AlienSkin Magazine

                  SCIENCE  FICTION        FANTASY       HORROR    ~  FLASH   FICTION      MICRO  FICTION ~      

 

February/March 2010
Vol. VIII No. 4 ISSN: 1545-3650
Home Contact US Submissions
 

AlienSkin Magazine®
Published Bi-Monthly Online

Home  
 
Up
About Us
AlienSkin T-Shirts
Articles
Contests
Flash Fiction
Micro Fiction
Poets Page
Reviews: Book & TV
Six Questions
Staff Blogs & Websites
Zap Room

 

 

The Fine Art of Stealing Ideas ~ An Age-Old Tradition in Science Fiction
by Rob Shelsky

The Sergeant encourages you to steal ideas like a pro in his latest article . . .

 

You Are
Alien Visitor:
Counter

 

 

The Tiny Tots
of Terror
by Dr. Kevin Hillman

Doom to those who abuse children in horror tales.  Our good Dr. Dume tells you why this is so and how to terrify readers with evil-doing tots.

 

 

 

Sexuality in Fantasy
by Elaine Isaak

Lady Blade delves into the ethics of including boudoir escapades in you fantasy stories.  She discusses why the Hows not the Whys may fair  best in the minds of your readers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Staff Blogs:

Kay Patterson

Kevin Hillman

Rob Shelsky
 

 

 

 

Our Virtual Staff:

Senior Editor:
  Katherine Patterson
Associate Editors:
  Phil Adams
  Shirley Bingham
  Mary J. Hiller
Fantasy Columnist:
  Elaine Isaak
Horror Columnist:
  Dr. Kevin Hillman
Sci-Fi Columnist:
  Rob Shelsky
Design/Copy Editor:
  Marty Hiller
Image Selection:
  Stacey Saunders



 
 

  
to another issue of
AlienSkin Magazine®

The launching of this issue was delayed by the death of Kay Patterson's father-in-law, Charles Patterson.  He died early Monday morning, on February 1st, at his home with family near his side.  Chuck was 76.  He was an avid fan and supporter of AlienSkin Magazine®.  As such, he accompanied us on many ghost hunts, loved the enigma of the paranormal, and took delight in tales of reincarnation.  He will be missed, but well remembered, by members of our staff.

In honor of his support and encouragement in our endeavors here at AlienSkin, we dedicate this edition to him, Cherokee Charlie.  We'll miss you Dad.

Jim Harrington of the Six Questions For... blog invited our senior editor, Kay Patterson, to provide insight into how she selects stories for publication.  Her answers to Six Questions was posted online 2/10/10.  They are still available online for those of you who might want a tip (or 6) on how to catch an editor's eye.  We've added a page linking to the site.

Within these virtual pages you'll also find plenty of short tales and poems to help you bear the snow, cold, and long nights of winter.  

In addition to our featured articles, fiction, and poetry, staff writer, Kevin Hillman, offers his review of a new horror anthology, And Now the Nightmare Begins, published by BearManor Media and edited by Jeani Rector.

This time around, we off 27 New Stories and 8 Fibonacci Sequence Poems.  They are an eclectic mix of sci-fi, horror, and fantasy by fledgling and established writers.

Several of our contributing writers make their début as published writers this issue.  For others, this marks their 1st publication or their 1st paid fiction sale.

We offer hearty congratulations to these 10 first-timers.  Help us welcome them by giving their story or poem a read.

Appearing in our Flash Fiction section are:
Annie Bellet
, Oregon
Alan Green, United Kingdom
Nicole M. Henderson, British Columbia, Canada
Jeremy Ryan, Tennessee
Jim Valenti, New York
Jake Wickenhofer, West Virginia

Appearing in our Micro Fiction section are:
Robert Kent
, Ohio
Christian Martinez, California

Appearing in our Fib Poetry sidebars are:
Mike Frost
, New York
Tim Worsham, Wisconsin

Kudos to All of You!  Thank You for allowing
 us to host your stories.

Joining us from abroad are writers from United kingdom.  Writers from across the U. S. and Canada fill the remaining story and poetry slots.  Writers from New York claimed the most publication slots this issue.

AlienSkin Magazine® Welcomes all our new and returning writers.  Your stories help make each of our issues enjoyable and unique.

Columnists, Elaine Isaak, Dr. Kevin Hillman, and Rob Shelsky offer new genre-related articles on fiction writing.  Be sure to drop by their page and glean the advice they have to share.

Two writers share two of their works in this issue.  The writers featuring 2-fers are:

Fibonacci Poetry ~
Mike Frost
, New York & Paul Latham, Tennessee

Micro Fiction  ~ 
Robert Kent
, Ohio

Hapless challenger, Elwin Estle, of Indiana, sizzles from scorn in our Zap Room.  His story failed to pass muster for publishing so our Zap Room gunners seared it.  Just follow the scent of scorched flesh and ozone to read what they had to say about his story. 

If you feel bold and are unabashed by criticism of your pampered prose, you may consider taking our ZAP ROOM challenge.  Who knows, we might enjoy you story and decide to publish it.  If not, you'll gain an AlienSkin T-shirt to help take away the sting of our public rejection.  Just click on over to that section of our magazine for all the juicy details.

With all that said, sit back and enjoy the latest issue of

  AlienSkin Magazine®

 ~ Special Notice to Writers~

We Are currently

 OPEN to Submissions in:

Flash Fiction (500-1,000 words)
Micro-Fiction  (150 words exactly)
Fibonacci Sequence Poems (6-lines/20 syllables total)

We are currently seeking speculative fiction of 500 words to 1,000 words in the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and horror ~ and 150 word micro-fiction.

Our Word Counts Are Firm, so please do not send any material under or over our stated acceptable word counts.  If you do you will receive an auto-rejection and cause us to shake our heads at your inability to follow simple instructions.

Our Submissions section contains updated information about our current publishing needs, so take the time to review our Submission Guidelines before you submit anything to us.

AlienSkin Magazine® is a paying market for genre Flash fiction.

 
 

 

AlienSkin Magazine®  Copyright ⓒ since 2002 by Froggy Bottom Press and its Licensors.  All rights reserved.