reflectionsedge

Reflection's Edge - July Issue!

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 02:41:22 GMT

Reflection's Edge is up!

http://www.reflectionsedge.com/index.html

Gerri Leen starts the fun with the luscious feature "The Last Song," where the dead-but-not-departed sing for a beautiful witch as they search for release from limbo. A.C. Wise tackles immortality in another fashion as she returns to RE with the disturbing "Blessed," the story of a Sgt. Roland Dymond who will not, cannot, die. Kassandra Kelly then takes us to the lighter side with "Nine- or Ten-Foot Angels," while Martin Turton takes us all the way down to the dark in "Harrotin Station," where refugees desperately seek sanctuary from civil war and worse.

This month we have also two book reviews, Nina Harper's guilty pleasure Succubus in the City and the wildly popular (we were curious!) Twilight.

And as a final note, don't forget to call your friends: submissions for positions on the RE staff (book reviewer, nonfiction editor) will be closed as of August 1. Write now!

See you next month!

Reflection's Edge - June Issue

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 04:08:44 GMT

Reflection's Edge is up!

http://www.reflectionsedge.com/index.html

Peter Andrews starts off our summer with the unsettling feature "Crossing the Blood-Brain Barrier," where a desperate father tries to save his daughter with worms, mad scientists, and more. Chris Ward follows with the more comic "Spruscia's Baby," where Amber finds that goblins are unfortunately not faery tales, while Joshua Allen takes us the full road to horror with "How Do You Say No to a Dying Boy?" The more healing side of genre fiction is rounded out with J.J. Fellows' story of Alaskan healers, "I the Twilight Times," and Alex F. Fayle's "The Soul of Sorcery" finishes the issue with a magic-filled crime scene.

In addition, please note we're accepting applications (editor@reflectionsedge.com) for book reviewers, as the editor must confess she's terribly behind on enjoying the pile of publications by her bed. See our submissions page for details.

We will return in June!

Thu, 01 May 2008 17:02:59 GMT

Just a quick note that the summer double issue has been moved from June/July to April/May due to the editor's recent marriage and subsequent honeymoon. We will return in June with a new issue and an ecstatic editor.

Sincerely,
Sharon (keeping her name :) Dodge
Editor-in-Chief
www.reflectionsedge.com

April Issue is up!

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 04:41:59 GMT

Reflection's Edge is up!

http://www.reflectionsedge.com/index.html

This month is loaded with fiction - from the book review of Elizabeth Moon's latest, Victory Conditions, to our fabulous authors, starting with the marvelous new author Ed Robertson in "All Men's Children," the story of two robots on the run. The fiction list is long, but you don't want to miss any of it: returning authors, new authors, flat worlds, mutating humans, Noah and his dragon, gods, child-stealing machines, you name it, we've got it - this issue is packed!

In publication-related news, keep an eye out for applications on our website as well; we're looking to add to our talented staff. We're also - fingers crossed - looking to update with a whole new look and some wonderful technical doodads to help with formatting this summer. Very, very exciting.

And finally, if you're in the mood to be supportive of RE, jump on over to our website the next time you need to make an Amazon order and search for what you want through our Amazon search engine on the right. This will take you to your item of choice, and at no extra cost to you, RE is given a small percentage of every order you make - instant aid to us (at no cost to you!) helping us toward funding our exciting redesign. (We are dying to share!)

Reflection's Edge - March Issue

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 04:19:40 GMT

Reflection's Edge is up!

http://www.reflectionsedge.com/index.html

It's a quirky story month, starting off with returning author S. Foster and his "Viscosity Breakdown," where a man with a mouth full of lingo can't seem to stop himself from saying just the wrong thing. Bobbie Metevier's "Styrofoam and Other Hazards" continues the unexpected, as a burger-flipping employee rapidly discovers his coworker's unusual abilities as disaster strikes. Aaron Polson brings up shapeshifters and faeries in a sober "Homecoming," while Jeanna Tendean brings us the dark story behind "The Rosebush." And finally, be sure to read Cedrick Mendoza-Tolentino's utterly adorable "Teddy" - I won't spoil it for you, but let's just say you should read it when you need a pick-me-up.

In publication-related news, keep an eye out for applications on our website as well; we're looking to add to our talented staff.

And finally, if you're in the mood to be supportive of RE, jump on over to our website the next time you need to make an Amazon order and search for what you want through our Amazon search engine on the right. This will take you to your item of choice, and at no extra cost to you, RE is given a small percentage of every order you make - instant aid to us (at no cost to you!) helping us toward funding our exciting redesign. (We can't wait to show you.)

