fiction
1. “The Silent Machete” by A. A. Hernandez
He does not take the machete from my hand. “Yo sabía que tu la traerías para atrás.” I knew you would bring her back, he says. His eyes are watering, but he clenches his jaw and turns to me again with hard, black eyes.
2. “The Rook and the Web” by Carolyn Watson
When Eunice slid her chair away from the table, the crow let out a raucous caw and tapped his beak against the window pane. “I am the smartest bird in the universe,” he said in crow tongue. “Give me a chance and I will change your life.”
3. “You Source of Tears” by Andrew Barton
“This is Giordano Bruno calling Snark One.” The radio was cold. Ten seconds, fifteen, and no response. His stomach pretzelled. “Zéphyrine, this is Manfred. Repondez, s’il-vous-plaît.”
4. “The Observation Deck” by Kristin Janz
When he stood beside her, he could smell the floral notes of some perfumed soap or lotion, the sandalwood and pepper spice of her skin.
5. “When Ayanna Kapoor Waits” by Anthony J. Rapino
She flexes her other arm, feeling a cramp from keeping it folded and motionless for too long. Doing this makes it look like her stomach has an eel inside of it, trying to get out.
6. “The Halberdier, by Moonlight” by Scott H. Andrews
Those grapes were dead yet they lingered, not unlike him—still suspended in this moonlit realm, but drained of the essence that had made them alive.
7. “Oh Most Cursed Addition Engine” by H. S. Donnelly
Six weeks before the anniversary date of Newton’s publication, Walter stirred himself from his passionate pursuit of the perfect set of diagrams and began the less-agreeable task of assembling his contraption.
8. “Hexenhaus” by Megan Fennell
The deep shadows of the tangled forest no longer frightened her, and it seemed absurd that she had wept with fear and clutched at her brother’s hand because of them, once upon a time.
9. “The Virgin’s Tears” by Priya Sharma
“Our Holy Mother, when she cried for the suffering of our Lord, shed tears so pure, so selfless that they can give the drinker eternity. Every Italian boy knows this story.”
poetry
1. “To a Theater Near You” by Gary Pierluigi
2. “Praising Heathen Carrion” by Gary Pierluigi
nonfiction
1. "They Do It With Mirrors. Really." Editorial by Diane Walton
2. “All This Has Happened Before: Cycles in Genre Fiction” Editorial by Adam Shaftoe and Matt Moore
3. “Megan Fennell: A Self-Proclaimed Geek Tells Her Story” Author Interview by Roberta Laurie
4. “James Ng “ Artist Interview by Cat McDonald
about our contributors
Scott H. Andrews is a chemistry lecturer, editor, and writer. He is Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of the pro-rate online fantasy magazine Beneath Ceaseless Skies. His genre short fiction has appeared in venues such as Space and Time, M-Brane SF, and Weird Tales. Scott lives in Virginia with his wife, two cats, nine guitars, a dozen overflowing bookcases, and several hundred beer bottles from all over the world.
Andrew Barton resides and writes SF in New Westminster, BC and has only ever seen one comet, though he did get in some prime downtown Toronto stargazing during the 2003 blackout. Hopefully, he will still be around when Halley’s comes back in ‘61. He maintains a weblog at www.actsofminortreason.com.
H.S. Donnelly lives in Toronto with his supportive wife Anne and two affectionate cats. He has been writing shorts stories for several years. Needless to say, he was quite pleased when On Spec decided to publish his first short story. He continues to write and hopes to make it into On Spec again in the near future.
A. A. Hernandez divides her time between managing a learning center, writing, and working in her English garden. Hernandez has been published in The Christian Science Monitor, The Charlevoix County Press, The Petoskey News Review, Colours of the Heart, and Eternal Portraits. Her poetry collection, The Gilded Eye, is available for sale on Amazon.com. Her children’s book The Giraffe and the Butterfly will also be available through Amazon in 2012.
