Image ©Brian Malachy Quinn
Letter from the Editors Dear Reader, We have a changing of the guard this issue at Electric Spec. First, we bid a sorrowful yet grateful farewell to Nikki Baird, who is moving on from her role as editor. Nikki has been a steadfast friend and colleague since 2012 and we wish her the best of luck as she focuses on her own writing career. And to fill in for this issue, we were grateful for asociate editor Candi Cooper-Towler's help. (Thanks, Candi!) Stay tuned in 2023 for info about new Electric Spec editors! For the final issue of 2022, we've got a great lineup of stories for you: "Bliss" by Chet Gottfried -- Bad enough to be boarded by ruthless space pirates... but now the ship is drunk, too? "Maysi's First Assignment" by Lyndon Perry -- Making the grade as a warden against evil takes more than witchcraft. "Princess Moon Lily's Last Riddle" by Leonora Lewis -- Defeating a cruel tecno-goddess at her own rigged game will take a special kind of hero. "Her Teeth are Long and Full of Venom" by Donna J. W. Munro -- A sin eater's job is as thankless as it gets, yet a good monster can lighten the load. "Grave Goods" by Michael Allen Austin -- An invitation to a distant relative's funeral turns into a ceremony of terror. In our Editor's Corner, Grayson Towler shares a look behind the scenes into the process of selecting short stories with "Beyond the Editor's Event Horizon" -- featuring three checklists to help you elevate your chances to get your tale published. Finally, we give thanks to our cover artist for this issue: Brian Malachy Quinn with "The Snow Queen." Thanks for reading, Lesley, Grayson, Candi and the Electric Spec Team