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 02:50:08 GMT

Reflection's Edge is up!

One computer death and a move later (sigh), here we are (yeah!): http://www.reflectionsedge.com/index.html

In light of this past month's adventures we bring you a mini-issue,
including four wonderful fantasy stories: Brian Haycock's eerie
"Spell On You," where the dead visits a small Texas town; Michael
John Grist's "Sagasu's Life," where a painter is trying to bring
about the end of the world; Julie Shapiro's short and sweet "Avenue
and Pleasure," where a lonely ghost is visiting her old beau; and
Rochita Loenen-Ruiz's "Rituals of Grief," where a wife and mother
must defend her husband from supernatural predators beyond the grave.

We hope you enjoy, and we'll be seeing you again soon!

RE - Small February Issue Delayed

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 16:14:12 GMT

Reflection's Edge is currently moving locations (physically - our
website isn't going anywhere!). Due to this, our February issue will
be a small update made later this month. We look forward to returning
with a regular-sized issue in March, however, and hope you're having
a wonderful winter.

See you soon -

Sharon Dodge
Editor-in-Chief
www.reflectionsedge.com

Reflection's Edge - December/January Issue

Sat, 01 Dec 2007 20:07:02 GMT

Reflection's Edge is up!

http://www.reflectionsedge.com/index.html

We've a large number of fiction stories this month to keep you entertained this holiday season, starting with the appropriate "Wintertide Surprise," a holiday spirit story that I hope makes you laugh as much as it did me, by the talented Ann De Carrasco. Frequent author Daniel Ausema adds to the holiday feel with the unusual "A Winter Solstice Sun," where a sentient tree-like creature must deal with a pesky goblin. Shaylen A. Maxwell's "The Lunar Balloon" is all about finding a home in a lonely world - in this case, for a little girl who's been alone for over four million years. If you're wanting something a little warmer, Michael Kelly and Jonathan William Hodges team up to bring you "Desert of Sharp Sorrows," where a dying woman goes to the desert and encounters a strange man and an even stranger gift. Joanna Gardner's "The Cave of the Winds" has some very different gifts for a haunted woman who cannot escape a violent dream; and returning author A.C. Wise's "At the Altar of Pan" is a frightening look at a woman who cannot stop worrying to remember to fear the truly dangerous.

And in book reviews, Mathilde Madden takes us back to 2000's Cruel Enchantment, a collection of short faery tale/paranormal erotica stories well ahead of their time - a collection from before such mixed genre works were the flavor du jour, and much more original.

Hope you enjoy. Happiest of holidays, and see you in February!

Reflection's Edge - November Issue

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 15:10:43 GMT

Reflection's Edge is up!

http://www.reflectionsedge.com/index.html

We've plenty of fiction this month, starting with our dark feature, John Bowker's "Redemption Tattoo." There, Rachel thinks she's just gotten lucky finding Paul - but after a jaunt out for coffee, circumstances rapidly begin to prove otherwise. We also have two of our favorite authors returning, including the lovely Nisi Shawl, whom we interviewed just last month. This time she gives us "To the Moment," a wonderful bit of dark fantasy where a very hungry mother is pushed into some complicated decisions. Meredith Schwartz also returns with the evilly delightful "Heroic Measures," where toys are mad and and taking a stand. We also have two other new authors, Venesa Burranupakorn with "Brothers," a mythic story of magic powers, sex, death, and more fun things, as well as Lindsey Duncan with "Coldsnap," where a lonely woman is trying to find a home in the distant north.

On the research side of things, we've supplied you with additional links to war in history as well as new slang links, the latter due to reader contribution. (Thanks, Leigh Green!)

Hope you enjoy. Looking forward to seeing you next month for our December/January issue!

And we're back

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 00:27:13 GMT

Nothing like coming home from vacation to find your website offline. Argh. We're back!

Hasweb, we have a serious discussion coming up...

Reflection's Edge - October Issue

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 01:47:46 GMT

Reflection's Edge is up!

http://www.reflectionsedge.com/index.html

It's a pleasing variety this month, including an interview with author Nisi Shawl, a book review of Naomi Novik's latest Temeraire novel, a we-couldn't-help-ourselves "Don't" list of stories RE has seen too often, plus new fiction. There, Sean Eads brings a dark world with a monster always overhead in "And the Raindrops, Its Tears"; Dru Pagliassotti brings us the deliciously fun "Boomarked," with wizards and monsters galore; Mike Moran returns in "The Nekky-Bird Song," a sweet piece about two birds and an abandoned woman; and Aidan Doyle provides an October-worthy chill in his unnerving "How to Be a Good Citizen."

