TFA Named Guest Editor

We have no clue how The Famous Author weased his way into THIS gig, but all the short stories in Spinetingler Magazine's upcoming Winter Issue (January 2008) will be selected and edited by a special guest editor, none other than my boss, TFA. Sandra Ruttan will be doing her usual interviews (with authors Ray Banks, Christa Faust, and others), but TFA will be at the controls, selecting the fiction.

On Spinetingler's website (there's a link in the lower right column), Sandra and her husband, K. Robert Einarson, talk about their new-writer-friendly mission:

"The writing industry is often difficult to enter as an emerging writer. Writers are routinely rejected simply because their name or work is not known. Often, exceptional manuscripts are returned unread with a rejection form letter. Many of our staff writers have faced this challenge and know the frustration of spending months or even years waiting for the big break.

"We also realized that the publishing industry was not being responsive to the changes in the world. Too often an author is forced to mail a manuscript with an SASE to a magazine or publisher, required to spend time and money on a process that does not make sense in a world where doing things "online" is a normal way of doing business.

"That's why we created Spinetingler Magazine. We want to entertain our audience while we promote and enhance the profile of talented emerging writers using the exciting forum of electronic publishing. We know there are a lot of great stories out there that should have a place where they can be told, so we are providing that venue for them."

All you writers of crime-centered short stories, please check out Spinetingler's submission guidelines (and cutoff dates) on their website, and don't hesitate to try your hand. TFA says most of the stories have already been selected for that Winter issue, but there will be many more Spinetingler's after that.