Megan Fennell Megan works and lives, with her cat, in Lethbridge, Alberta. She is an avid writer. From 2007 – 2009 she wrote a humour column for Canons of Construction. Last year, she saw the publication of her short story, “Wheels,” in the anthology, Help: Twelve Tales of Recovery. When she is not at her day job, she can be found huddled in front of her laptop like a “highly-caffeinated Gollum” or conspiring with her local fiction-writers’ group — Tuesday Night Tales.
Megan completed her law degree in 2009 and passed the bar this spring, but instead of pursuing the high-stress world of private law practice, she is embracing the more relaxed profession of court clerk and “enjoying every minute of it.”
Kristin Janz has, although born in Vancouver and raised (mostly) in Nova Scotia, lived in the Boston area for several years. Her fiction has appeared in several publications, including Prairie Fire, Futurismic, and Allegory, and she is a 2008 graduate of the Clarion West Writers Workshop. She is married to fellow fantasy writer Donald S. Crankshaw.
Roberta Laurie won her first writing competition when she was 17, and she’s been writing ever since. She has been published in three anthologies and is co-editing a fourth, Snapshots of Stony Plain: A Writers’ Landscape, due to be released this year. Roberta has written for several magazines including WestWord and Yoga Bridge and volunteers for the literary magazine Other Voices. You can learn more about Roberta by visiting her website at www.creativewhispers.ca.
Cat McDonald is an Edmonton-based writer, editor, and designer whose fiction can be read in Tesseracts 15. Why, yes, she would love a coffee, thank you. You’re a darling.
Matt Moore has had short fiction appear in print, electronic and audio markets such as AE: The Canadian Science Fiction Review, Cast Macabre and the Tesseracts anthologies with his first ever sale to On Spec’s Winter ‘07 edition. His novelette Silverman’s Game (Damnation Books) was published in 2010. Working in electronic communications by day, he’s the Marketing Director for ChiZine Publications by night. Find more at mattmoorewrites.com.
Gary Pierluigi has worked in Social Services while continuing to write. Since first being published in Quills, he has been published in numerous poetry journals, including CV2, Queen’s Quarterly, On Spec, Filling Station, The Dalhousie Review, The Nashwaak Review, and Grain. He was short listed for the CBC 2006 Literary Awards in the poetry category, a finalist in the Lit Pop Awards and received an honorable mention in The Ontario Poetry Society’s “Open Heart” Contest. His first poetry book, Over the Edge, has
been published by Serengeti Press.
Anthony J. Rapino lives inside his head with a few friends of varying origins. He occasionally consults these friends on life choices and often regrets it. His newest fiction can be found in upcoming issues of Black Ink Horror and Sands Chapbook Line. His first novel, Soundtrack to the End of the World, will be published by Bad Moon Books in late 2011. You can find further ramblings on his website: www.anthonyjrapino.com.
Adam Shaftoe is a freelance writer and critic based out of St. Catharines, Ontario. He holds a Master of Arts degree in history from the University of Western Ontario. His reviews, editorials and podcasts can be found at www.pageofreviews.com.
Priya Sharma lives in the UK, where she works as a doctor. More details of her stories can be found at www.priyasharmafiction.co.uk.
Carolyn Watson has had short fiction appear, or soon appearing, in numerous Canadian, American and British literary magazines, including Slice, Redivider, Sou’wester, The MacGuffin, Grain, The Antigonish Review, FreeFall and Pearl. Her writing has been nominated for a National Magazine Award for fiction, and twice nominated for the Journey Prize. She lives in Lions Bay, British Columbia.
In Upcoming Issues: Dave Cherniak, Steve McGarrity, Tyler Keevil, Marissa K. Lingen, Kevin Shaw, Catherine Knutsson, Brent Knowles, Paul Kennebeck, Erin O’Neill, Steve Donnelly, Megan Fennell, Kim Despins, Kirsty Logan, David K. Yeh, Regan Wolfrom, Steven Popkes, Scott Overton, Kevin Cockle, and more.