Wow. Just wow. This issue has been, as Dubya would put it, “hard work.” That’s not to say that the work wasn’t pleasant. The work was a blast. But boy howdy, did we work our asses off on this one. And so did all the fine authors who submitted to us. A hair over four hundred submissions.
Didja get that? Maybe it needs context. When we were still publishing on a quarterly basis, rather than bi-monthly, we averaged about two hundred submissions per issue. In other words, the submission period was cut by a third, and the submissions doubled. Wow. Did I mention wow?
Thank God the folks here are as dedicated as they are. Every single submission received carefully considred votes, and I think we pared down to absolutely the twenty best possible pieces. And it wasn’t easy. We rejected several flashes that were absolutely stellar, and that I’m sure have already found good homes elsewhere. Wow, wow, wow.
Let me say a particular “Wow” to our Guest Editor this issue, Randall Brown. Randall, Randall, Randall. What can I say exactly, other than wow? Wow. Working with you has been an extraordinary pleasure. Your humor, professionalism, and all around good guyness made the hard work a delight.
I’d like to single out specific pieces that I think everyone should read, but I just can’t. The authors herein are masters. And their interviews give us a peek at the masters at work. So go. Read. Read ’em all. Please.
And don’t forget to vote. November 2. Do it. I mean it.
Wow,
Dave Clapper
Editor, SmokeLong Quarterly
October 15, 2004