Enjoy!

Reflection's Edge - September issue

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 19:04:32 GMT

Reflection's Edge is up!

http://www.reflectionsedge.com/index.html

In a fantasy-filled month, we begin with our feature, Scott T.
Barnes' "Charlotte's Cove," the story of two young girls, bad omens,
a Ghost Lady, and more. Nick Franklin's "In Memoriam Memoriae" takes
us to very different shores, the cold ones at the extreme south of
the world, where the geologist Riti Gill has come to explore rock,
but finds more insubstantial history. Kaalii Cargill finishes out the
sea theme with "Stormy Weather," where a young woman searches for a
husband in the sea. And Daniel Ausema pulls us back to land in "In
the Grove of Sickle Grass," where a pre-wedding errand in a sacred
grove where names can betray you turns dangerous.

In our Resources section, we've supplied you with links to previous
RE work and further links on not only the history of genre fiction
and its cliches, but critical review.

Looking forward to seeing you next month. Enjoy!

Email good to go

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 14:41:21 GMT

The website has been back up for a while, but now, at last, so is the email. :) Thanks to everyone for bearing with me!

Technical problems

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 04:13:12 GMT

We're undergoing some technical problems. If you are expecting to hear from any staff, please note both the website and our emails are affected. Please feel free to contact by phone or alternate email (reflectionsedge@yahoo.com) for any emergency contact. We'll let you know as soon as the issues are resolved.

Thanks!

Reflection's Edge - August Issue

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 23:55:09 GMT

Reflection's Edge is up!

http://www.reflectionsedge.com/index.html

It's a fantasy-heavy month, and we're delighted to open that list with A.C. Wise (of "After the Lake"), who returns with yet another featured story, "The Woodwife's Song," a haunting story about the loss of an unborn child. Rebecca Senese brings a little horror to this month's fantasy with "Candy Man," a story that takes the sweet side of candy to a very dark place. Silvia Moreno-Garcia brings us "Water," where one girl disappears, and another tries to find her in magazines, in life, and in dreams. And finally, the wonderful Claude Lalumière returns yet again in his charming short story, "The Beginning of Time," where demons play pranks and children never grow old.

In our Resources section, we've supplied you this time with a selection of both online resources and links to RE articles on languages - from dialect to conlangs, translations to neologisms, we've got you covered.

It's nice to be back. Hope you enjoy!

Reflection's Edge - June/July issue

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 16:36:31 GMT

Reflection's Edge is up!

http://www.reflectionsedge.com/index.html

We are thrilled to have award-winning Michael A. Burstein with us to discuss the complexities of writing science fiction, laying out the basic rules of language construction in this month's nonfiction article, "Writing the Language of the Future." Mathilde Madden also joins us for a review of this year's Best American Erotica collection.

In fiction, we have three new authors: A.M. Muffaz, with her melancholy and moving "Dead Lovers," our featured story; Jacqueline West and her subtle southern tale of highly combustible women, "The Weight of Dew"; and Alex Dally MacFarlane in the pirate-filled adventure "Roseilda's Tale."

We hope you enjoy the issue, and don't miss us when we return after our one-month break in August.

Happy summer!

Reflection's Edge - May 2007 issue

Wed, 02 May 2007 03:14:22 GMT

Reflection's Edge is up!

http://www.reflectionsedge.com/index.html

We are delighted to have some our favorite authors returning in this issue. Our one new author is our feature, "The Naming at the Pool," an elegant piece by Aliette de Bodard. In it, a young potter by the name of Rhana finds a man in the forest, nameless and lost, and tries to help him. But in naming him in such a magical place, she accidentally gives him far too much - the history of a long-lost king attached to the name, resulting in a craving for power (and more).

Next, Hanne Blank returns in the fantastic "Copenhagen or Anywhere," a dark vision of a woman-turned-mermaid who has become a killer to protect her new people. In "Assistant," Mari Ness returns with a dark comedy in, of all things, a resumé for assistant world-destroying - because whether it is destroying worlds, altering timelines, or making the perfect cup of coffee, Sidney Smith wants to be there for it. And finally, JoSelle Vanderhooft joins us again in "The Desert in the North," a companion piece to a previous RE story, "The Tale of the Scorpion Prince." This time, the desert is buried under ice - and deliriously happy to watch her victims crumble and die on her.

