Join us for a monthly tour of writers who give as good as they get. From hard science-fiction to stark, melancholic apocalypses; from Lovecraftian horror to zombies and horror comedy; from whimsical interludes to tales of unlikely compassion--whatever it is, if it's weird, it's here.

In this issue:

THE RAISING OF HESTER MACRAE E.M. Anderson

QUERY LETTER Riley Winchester

OCTOBER MARDI GRAS Mary Jo Rabe

SHE AIN'T HEAVY Anthony Ferguson

THE SQUARE OF STARS Laurence Klavan

THE GIRL WITH CHARTREUSE HAIR Terry Sanville

THE GYRE Samuel Finn

THE SPUD Gregg Sapp

TIMBER AND ITS PURPOSES Charles Wilkinson

URBAN DECAY Wayne Kyle Spitzer

So grab a seat before the starting gun fires, pour yourself a glass of strange wine, and get ready for the running of the dark horses!