Image © Andrew C Stewart
Letter from the Editors Dear Reader, We stand upon the shoulders of giants, whether we know it or not. The stories we read and write today all owe their existence to the writers who blazed the trails and set the standards. Each story in this issue shows honor and reverence for the tales that came before in their own way. We find stories set upon the foundation of classic faerie tale archetypes and delivered with imaginative new twists, an homage to the trailblazers of a genre, a reimagining of the timeless theme of a 'house divided' in a far-future setting, and a fantastical way in which the unwritten masterpieces of bygone artists might be found in our fondest dreams. Let these ingenious authors carry you away with: "Artifacts" by Christian H. Smith--There's a secret way to bring wonders from dreams into the waking world, but some dreams turn into nightmares. "Family Roots, Family Thorns" by Brian D. Hinson--The heir apparent to a spacefaring agricultural dynasty faces the dangers of ambition, betrayal, and DNA splicing. "Neither Snow nor Rain nor Gloom" by Kathryn Yelinek--Delivering mail in faerie tale land takes muscle and determination... and a bit of sass doesn't hurt. "Wane and Wax" by Devan Barlow--A princess with long hair, a tower, and a handsome suitor. This time, it's not what you might expect. "The Howl of Darkest Night & Other Tales" by Alex James Donne--Horror stories are supposed to haunt us, though maybe not this much. In our Editor's Corner, we have a fresh story from our associate editor, Mary Jo Rabe: "Parallel Time." Finally, we welcome Andrew C. Stewart, who presents his cover art to us for the first time with "Jupiter Project." One of a writer's greatest hopes is that our stories will inspire both readers and future writers--and that our shoulders will one day support storytellers we will never meet to create tales we cannot imagine. We hope you find inspiration and delight in the work of this issue's talented authors. Thanks for reading, Lesley, Grayson, Candi, and the Electric Spec Team