures and Conspiracy of Ravens (a brand new release) reside. A great delight to welcome her to SQ Mag’s pages with more of Nettie Lonesome’s story, A Pitying of Turtledoves. We also welcome back Joe S. Pulver Snr with his lyrical prose in Wind, Rain…and Umbrellas. When we contacted Joe earlier in the year, he offered us two pieces and we selfishly decided to ask for both of them, so it is a pleasure to be able to share the second with you now.

Our submitting authors are also welcomed back. Two of our pieces are from our Symbiosis call-out, stories that we thought deserved a home. Tyra Tanner brings us a story of disaster and loneliness for an explorer, trapped on an inhospitable alien world, trapped in her recriminations for an accident. From the Ashes draws a picture of misunderstandings and miscalculations in an alien world. We welcome Tyra to the ezine! Tom Howard’s name you might recognise from his work in several previous editions (but it’s been a while). With The Old Man in the Mountain, Tom drops us in a fishing village and the very real heartbreak of Denara. It’s always the ones you can’t have. Our final piece is from S.G. Larner, whose work seems to have a draw for this editor, as she’s managed to make it into two of our special editions. We’re still waiting to find the story that I can’t see fitting. But Sea Borne is a bit different; it investigates living myth and families. Welcome back to both authors!

We have several reviews for your interest this edition. Damien Smith reviews Alan Baxter’s new short story collection, Crow Shine, from Ticonderoga. Lee Murray returns reviewing Sue Copsey’s The Ghost of Moonlight Creek, the most recent of Copsey’s middle grade ghost story adventures set in New Zealand. Also, Lee reviews Corona Obscura, a speculative fiction poetry collection from Michael Collings. Mysti Parker is back reviewing literary horror, Slade House by David Mitchell. Lastly, I’ve contributed a review of Australian short story collection, The Never Never Land from CSFG.

Remember, soon the Star Quake anthology will be out. We think it would make a great present or stocking stuffer for the rapidly approaching season, and if we can reach more readers, the better. Another great way to help would be to review the collection; word of mouth and online reviews are the greatest way you can thank the authors (and the publisher)!

If you have liked what you’re reading or would like to see us do more, head down the page to the donate button. We do so much on a little, and we’re working towards improving our pay rates for all artists, authors and contributors. Sharing widely amongst the noise of social media is always useful too.

Once more, thank you for joining us for this edition, and we look forward to bringing you more quality fiction in the approaching new year.

Sophie Yorkston
Editor in Chief, SQ Mag