Message from the Editors Going quarterly is something we've wanted to do almost from Electric Spec's inception. We just didn't have the time or money. (Kind of like how we'd like to pay more. No time to read increased slush; no money to pay more.) This year we decided to commit to one of our goals by going quarterly. Our hope is to bring your more fiction, more often, and give our writers opportunity to see their work appear in the magazine more quickly. This also makes the magazine, and our writers' stories, eligible for some awards and listings. This decision was in no small way affected by our website, launched a year ago by Hardlight Media. It's so much easier for us to publish and maintain the issues now. But the most important facet to our decision are the stories. Choosing stories from such a qualified pool has become more difficult over time, so much so that we were able to buy a couple of stories ahead for our May issue to help us ease into our new schedule. Please note that we don't anticipate this becoming regular practice, but we won't rule out buying ahead from time to time. Speaking of stories, we've got a great line-up for you in our February issue, with tales ranging from dark and bloody to those with a light touch that will put a smile on your face. All the stories have one thing in common: they'll keep you riveted from beginning to end! We're looking forward to 2010 with renewed enthusiasm, in this, our 5th year of publication. Thanks, as always, to our readers and writers for your continued support.