On the information side, our resources have expanded again, with more information on writers' communities and a whole new research section with links to sites regarding psychotropics, prescription drugs, and even street slang, in addition to having cleaned our resources of dead sites and broken links.

We hope you enjoy the issue, and don't miss us next month!

Back up!

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 03:58:44 GMT

Reflection's Edge is back online. :)
(Darn servers!)

Reflection's Edge temporarily down

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 23:13:51 GMT

We're working on it!

Reflection's Edge: April Issue 2007!

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 14:14:00 GMT

A new issue is up!
http://www.reflectionsedge.com

We have a wonderful selection of fiction this month, starting with our feature, William K. Carlson's "Charlie is My Darling," the surprising story of a man who claims to be Charles Dickens in the 21st century - and who, despite all appearance to the contrary, rapidly begins convincing everyone it is so. For a more comic story, you could head on over to S. Foster's "Congestive Heart Success," a hilarious, dark little story with nasty aliens and a motivational speaker. (I don't want to ruin it for you, so just head on over and read it.) Daniel Plate's "What She Learned to Wear" is a wonderfully written piece, the story of a girl not quite dead looking for life through the carnal thrills of others, while "The Lord of Feathers" is a story of a very living kind of obsession, this one of a surprisingly young, stubborn girl over a man who has never even spoken to her (you want to read this ending). And finally, Patricia Correll's "Silver Threads" is a piece of fantasy with bite - the story of a girl who goes to see an Oracle to hear her sister's fortune told, and returns to rescue the seer.

In book reviews, Mathilde Madden reviews a short story collection, Filthy: Outrageous Gay Erotica by noted erotica author M. Christian. And for those really in the mood for a good read, she has pulled together her top ten list of erotic novels, plus over a dozen notable honorable mentions. It's a particularly diverse list, covering everything from detective stories to classic erotica to very modern, very controversial works; I was amazed. Enjoy.

On a completely different note, if you're in the mood to be supportive of RE, jump on over to our website the next time you need to make an Amazon order and search for what you want through our Amazon search engine on the right. This will take you to your item of choice, and at no extra cost to you, RE is given a small percentage of every order you make - instant aid to us ((at no cost to you!) and greatly appreciated.

We have a lot of exciting things in the works. Keep an eye on our livejournal (http://reflectionsedge.livejournal.com/) for updates. And watch out for April Fools' Day. : )

Contact!

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 14:52:11 GMT

There is nothing more frustrating than falling in love with a story, accepting it, editing it, and placing an offer on it, and never hearing back...unless it's being a submitting writer who thinks he's never been responded to and tentatively asks six months after submitting if we ever received his story, and if we did, why we hated it. Ouch!

As a note to all submitters, although we ask for two months to review incoming stories (and sometimes use that full time), we rarely take longer than two weeks, and we always respond. Honest. And if you've been waiting two months, you are very welcome drop us a line and I'll usually get back to you in 24 hours. Because that's just painful.

And if you sent us a certain story with Charlie in the title...oh, but we wish we'd heard back from you! We really wanted to buy your story.

Reflection's Edge - March issue!

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 06:10:57 GMT

Reflection's Edge is up!

I am truly delighted to point you to our feature, an interview with the legendary Ray Bradbury by Mike McCarty, where he speaks of Mars, Katherine Hepburn, and how dogs love completely. It's a lovely interview; we hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

In book reviews, Mathilde Madden reviews two highly distinctive erotic novels: one a fantasy work, The Strangeling, and the other a fictionalized memoir, Stephen Elliott's My Girlfriend Comes to the City and Beats Me Up. Then she slides on over to our articles side and introduces herself properly in "Why Review Books? My Sort-of Manifesto."

In fiction, we start with Bryan Wang's "Catch and Release," a curious tale that starts with fishing and ends with an otherworldly carnival and sin galore. A.S. Morgan's "Headlamps" is the story of a much more innocent girl, albeit one in caste-driven society where a girl without wings will always be second best. And finally, in "Poseidon Blessed" E. Catherine Tobler takes us to the classical side with her version of Dictys' discovery of Danaë.

