Friday, October 29, 2010

The First Few Bites of Shimmer Number Twelve


I've tried to be fairly vocal about supporting the small press at my author's blog. As a writer, especially a weirdo who prefers the short form (raises hand), I must tend the garden in which I'm planted (or hope to be planted one day).

I recently snagged a subscription to Shimmer, a lovely magazine of quirky fantasy and strange science fiction. My first issue, Number Twelve, arrived the other day, and I gobbled a handful of stories like a hungry hound dog (but with less bits hanging from my lips afterward). For slipstream fans, Shimmer is delicious.

For example: Peter M. Ball's angsty teen-werewolf story, "The Mike and Carly Story, without the Gossip" is a special piece of writing. Ball lands a solid punch in the emo-stomach of Twilight tainted teen fiction with an amazingly deft voice. Highly recommended.

If you wonder what makes Shimmer different, touch the oddly beautiful zombie-love of "You Had Me at Rarrrgg" by Nicky Drayden, or Carmen Lau's spin on a very old tale with "Red and Grandma inside the Wolf". I've enjoyed each bite.

Off to nibble the rest...

Buy a copy or subscribe to Shimmer.