From the Editor's Desk
by Randy Streu

I love stories.

Always have. Long stories, short stories, mysteries, thrillers, tearjerkers, horror, fantasy... no matter what form they take, there is nothing better than a good story well-told. A good story can teach, transport, or transform. And sometimes, if it's really good, all three.

And I suppose that's why, when Tim (that's "T.W.", to you) told me about this venture, I climbed aboard and strapped in, no questions asked. This is, after all, a chance not just to be inundated with stories, but to then share those stories with others. And even better, to find new and rising fellow storytellers, and provide them a forum with which to tell their own stories.

So much the better that Digital Dragon is science fiction and fantasy. And, to boot, family-friendly, Christian-friendly, quality fiction. Friends of DDM around the interwebs, such as those at the Lost Genre Guild, have lamented that Christian Speculative Fiction is somewhat a hidden treasure. And they're right. The field is just starting to come into its own, thanks largely to the efforts of some of these folks, and their ability to find or create fans. But even now, we're still at the ground floor of the budding Christian Spec Fic market. In truth, I grow more excited and proud to be a part of this organization with each passing day.

And it is, of course, the stories which have drawn you, dear reader, to Digital Dragon. And, I trust, we will not disappoint. Our featured story this month is by Johne Cook, a friend of DDM and an "Overlord" of the singularly fantastic publication, "Ray Gun Revival." We have pieces from some already familiar names around these parts: more poetry by our dear friend Sarah Ashwood, another surprising little piece by Melanie Billings, and some very exciting Alternate History by Jeffrey Conolly.

We've also a couple great pieces by new authors for this month, a book review by our own Tim Ambrose and, also, a story by yours truly.

Finally, I get to share a very exciting announcement with you. This October will be our first ever Theme Issue. October's theme will be "Dark Fantasy." Keeping in mind, all our guidelines will stay intact, a Dark Fantasy can be any semi-creepy little piece of spec fic you can conjure. From woodland elves who kidnap children to pretty unicorns with evil in their hearts. Be on the lookout for special guidelines and deadline for the theme issue.

And that's it for now. I sincerely hope you enjoy this issue, and the issues to come. I know I'm enjoying bringing them to you. We are, of course, still accepting fiction for our normal publishing, so keep those submissions coming in, too. We love reading them.

God Bless.

Randy Streu
Senior Editor, Digital Dragon Magazine

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