And on a completely different note, I am sorry to announce Romie Stott's departure from Reflection's Edge. While she will from time to time work with us as a consultant or aid us in general maintenance, she no longer has the time to work in the capacity of Associate Editor. She will be greatly missed. From the beginning, she has put an enormous amount of work into RE - not only the nonfiction editing side, but the boring maintenance work that is so vital: the cataloguing, the cleaning up, the late nights, not to mention the numerous incredible articles she's written (http://reflectionsedge.com/archives/authors/romie_stott.html). The one on world building has always been my favorite; don't miss it. Perhaps most importantly, she believed in Reflection's Edge, and in our team. She will be sorely missed.

Reflection's Edge - February issue

Thu, 01 Feb 2007 05:30:13 GMT

Reflection's Edge is up!
http://www.reflectionsedge.com

We are delighted to announce that Mathilde Madden is joining us as a staff writer. Welcome! Mathilde brings a wonderful perspective to RE as an erotica author and reviewer, and we look forward to working with her on a regular basis. This issue she debuts with two book reviews, one of World War Z, and the other of Standish.

In fiction, we have a wonderful mix of horror and fantasy. Our feature, David Kopaska-Merkel's "What Uncle Howard Did," is the story of two adventurers as they discover a bizarre, hidden mushroom kingdom, with some even more bizarre (and more dangerous) inhabitants. Ausema's "The Ship of Silk on the Calmest Sea" is a beautiful, lyrical piece, where an old woman's powerful gift of building ships from almost nothing threatens to enslave her, but also free her. Returning author Claude Lalumière's "Spiderkid" is a dark piece, that of a lonely student obsessed with spiders, and desperately searching for comfort. And rounding it out is Mike Moran's "Cliff's Edge," the story of man so desperate to escape he contemplates the unthinkable - diving off a cliff.

It's nice to be back. We look forward to next month. And happy Valentine's!

Reflection's Edge - December Issue - Happy two-year anniversary!!

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 15:49:17 GMT

Happy two-year anniversary to us! Reflection's Edge is up.

This is an exceptionally strong month for fiction; the feature, "Riding Ten Thunders," by João-Pierre S. Ruth, is an amazingly thoughtful African piece centered on the politics of both man and gods. If you like the beginning, you'll be borderline obsessed by the end. If you're in the mood for something more sci-fi, returning author Justin Stanchfield's "Above the Stars of El" is a moving piece about loneliness and evolution. "The Temple Bells" by Hazel Marcus Ong is a quick breath of fresh air; this sweet fable is the perfect bedtime story for adults. For a darker look at things, you can try the poignant "Killing Beauty" by Megan Kitching; and for a dreamy afternoon, you really can't miss out on the elegant prose of Joanna Gardner's "The Rope."

In nonfiction, I leapt at the chance to review another of Mathilde Madden's erotic novels, this time Equal Opportunities. And for those just looking to improve their craft (or their sales!) we have "How to Sell a Story," a staff-written piece. (And, speaking of story sales, we've updated our submissions page.)

Don't forget our newly-updated Resources section, with new science links, either.

Looking forward to seeing you - and we hope you'll let us know what you think here at our livejournal. And enjoy!

Reflection's Edge: November Issue: THE RETURN!

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 13:40:41 GMT

We are delighted to say Reflection's Edge is up.

I can't help myself. This issue is cool.

In the mood for an insightful interview with Logan's Run author William F. Nolan regarding writing, his friendship with Ray Bradbury, and his training as an artist? Dig in to our feature. Or perhaps you're in the mood for a little horror with a heart of faery tale? Try A. C. Wise's After the Lake, which just about stole my breath away. Or perhaps you just want to smile? Try the whimsical Mrs. Charles' Bookshop about some badly-behaving books by returning author Hanne Blank. (If you haven't read her previously featured work, trust me, you'll want to go back and read it!)

Need more fiction? Brown's Separated is a fantastic bit of science fiction, the lonely story of conjoined twins broken apart in more ways than one; Guy Adams' The Carver is a delicious bit of horror/fantasy; and Carlyle's wish-fulfillment story, The Carp's Proposition, will make you laugh with its impertinence.

But wait, there's more! (I couldn't help myself.)

Romie Stott returns with another review, this time of the The Gaze, a magical realism novel by Turkish intellectual activist (and outspoken feminist) Elif Shafak. Then AJ Grant brings us another solid article of research and advice, this time regarding writing characters who are depressed (but not boring!) in Characters on the Couch: Depression.

It's nice to be back. Enjoy. :)